Horses spur start of Embroider Barn in Brockport

article originally published in the Democrat and Chronicle's West Extra column on August 8, 2019.

by Caurie Putnam

A unique, new business in Sweden has horses to thank for its existence.

“This all started because of the horses,” said LaChelle Vick, an owner of 14 horses, who opened Embroider Barn, in December 2018. “When you show horses at A-rated shows, everything from the stall curtain to your jacket back is embroidered with your farm’s name and the horse’s name.”

Vick started showing horses at age 16 and for years would bring her embroidery machine to events to make last minute items and custom requests for other horse owners. Her work became so popular she bought a $10,000 embroidery machine, but it became so much work to lug around to shows that she decided to open her own brickand- mortar embroidery business.

“When we were putting the sign up for Embroider Barn I got really emotional because I am living a dream,” said Vick, who also credits her unique first name as an impetus for getting involved in embroidery. “My name is so unique that I could never find anything pre-made with my name on it; so I made it.”

Her business goes beyond embroidery, though. She also creates T-shirts, decals, personalized gifts, bottle art, decorative items for the home, wedding items (centerpieces, table runners, window panes, etc.) and much more.

​When I stopped by the store at 4878 South Lake Road, in the Sweden Plaza, Vick was creating a custom quilt for a client that was made of denim squares from 40 to 50 pairs of jeans the client’s husband had worn over the years. Some of the squares were embroidered with dates that were important to the family, like anniversaries and birthdays.

“I love being able to talk to someone about a unique gift for their husband or for their daughter’s wedding, coming up with an idea together and then creating a one-of-akind gift,” said Vick, who grew up in Greece and graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School.

When it comes to all her embroidery and other arts, she is self-taught; her grandmother taught her how to sew when she was a teenager and from there she learned through hands-on experiences. She would like to offer such teaching experiences at the store.

“My goal is to offer classes on a monthly basis

on things like rag quilts, card and candle making, painting glasses, and things like that,” Vick said. “There are so many things I want to do and teach others. Crafting is so much fun, but many people are intimidated to try.”

Mariana Soto, of Rochester, is a customer of Vicks who met her through the horse-showing world. She’s thrilled she has her own store now.

“Most of the time you see people who specialize in one thing, like embroidery only,” Soto said. “But she’s DYI (do it yourself) for everything; she’s so talented.”

To learn more about Embroider Barn call (585) 391-3018 or visit on Facebook at Embroider Barn.

Pick of the week

The 25 th Brockport Arts Festival will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 11, on Main Street and several side streets in the village of Brockport. In addition to juried artisans along Main Street, there will be food vendors, non-profit exhibitors, live entertainment, a wine garden, vintage car cruise-in, Duck Derby and more. For a full schedule, go to brockportartsfestival .com.

Contact Caurie at caurie@urgrad.rochester .edu with news from west-side towns. She’s on Twitter at @Caurie Putnam and on Facebook at facebook.com/ BrockportBlog/.

---