Laurentian Valley

Mary-Ann Vanner

Let’s welcome our neighbour, Mary-Ann Vanner.

Hi, Mary-Ann! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello!

My name is Mary-Ann Vanner. I was born and raised on Highway 41, near Pembroke. My parents owned a successful Supertest gas station and grocery store on the exact same corner where I now operate my own store, selling Janome sewing machines, quilting fabric, and supplies. This corner was well-known as Lair’s Store. My mother, Marion Lair, married into the business at the ripe young age of 16. My father, Gilbert Lair, had already started the business a couple of years before.

When I was born, Dad added a three-bedroom home onto the back of the store. This was the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. My siblings and I literally lived in the store. Being the eldest child, I was around people from day one. By the time I was ten years old, I stocked shelves with the grocery order, served gas, and rang up customers’ purchases. I have very fond memories of my amazing childhood.

When I was 16, I started my first job outside my home at Kmart just before it opened in Pembroke. It was amazing. I worked in several different departments and continued my informal retail education.

Fast forward to 1986, when I opened my first quilt shop called Quilters Corner. It was fun and successful for 10 years. My husband, Mark Vanner, and I raised our two sons in the store, which was also our home. Matthew was three years old, and Michael was one. We followed in my parents’ footsteps, living in the same place as our business. Unfortunately, my health spiralled downward with rheumatoid arthritis, and I couldn’t operate the store on my own any longer.

We closed the store, and I began the long road to recovery, trying to find the right medications to ease the pain. After four years of doctoring, I was able to work again, and I began my new career as a banker.

Having retired in 2017, I began sewing at home and making weighted blankets and memory quilts. This activity sparked the desire to open another store. I began in my home on Locksley Road, selling fabric, teaching quilting, and selling Janome sewing machines. In 2024, the building on Highway 41 became vacant, and Mark and I decided the time was right to go full circle and open our second quilt shop, QUILTERS CORNER 2.0. That decision has proven to be amazing in so many ways. We moved there and sold our home on Locksley Road.

We are sharing our love of quilting and sewing with the Ottawa Valley and beyond. The store and classroom have become quite the community centre where people can come and learn and socialize regularly. We have been open for 18 months and are getting busier every day. I enjoy people, and the customers tell me it shows. I love what I do, and the commute is especially nice. Every day, I look forward to meeting new people.

Mary-Ann’s story has also been featured in the Observer and the Eganville Leader (page 8).

If you could start a whole new career path, what would you be?

I would be a long-distance truck driver. I love to drive and travel on the highways.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

British Columbia. I love the mountains and the ocean.

What is your perfect combination of pizza toppings?

My perfect pizza has pepperoni, mushrooms, and bacon.

What’s your favourite sandwich? Why?

Nick’s #3 sub. I used to get this at JJ’s. I always went there after work on Fridays (payday) when I worked part-time at Kmart as a teenager.

*Note: Nick’s #3 is a hot roast beef and smoked meat sub.

What was the worst style choice you ever made?

Afro hair. It’s in my wedding pictures!

Are you a cat or a dog person? Why?

Always cats. They’re soft and quiet. I love their purrs. And petting them relieves stress.

What would be your trademark karaoke song?

“Ride The Wind” by Poison. I love to drive anything and everything, and I like the upbeat rock’n’roll. I never really listened to the lyrics, just the chorus. I’m also a diehard snowmobiler, and that tune runs through my head! Bob Seger is another favourite.

You’ve just won the lottery. What will you do with your windfall?

Share with my family and do good.

If you were transformed into a flower, which type of flower would you choose to be?

I would be a sunflower, as they always look happy and cheerful.

What do you miss the most about being a kid?

What I miss most about being a kid is hanging out with my cousins.

Thanks for sharing with us, neighbour Mary-Ann.

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Next week, we welcome Charity Parisian.