Midwest Designs is now the embroidery business in Mount Vernon and Lisbon, taking over the former West Main Co. equipment and accounts.

Paige Eby started an embroidery business in her basement in the past couple years, something she could tackle as a stay at home mother.

When she opened an email from Karissa Hunter this summer, she said she had to read it three times. The Hunters were looking to sell the business West Main Co.

“We thank Karissa, Sam and Mav for giving us the opportunity to take what they built and make it bigger,” Paige said. “Within a week of that email, we were ready to jump in and take over the space.”

One minor change that Paige created in the space was adding an interior wall to have some of the shirts and materials she works with on embroidery for customers to feel ahead of ordering.

“I’m one of those people who really needs to feel a shirt before I commit to embroidering it,” Paige said.

With the business, they were purchasing the 12-head embroidery machine and laser cutting and engraving tools. Karissa also worked with Paige and Kaleb to carry over some of the customers that West Main Co had been working with.

“We definitely inherited a lot of Iowa City businesses who are looking for someone who does embroidery work,” Paige said.

Just like Karissa when she purchased the 12 head embroidery machine, it’s stepping up from what used to be done on a single machine to being able to tackle larger jobs with machines that can run them all at once.

While the Eby’s do not own the building the business is located in, the space has room for the multiple machines they need to make and design embroidered patterns, do laser etching on a number of materials and even some full color screen prints of some designs for some t-shirts.

The goal is to create custom apparel that fits their customers needs.

“There are some fees that are built into designing an embroidery design the first time, but after that, you don’t change your design,” Paige said. “We’d maintain that file for future orders as they come up.”

Paige will still maintain her space at Back Porch Pickers and Artisans as a seller for some of her more unique designs, but she’s excited to being the home for embroidery for Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Linn-Mar and potentially Solon designs.

And Paige notes much of the equipment she is using at the shop is similar to the items that were running in her basement.

“It’s like Karissa and I were using so many of the same things,” Paige said.

With the purchase of the business space, Paige also took over West Main Co.’s social media account, and has been letting people know about the change in ownership.

She plans on maintaining the quality that people have come to expect from West Main Co., just expand that footprint for newer clients.

Midwest Designs can be found at 941 W. Business 30 (just south of Salon 30’s space). Phone number is 319-382-6087 or email is [email protected].