Fetterers return home to start businesses

By Kathryn Rice

Skidmore has seen two new businesses open in town by residents and entrepreneurs Kim and Brandon Fetterer.

The Fetterers moved to Skidmore in October 2019 and started to turn their home at 304 West High Street into two businesses, The Stitching Post No. 75 in the front of the house, and Hitching Post 57 in the garage. The Fetterers and their youngest son live in the rest of the house. The couple’s two older daughters live in Maryville.

Kim and Brandon were both in the Air Force and met when they were stationed in Japan. They were married in 2002 and Kim resigned from the Air Force in 2006. Brandon retired from the Air Force in 2017.

Brandon was born in Maryville but raised in Georgia. In 2012, the couple started visiting Brandon’s relatives spread throughout Nodaway County. Brandon was stationed at Warren Air Force Base just outside of Cheyenne, WY.

“It felt like home,” Kim said about the visits to the county. “It became harder and harder to go home.”

The Stitching Post No. 75

The Stitching Post No. 75 is the latest rendition of Kim Fetterer’s sewing and embroidery business. She describes herself as a crafter by heart having started sewing alterations as a teenager. At age 14 or 15, she was altering her mother’s clothes for her own use.

In 2006, she started her KAF Designs in Valdosta, GA. She bought her first embroidery machine and made patches and sewed names on leather vests, working with military personnel and with motorcycle groups.

In 2010, the couple moved to Wyoming and Kim reopened her business in 2011. She worked mainly with the military. One of her popular items was a baby blanket on which she embroidered a fun rendition of squadron patches.

She worked for the on-base arts and crafts center and then a sewing store in Cheyenne. She gained experience with various sewing machine brands, teaching classes to new owners as well as crafting classes.

The Stitching Post No. 75 is “a one-stop-shop for all of your stitching needs.”

She has a large table which is open for people to use or for learning how to use a sewing machine. She especially enjoys teaching children to sew and is attuned to teaching hands-on learners. Helping people to interpret patterns is another area she enjoys. She is available for one-on-one lessons or small groups of six or less. For the group lessons, Kim will often rent out Newton Hall in Skidmore.

“My table is always open, just call to make an appointment,” she said.

Kim currently has a professional embroidery machine with 16 needles which can stitch 1,500 stitches per minute. She has various hoop sizes, and remarked if she can get the project on a hoop, she can embroider it.

If a customer is looking for a gift to give for a birthday, wedding, retirement or other hallmark, Kim can accommodate any order. There is no minimum order, so small clubs or organizations can have custom-made decals on apparel or accessories.

Kim is willing to spend the time with the customer to design and make the custom-made article to reflect the customer’s wishes and tastes. She wants to be 100 percent on the same page with what is needed to be done.

“One-off” items can be completed quickly while larger orders need more lead time. COVID-19 hasn’t affected Kim’s ability to receive supplies from her suppliers.

“I’m a stickler for quality,” she said. “I want my customers to come back.”

Alterations are done in her business. One of the challenging tasks she has undertaken was the revamp of two UBI mascot costumes for United Blood Services in Cheyenne and Montana. She said she had those looking like new when she finished.

Her hours for walk-ins and to take calls for appointments are 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesdays through Friday, and 10 am to 2 pm, Saturdays. She is closed on Sundays and Mondays. She is on Facebook and has a Google Business Page both listed under The Stitching Post No. 75. She will make appointments for other than her scheduled hours of operation.

Hitching Post 57

Brandon began riding motorcycles in 1999 and this love of motorcycling has led him to open Hitching Post 57, a motorcycle repair garage which also repairs ATVs and UTVs.

Brandon was in logistics in air transportation while he was in the Air Force. He has been a shade tree mechanic since his childhood. When deciding what to do after he retired at the age of 39, Brandon and his family stayed in Cheyenne and he first worked in a warehouse. Then he got a job as a porter at the Harley-Davidson dealership. There he was responsible for cleaning, taking test rides after repairs and prepping new bikes to go on the showroom floor.

“I knew that was what I wanted to do,” he said about his decision to attend the Motorcycle Mechanic Institute in Orlando, FL.

He used the GI Bill to obtain his mechanic’s training. Unable to find a job in his new specialty, Brandon decided to work as a postal clerk at the Skidmore Post Office.

“Rather than let my year of education go to waste, I decided to open my own shop,” Brandon said.

He gives every bike a 50-point inspection covering all aspects of the motorcycle, tip-to-tip. The inspection identifies safety and overview of repair and maintenance needs.

He can do general mechanical work, oil changes, maintenance, electrical troubleshooting and is undertaking a full rebuild. In his year of operation, he has worked on Polaris, trikes, Suzuki, Honda and a Harley-Davidson softail among other cycles. His labor rate is the same winter and summer at $50 per hour.

After he completes his service, he takes the cycle for a test ride to make sure all has been fixed.

He wants to become a Missouri State Inspection site for registration purposes. He plans for his next purchase to be a tire balance and tire machine to be able to change tires in his garage.

“Integrity and honesty are very important to me,” Brandon said. “I’m not going to tell someone I can do something if I can’t. I’m building my reputation as a trustworthy, local motorcycle mechanic. My stepdad told me ‘you’re only as good as the name you make for yourself.’”

Hitching Post 57 is on Facebook and has a Google Business Page. He can be contacted by texting or leaving a voicemail at 816.722.1518 and on Messenger for appointments. His hours are 2 to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, and noon to 5 pm, Saturdays.