Opening night of the 20th anniversary sale drew a crowd to Three Sisters.

Three Sisters is a busy center for services
Nov. 17, 2011

The next time you walk into Three Sisters Fabrics and Fashions on the north side of Montezuma's square, see how long it takes before you hear a telephone ring.

You probably won't have to wait more than a minute.

Somebody might be wanting to rent a tuxedo. Or they're calling to ask about a United Parcel Service delivery.

Maybe they want to know if the alteration is done on the piece of clothing they brought in.

It could be they need something notarized. Or maybe it's a question about purchasing a hunting or fishing license.

They might want to know when the dry cleaning can be picked up.

Is one of the tanning beds available at a certain hour?

Does Going Places photogrphy have a gift item they might want? One of Jo's daughters, Barbie Lowry, owns the Going Place photo gallery in the store.

Someone may be asking if they can buy more minutes for their cell phone - which they may have purchased at the store.

It goes on . . .the phones keep ringing . . .oh and you can still buy fabric there. They have tons of it!

Store owner Jo Ahrens and her family of staff members observed the 20th anniversary of Three Sisters with a big sale and open house that started on Thursday evening, Nov. 17.

"The biggest challenge has been offering more services and meeting the community's needs," Ahrens said.

"We used to be a fashion fabrics store, but we're mostly quilting now," said Marge McVay. "We do more clothing repairs now, because people either don't sew or they don't have time."

Jo Ahrens named the store after her three sisters, Marge, Barb and Virginia.

Barb Albin does the bookkeeping and Marge McVay is an employee. Virginia lives in California. Another employee is Arva Cheney.

And another is Vickie Wolfe, who has been part of the store all 20 years. "We adopted her," said Jo with a laugh.

Jo and Vickie used to work at Barb Long's Monte Fabrics and Clothing, which was located where the Montezuma Medical Clinic is at now.

"Barb (Long) convinced me I could buy and own it," Jo said. "And I told Barb I wouldn't take the store unless Vickie came with it."

She did, although Jo did opt for the downtown location.

Studio 22 Photography was once part of Three Sisters, but Sarah Sheets-McKeag has her own studio now on the north side of town.

Ahrens said the store has been a lot of fun.

"We used to do a lot more custom sewing," she said. "Sometimes we would be in here sewing until 2 or 3 in the morning."

Every day is different, she says.

"We have made everything from cremain bags to hunting dog nursing bras," Jo said. "We made a Davy Crockett outfit for a dog once."

The first year, the sisters made three pilgrim outfits at Thanksgiving time and put them in the front window. "People thought we were nuns," said Marge.

"We have been fortunate to have the same staff," said Jo. "Each member has her own strengths."

"There are days I ask myself what I'm doing here," Ahrens said. "But then someone will come in from a distance. We've sewn robes for a priest in California. We have made things for a lady in Russia," she said.

"People are happy we have services avaialble and they don't have to drive to Des Mones to get certain things done," she said.

"Life skills (like sewing) aren't taught in schools any more and people are grateful that we do it," Ahrens said. "And we've kept prices reasonable."

"I'm tired at the end of the day, but I look forward to the next day," she said.

Ahrens noted that the sisters got to spend a lot of time with their late mother, Nellie McKeag, "that we wouldn't have been able to, otherwise," Jo said. Nellie was a longtime newspaper correspondent an enjoyed visiting with everyone.

There is a table and chairs in Three Sisters, and there's usually coffee and cookies available in case you want to visit for a while, or perhaps you need to wait it out while the spouse shops. You can do it in comfort. There's also a TV so you don't need to miss the big game.

"People like our selection," said Vickie, who also makes jewelry. "I think they're surprised by how much we offer."

"People appreciate the hometown atmosphere," said Jo. "We're neighborly and we want to be good neighbors."

Goodies made by Terence Blain of What's
Cookin' by Terence were popular at
the Three Sisters sale.

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