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S6:E3 - A 25-Year-Old Buys a Quilt Shop with TJ Roney


What happens when a 25-year-old buys a quilt shop in a town of 1,800 people?


(Spoiler: awesome stuff.)


In this episode, our very own TJ Roney shares how entrepreneurship, creativity, social media, and community support collided to create unexpected momentum.


It’s a powerful reminder that rural opportunity doesn’t always look the way we expect it to, and that young people are, in fact, interested in things that aren’t on their phones.


About TJ:

Hey there, my name is TJ, and I’m a 25-year-old grandma! I love anything creative, and learned to sew when I was 5 years old. Thanks to my grandma teaching me, sewing has become one of my favorite hobbies and creative outlets. 


A year after I moved back to my hometown, in January of 2025, I was contacted about purchasing the quilt shop in town. When I was first approached to purchase the quilt store, I'll be honest, I didn't really want to! I was content not having the responsibility of a business for the time being, and I wasn't sure I wanted one of my favorite hobbies to become my job and risk no longer enjoying it. But often it's better to have taken a risk and learned from an experience than not to have taken a risk and looked back with regret. I'm so glad I made the decision to go for it. I have truly enjoyed every second of owning this store and look forward to all that is to come for me and my business!

In this episode, we cover:

  • How a hobby turned into an unexpected business opportunity

  • Why small-town retail can work—and often does

  • How social media became a growth tool, not the goal

  • The role of mentorship and thoughtful succession

  • What happens when young people are trusted to lead


Links + Resources Mentioned:

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  1. “Small town humblebrags”: Call in and tell us about something amazing you did in your small town so we can celebrate with you. No win is too small—we want to hear it all, and we will be excessively enthusiastic about whatever it is! You can call in for your friends, too, because giving shout-outs is one of our favorite things. 

  2. “Solving Your Small-Town People Challenges”: Have a tough issue in your community? We want to help. Call in and tell us about your problem, and we’ll solve it on an episode of the podcast. Want to remain anonymous? Totally cool, we can be all secretive and stuff. We’re suave like that. 

If you’ve got a humblebrag or a tricky people problem, call 701-203-3337 and leave a message with the deets. We really can’t wait to hear from you! 

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