Always ready to greet her customers with a smile, Justine Hougen stands behind the main counter of Welcome Stitchery, which is located on Main Street in downtown Blue Earth. Hougen’s business was first located on Highway 169 but she jumped at the opportunity to relocate the store to its current location.

The owner of the business being honored by the Blue Earth Chamber of Commerce with the Business of the Year Award continues to see her dreams coming true.

When Justine Hougen opened Welcome Stitchery in the summer of 2021, the store was located on Highway 169. However, she shares she had always wanted to be located in the downtown area.

Her wish came to fruition in December of 2022 when her store relocated to Blue Earth’s Main Street in what at one time was the Ben Franklin Store.

“It was kind of like coming home,” Hougen says. “I bought my first craft project from the Ben Franklin Store and I lived in the apartment across the street above Breen’s until I was two years old.”

While the new location has given her some more space and an area for people to come and work on their projects, Hougen’s business has grown in many other ways.

“This year we will be having two retreats which we hold at 10 Talents,” Hougen comments. “Annie Beez is a designer who is coming in June. We have room for 150 people and we are not quite full. The event is catered by Farmer’s Daughter Kitchen.”

She is also excited about the second retreat.

“It is called the 2026 Holiday Sampler Retreat and will be held in November during Blue Earth’s Holiday Sampler,” Hougen shares. “Heartstring Samplery and Lucy Beam will be featured at that retreat.”

According to Hougen, the retreats bring people to Blue Earth from all over the United States.

“It is fun,” Hougen remarks. “Because you get to meet people from all over and make new friends.”

Hougen explains that the designers who come to the retreats usually have a kit for all of the attendees and quite often will teach a class.

“Many bring their trunk shows, which is their catalog of patterns,” Hougen says. “There is quite often a meet-and-greet and lots of laughing, talking and good times.”

Welcome Stitchery is also one of the stops on the Summer Shop Hop.

“The Shop Hop takes place during June, July and August,” Hougen notes. “There are three stores involved. One is in South Dakota one is in Iowa and then there is our store. A person has to stop at all three stores to get the full pattern.”

One of the keys to the success of her store has been marketing.

“I knew if I was going to make it work I had to utilize social media because I needed to reach people all around the country,” Hougen states.

And that is exactly what Hougen has done.

“I am live on YouTube every Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. with new items that we are carrying,” she says. “We receive orders from all over the country and used to get many orders from overseas. However, we have pretty much shut down our overseas business because it got to be quite complicated.”

Hougen and Shelly Kain also host a YouTube show called WIPs (Works in Progress) and Sips where they show the progress they are making in stitching their projects along with sharing what new projects they are starting. Those who cross stitch, embroider or do other needlework have their own community on YouTube known as Flosstube.

Welcome Stitchery also hosts Welcome Weekends four times a year, including one the weekend of the Chamber Awards banquet. About 40 people participate in the Welcome Weekends.

“The thing I constantly hear from people who come to Blue Earth for any of the events we host is how much they love our town and how they would like to move here,” Hougen says. “I did not realize just how much the Giant Welcome Center, the Green Giant and the Little Sprouts draw people to our town until I opened my business and started talking to people who were visiting. They think they are the best thing ever.”

She feels grateful for the Chamber.

“The Chamber really does a great job of promoting the city,” Hougen comments. “People who visit love the Visitor’s Center.”

Going forward, Hougen’s goals are to host more classes in her store and to work on having a set stitching day – whether that is once a week or once a month.

“Right now, Welcome Stitchery is somewhat of a unique store,” Hougen says. “We are the only store in Minnesota that offers cross stitch, embroidery, Hardanger, punch needle and needle point. Blue Earth is also unique in that we have a yarn store, a quilt store and a cross stitch store.”

As Welcome Stitchery approaches their fifth anniversary, Hougen reveals many people still think she bought a business that was located in the city of Welcome, which is located west of Fairmont.

“I actually bought the business from a couple who owned the store in Crystal Lake, Illinois and moved it to Blue Earth,” Hougen shares. “They were older and looking to retire.”

She says she is humbled to be receiving the award from the Chamber and is also thankful for her store’s growth.

“It is quite a community of people who cross stitch,” Hougen concludes. “I encourage people, including men, to give it a try. It is quite relaxing and can be very therapeutic.”