ragpeddler
The Rag Peddler, a 16-year resident of 1125 South Broadway, recently relocated over the holidays to a new location at 250 Walton Ave. While owner Jane Buckner says the new space will be slightly smaller, the new store, nestled among a number of new businesses along the street, is more upscale and better-equipped to display the shop’s variety of fabrics.
The new facility, among a number of other storefronts and commercial spaces, was recently refurbished by Walker Properties, and Buckner says that organization’s emphasis on “reinventing” the area of Walton Avenue and National Avenue was a major impetus for her move. (Click here to read a feature from June 2012 profiling the transition.)
The Rag Peddler’s fabrics and custom pieces have been used in a variety of area businesses, including Merrick Inn, Giuseppe’s, Portofino’s, the Thoroughbred Club, Wines on Vine, Cheapside Bar and Grill, Dudley’s and Rose Bud, among others.
Buckner believes the new location is better-suited to her clients’ needs. A large percentage of her business comes from residents of the 40502 zip code, and many of The Rag Peddler’s customers also shop at neighboring stores.
“I think all of our businesses compliment each other,” she said. “We have a lot of mutual customers, and do a lot of business with each other.”
Opened in 1993, The Rag Peddler was Buckner’s escape from a career in social work that had turned out to be a poor fit for her.
“I just thought I’d try it to see if it’d work,” she said. “I didn’t start with very much money; 19 years later I’m still doing it.”
At the time it opened, the shop was the city’s only fabric store, and is still one of the largest. In addition to selling home fabrics, the shop makes custom pieces, mostly draperies, for its clients.
“I have a little bit of everything, although Lexington’s fairly traditional. We have unique patterns, so we’re told, that other stores might not carry, but we try to cater to everybody’s tastes,” she said.
The Rag Peddler will also reupholster small pieces of furniture, and works with a number of reupholstering professionals in the city for larger pieces.
The shop’s most commonly re-upholstered pieces are dining room chairs, which don’t usually require much fabric and are simple, relatively inexpensive jobs.
Another of the store’s most popular purchases is its custom cornhole boards and bags. The Rag Peddler uses heavier fabric and stronger stitching, which tend to make the bags hold up longer than mass-manufactured varieties. According to Laura Cox, who has been an employee for the past eight years, the shop is one of the largest purchasers of locally grown corn from Southern States in Lexington. They purchase around 400 pounds of the kernels a month, or around 5,000 pounds per year, to keep up with the demand for the popular tailgating game.
For Buckner, the move back to the area is a way of coming home. “I grew up in the area all my life, and I kind of wanted to go back there,” she said. “It’s a lot of local businesses, and I know a lot of those business owners. We all support each other and compliment each other.”
And, of course, The Rag Peddler’s resident terriers, Biscuit, Gravy and Tank, have made the move and will be greeting customers at the new location.