BEVERLY — A quilt fabric boutique is set to replace Koda Bistro at 10352 S. Western Ave.
Katie O'Neill Nathwani of Beverly expects The Quilter's Trunk to open in December. The specialty shop will stock upward of 3,000 bolts — or rolls — of fabric.
The fabrics are most commonly used to make pillows, curtains, baby quilts, tote bags and wall hangings, Nathwani said.
"My mother taught my sister and I how to sew in grade school," she said.
In addition to fabric, the new store will also have a variety of sewing tools, such as specialty scissors, pins and rotary cutters. The Quilter's Trunk will also sell sewing machines and related accessories, Nathwani said.
The closest comparable fabric store to Beverly is in southwest suburban Lockport. A few other quilt fabric shops are sprinkled throughout the north and west suburbs, too, Nathwani said.
She believes The Quilter's Trunk will be the first store in Chicago to fill this niche, though she's since heard another quilt store may be opening on the North Side later this year.
Nathwani expects her 4,600-square-foot specialty store to stock a wide variety of sewing items. But she said the store will primarily focus on quilters cotton — not knitting.
"I don't want to disappoint the knitters, but it is not in our plans at this point," she said.
The Quilter's Trunk replaces Koda, which closed abruptly in July. The French restaurant debuted in 2006 with much fanfare as one of the few fine-dining options in the neighborhood.
