Lehi Business
Lehi-based online quilt shop finds global audience
“Creativity is so good for the soul. It’s become as important to me as exercising and eating well. I try to sew a little every day – it keeps me happy. A quilt is like a big hug from the person who made it,” said Adana Manookin, owner of Sweet Daisy Shoppe, an online fabric and notions store based in Lehi.
Manookin has been planning and dreaming about having her own quilt shop for a decade. She took notes when she visited fabric stores to keep track of her favorite things at each one. All along, Adana thought she would have a brick-and-mortar store where customers could browse and get inspired to be creative. She could not have imagined that her unique expertise in textiles and patterns, plus a global pandemic would lead to a successful online business that feels more like a trip to a favorite quilt shop.
“I paid attention to every detail – did I like their kits and bundles? The paint colors? The shelves? Quilt shops are kind of a ‘mom and pop’ thing, you don’t want to feel like you’re walking into a big box store. It needs to feel special,” Manookin explained.
Sweet Daisy Quilt Shoppe was originally going to be a brick-and-mortar store. Manookin even found the perfect property close to home, but nothing seemed to work out in her favor. “I was so frustrated – nothing was going right. I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t even be trying to start a business,” Manookin remembered.
In July 2019, Manookin decided to go online with her quilt shop. She cleared out a spare bedroom dedicated to her business and within three months she was up and running. “My sales doubled as soon as everything shut down in March 2020 and it’s been growing ever since,” said Manookin.
Adana Manookin took a big risk and left her corporate job in January 2020 to run Sweet Daisy Quilt Shoppe full time. “I really panicked when the world shut down – I wondered how it would impact me and my business. It turned out to be great, though. I’m having so much fun,” said Manookin.
One of Manookin’s gifts is organizing bundles of fabrics from different lines. “I love picking fabrics for bundles and kits. I love scrappy quilts,” she said. Manookin’ s eye for great combinations is one of the reasons Sweet Daisy Quilt Shoppe has found customers all over the world. Seeing the fabrics together in Manookin’s carefully composed photos has inspired hundreds of quilters to get to work.
“At some point maybe I’ll feel like I have enough quilts, but it hasn’t happened yet,” said Manookin with a smile.
