Amber Godowns

Taking Leaps Guided By Faith To Create Lowcountry Stitch

story by MICAH PEPPERS          photos by CHARLOTTE BERKELEY

Lowcountry Stitch owner Amber Godowns grew up in the small town of Tarboro, North Carolina. The daughter of a seamstress, Amber remembers beading hats and dresses at her mom’s bridal shop. “Even at a young age, I would take to crafts with a creative mind. I could just look at random things and envision something beautiful. I really love the instant gratification of creating something.” This creative mindset would be instilled in her throughout her life.

However, her future career path didn’t immediately follow in her mother’s footsteps of creating ornate gowns and accessories. “I actually went into photography, but that was before digital, so it was all chemistry. It was black and white film, and I found it very difficult for me.” Amber didn’t have the passion she was yearning for and quickly felt that she wasn’t where she needed to be. She changed direction entirely and accepted a job opportunity in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a huge adjustment from the small town she had known as home.

Still connected to her hometown, her best friend had accepted a job in Beaufort as a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher. Amber was eager to visit and check out this new coastal community she had heard so much about. One visit turned into many. “My hometown is very much like Beaufort, just with no water. I knew I had to get back to the small-town feel. I just love the community, the gatherings, and the events.” So, in 2005, Amber took a leap of faith and relocated to the Lowcountry.

In 2006, Amber attended Beaufort’s annual Water Festival with her friend, who brought along a group from the deaf community. “A lot of people would be really surprised. Beaufort has a good-sized deaf community. It’s absolutely fascinating.” While meeting and mingling among new friends, she was introduced to Asa Godowns II, the man who would become her future husband. Amber and Asa would later marry in October 2007.

Although committed, Amber did not have a background in American Sign Language, and communication proved challenging at first. She recalls, “I learned through many sources. My friend helped me. I took classes. I searched internet sources, and I would stop in mid-conversation to ask what the signs were for various things.”

Amber and Asa would go on to have three children together, ranging in age from seven to thirteen. “All three kids utilize American Sign Language.” Amber hasn’t stopped learning though. “I continue to learn new signs to this day. Asa uses a lot of vocalization, so it helps as well.”

When Amber became pregnant with her second child, a girl, her doctor placed her on bed rest. “It was the first girl, so I just decided to break out my mom’s embroidery machine. I took one class, and everything else was self-taught.”

She learned quickly and before long, she was working out of her home embroidering for customers. While she continued working part-time for a building company, her embroidery business grew into a part-time job and continued to grow and prosper over the next ten years. “There was no inventory. Everything was custom. Clients simply brought me personal items to embroider. “Over the years, as her business grew even bigger, so did her clientele. She began to have the “regulars,” as well as new clientele, and she quickly learned she needed some extra hands. “There were times that my husband, three kids, and close friends spent late nights in the sewing room, pumping out orders. It truly has been teamwork.”

Her hard work began to reap its rewards. Before COVID, Amber got an opportunity to partner with Down by the Bay, a former Bay Street shop. Displayed in a small setup in the store, Lowcountry Stitch was officially downtown. Having a location in downtown Beaufort allowed her to observe the foot traffic coming in and out, and see what products the clientele gravitated toward. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced the storefront to shut down in July 2020. Amber found herself continuing to work out of her home until another opportunity presented itself, and in spring 2021, it did.

Taking leaps guided by faith, the Godowns became aware of a storefront opportunity. Amber prayed and followed her heart, and Lowcountry Stitch opened its doors on February 13, 2021, at 715 Bay Street. Amber went from working out of her home and having customers bring in their own items to having a selection of available items directly in the shop. Such items included baby bibs, blankets, hooded towels, throw pillows, cocktail napkins, and more. “There is a baby section, a home goods section, and gifts and accessories, such as totes and purses,” Godowns explains. The shop also specializes in company logos and embroidery blanks, meaning anything in the store can be customized. In addition, customers are still encouraged to continue bringing in their own items to get embroidered. No matter the item, Amber is the designer behind every order. She sizes and designs all of them before they are ever stitched.

From the very beginning, foot traffic was heavy, and her business took off. “Having a shop downtown, ninety percent of traffic is tourists. I love it. Customers are really fun.” It didn’t take long for Amber to realize she needed help, but she had her reservations. “I had worked at this for years. Do I teach them what I learned, or will they steal it? So, I just prayed. I prayed that God would give me guidance. Do I bring on someone? The very next day, at separate times, God sent me two amazing women: Rebecca Jones, who now works in our showroom, and Katie Jindrich, who stitches most of the orders. I literally prayed for them, and I could not run this business without them.”

Even with a team running a business has its issues. “There are lots of trial and errors behind the scenes. Even though we have machines, there still is a human process. We have to make sure everything is designed properly and centered correctly. There are several steps before we ever hit start.” But even outside of the creative process, Amber finds herself learning how to buy the correct inventory for the business. “The market is a challenge. I have to begin purchasing items for Christmas when it’s July, so I am just learning that area.”

However, for Amber and her family, the pros of owning her own business far outweigh the cons. “Having a flexible schedule while my kids are young is extremely important to me. “

In such a short time, Lowcountry Stitch is already beginning to make a name for itself. Expanding from one to three embroidery machines that are constantly going, Lowcountry Stitch is the “go-to place for personalized gifts,” in Amber’s words. Her goal is simple: continue to provide quality, custom gifts and accessories, even if it means that we eventually expand beyond embroidery. “I tell my children all the time they need to learn and grow. If you’re not learning, you’re dying. All I want to do is live my personal life and business life by faith. I genuinely believe that we all have a purpose, and when we don’t fulfill our God-given talent, we’re doing others a disservice.”