OTTUMWA —
Doug Barnes wants to keep you in stitches.
He owns and operates The Stitch Doctor, a new business at 611 Church St., and there he uses machines to do most of the embroidering on the caps and shirts he sells and on the items customers bring in.
His high-speed embroidering machines can put lots of stitches into one place. For example, the machine’s needle is faster than the eye when using TSD Embroidery on a nickel-sized BP Amoco sunburst logo on the back of a ball cap.
Barnes started with The Shoe Doctor in 1986. He did repairs in Iowa City, then moved to Des Moines and was in the South Ridge Mall and in the Skywalk Mall.
Barnes said Dave Williams and Denny Barnes, his brother, had up to five stores in Iowa City and Des Moines. When Quincy Place Mall opened, Barnes persuaded them to open there.
“I wanted to be in Ottumwa and raise my family,” he said. “I assumed I’d be doing shoe repair, then Denny had a fatal heart attack and I took a year off.”
Because it “was tough” to be in the same store, Barnes didn’t think he’d continue without his brother.
“But, I had time invested in it and still had numerous customers,” he said. “So, I decided to come back in and continue what Denny started.”
Barnes handled his business out of his home after The Shoe Doctor closed the mall location. His current business isn’t as big as The Shoe Doctor, which “was a two-person” operation.
“I had to downsize — shoes or embroidery,” he said. “I decided to continue embroidery, which is more fun and more challenging to my creativity.”
That’s why Barnes enjoys individualizing items — every one is different and you make something different with each one.
Barnes said he “does a lot of stuff for local businesses,” such as employee shirts.
What attracted him to this line of work?
Barnes smiled as he recalled fourth grade and the teacher who demonstrated crochet needles and knitting.
“I was fascinated and here I am today. I never imagined that,” he said. “But, I do enjoy working with my hands.”
Barnes said he still does zipper repair and replacement and ball glove lacing and conditioning.
His store offers a full line of clothing — jackets, shirts, caps and sports apparel.
“I have stuff for fans, including local fans,” he said. “If you have a certain school, I have school logos. And if people buy a shirt here, they can get it all done in one place.”
Cindy Toopes can be reached at (641) 683-5376 or via e-mail at cindy@ottumwacourier.com
For Your Information
For more information, contact The Stitch Doctor via phone at (641) 799-8286; or, e-mail: thestitchdoctor@hotmail.com
Business
Related Photos
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Doug Barnes of Ottumwa is The Stitch Doctor and he regularly checks the supply of certain shirt styles at his store, 611 Church St. Formerly with the Shoe Doctor, Barnes has a one-man operation featuring embroidering for shirts, caps, jackets and more. Cindy Toopes/The Courier
Stitch Doctor offers embroidered goods
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