Disabled Veteran, Lacy Spurgeon, is the owner of Freedom Bound Quilt Shop. In 2008, Lacy enlisted into the Military. She graduated from BCT/AIT, June 25, 2009. In October 2009, she was deployed to Egypt, where she was sexually assaulted by a colleague. In 2011, she was physically injured during a training accident and suffered a back injury. Due to this injury, she moved home, to Ohio. For the next 5 years, Lacy dealt with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress and the aftermath of her injuries. She was eventually given a disability rating from the VA, where she was treated and continued to work on her recovery.

  In 2016, after 5 years of depression, anxiety, and stress, Lacy began attending a quilt group in Archbold, Ohio. Once she started learning to quilt, she bought her own sewing machine, and used quilting, at home, to aid in her recovery. Quilting became an alternative form of therapy, although she didn’t forego her other therapy, but she wanted to share her new-found spirit for life, with other Veterans. When a nonprofit program, to teach Veterans how to sew, was unsuccessful, Lacy became aware of the need to have a quilt shop in her area. She decided to join the Semper Fi Fund’s Apprenticeship Program and learned everything she needed to know about owning a business. With the help of The Semper Fi Fund and their loyal donors, Freedom Bound Quilt Shop was formed, and doors opened October 12, 2017. In order to use this shop to give back to the community, Lacy created a space in her shop to allow Veterans and Spouses/Caregivers of Veterans to sell hand-made items.

  We hold a wide variety of classes, which are free for Veterans, along with long-arm and domestic quilting services, Bag of the Month, and Block of the Month. We participate in the Itty Bitty Shop Hop, Quilts of Valor, Quilters Trek (formerly Row by Row Experience), and we hold Sip ‘n Sew (third Sunday of the month) and Lock-ins (first Friday of the month).

  There have been many changes in the shop and with the addition of Lacy’s new business partner, AnnMarie Reynolds, we have been able to grow the business immensely. In the future, Lacy hopes to create jobs for local Veterans and continue to support the community and programs for Veterans. Her dream is to one day open a textile company, to bring those jobs back to the USA, and employ even more Veterans.