September 6, 2021 – West Bend, WI – Four months ago Jerry Quasius, owner of Royce Quilting, 840 S. Main Street in West Bend announced he was trying to sell his business and retire.
On Wednesday, September 1, 2021 Quasius retired… and closed his shop for good.
The quilting community helped Quasius empty his stock. Once filled with vibrant colors and shelves lined with bolts of fabric… the store located in the West Bend Plaza was now nearly empty.
“I’m a little more comfortable with the decision to close than I was months ago,” said Quasius.
Customers were lined up more than 40 deep on the last day waiting to get into the store to help Royce Quilting empty its shelves and celebrate retirement.
“It’s time,” said Quasius.
Four months ago he struggled with the decision feeling a responsibility to his customers and guilt at leaving West Bend without a quilt shop and without a place to get their machines repaired.
“It is time for me to retire. My wife has wanted me to retire for five years. I’d do this until I was pushing up daisies… that’s just not going to happen,” he said.
Thank you Jerry and the ladies at Royce Quilting for 50 years of dedication in the community.
In 1983 my husband and I moved into West Bend a week before his teaching job was to begin at Badger. We moved across the state just after getting married and graduating from UW-LaCrosse with a uhaul trailer and a full backseat. Unfortunately my sewing machine fell out of the trailer and was declared DOA by Jerry.
My husband had told me I should come with him as he went in for a new teacher staff meeting at Badger and could wander around to check out the Kohl’s grocery store and strip mall to the south of Badger Middle School. Mark made 2 rather large mistakes that many quilters never will let their spouse forget. 1) took responsibility for the broken sewing machine, 2) led me to the only quilt store in town.
Jerry is such a wonderful person to put up with a majority of female staff and customers. He sold me yards of fabric multiple spools of thread, 4 various machines and most of all, helped my husband to get out of the dog house more then one! It’s not good bye to Jerry, it’s have a happy hard earned retirement!