ARLINGTON — After five years of running the Quiltmaker’s Shoppe in downtown Arlington, co-owners Marty Hammer and Kim Moff are ready for retirement, but their business will continue on.

“We’re still doing fantastic, which is why we wanted to go out on top,” said Hammer on Dec. 15, as she and Moff threw a party to introduce Debra Light, the new owner of the Quiltmaker’s Shoppe.

“We’ll still be doing quilting classes and taking part in quilting groups in the community,” Hoff said, as she and Hammer thanked the community for its years of support.

Light assured the community that Hammer and Hoff will help her out as she eases into her new role, and added that she has no desire to change the things she’s come to love about the Quiltmaker’s Shoppe.

“When I heard that Marty and Kim were retiring, I confess that my first reaction was selfish,” Light said. “I was losing my favorite shop. My decision to try to purchase the shop was made partly out of that same selfishness. I cannot bear the idea of driving through downtown and not seeing the Quiltmaker’s Shoppe.”

Light credited her mother, Elva Sather, with getting her hooked on quilting seven years ago by giving her a quilted artwork that needed to have its binding sewn on, followed by another that needed a border. Although Sather passed away nearly a year later, Light has kept the quilting habit that her mother instilled in her.

“As I move forward on this new venture, I regret constantly that she is not here to advise me, disagree with me, encourage me and come into the shop looking for just that perfect fabric or the exact shade of thread needed to finish something up,” Light said. “I hope to do her justice as I go forward with the shop’s next step.”

Light first walked in the door of the Quiltmaker’s Shoppe five years ago and was greeted by Hammer right away.

“From that first visit, I always felt welcomed and valued when I came in, whether I was on a critical rushed fabric mission or just in the mood for a look-around and a chat,” Light said.

Light promised to preserve that friendly spirit, and even encouraged her customers to share their knowledge with her about quilting, acknowledging that many of them are more skilled at it than she is.

“I will be signing up for classes along with many of you, and hope to get to know you well through that shared learning experience,” Light said. “Quilters seem to be some of the most generous people I have met for sharing knowledge, tips and tricks. I expect I will be drawing heavily on that generosity from now on.”

The Quiltmaker’s Shoppe is located at 315 N. Olympic Ave. in Arlington and is open Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 360-435-3993, e-mail thequiltmakersshoppe@frontier.com or log onto http://thequiltmakersshoppe.com.