Kim Davis, owner of the Mountain Mermade quilting retreat in Heber City, said she named her business after the mindful reset that comes with sewing. 

“Mer” in “mermade” stands for just that — mental, emotional release.

“I am one who has suffered from mental health, and quilting or sewing in some way, or creating every day, helps keep away the doomy clouds that life can put on you some days,” Kim said. 

Offering a space for quilters and sewists alike to spend time together creating is the foundation for her Main Street business. A mountain mermaid herself who moved from the beaches of California to the mountains of Utah, Kim said she finds joy in creating. 

Her husband, Ken, proudly said that Kim built her business as a hospitality expert with more than 30 years of industry experience. Kim is the quilter. Ken is, essentially, the operations manager. But he added his own personal touches to the retreat. 

In November 2025 the couple opened the Mountain Mermade retreat, a space where creative individuals can stay for days at a time to unwind and recharge through making. Most quilting retreats average between three to five nights, and groups can book the entire retreat for their party of friends.

The retreat features two large sewing rooms, with mechanical desks where sewists and quilters can sit in comfortable chairs or stand while they stitch away on machines. A crystal chandelier hangs over the room, which also has plenty of natural light from the wide window overlooking Heber City’s Main Street. 

Ken installed “quilting boards” on the walls of the two sewing rooms: soft, plushy surfaces where quilters can tack their cut-out fabric pieces and visualize their projects. Ken — who just began cutting out pieces for his first quilt — said it’s essential for sewists to see a project come together. 

Then, there’s a room for cutting and ironing. There are plenty of outlets for sewing machines, carts for lugging in quilter’s equipment and fabric sit at the front door. Dedicated spaces for sewing pins dot the quilting boards. 

Kim and Ken, it seems, have thought of everything. 

That’s in part because Kim has been to a few quilting retreats herself. Everything she liked about those retreats, she copied and improved upon, Kim said. Her hospitable nature shines through even in the sleeping areas upstairs. 

Each guest gets their own towel monogrammed in different colors to identify which is theirs. A salon area is prepped and ready for sewists to prepare for their day. 

And because quilters can never have enough fabric, Kim and Ken are working together to open a fabric and gift boutique next door to the retreat. Right now, it’s classified as a pop-up shop and is located in the garage area. Kim parks a blue bicycle outside the garage door when the pop-up is open for business. 

Ken said he and his wife are working with the city to certify the fabric store as a separate business. There are a few engineering hurdles still to jump through, he said. 

For Vernal resident Windy Barton, the pop-up store is her closest and most reliable fabric shop. Barton walked shyly into the retreat on Monday, hoping to buy fabric for a turquoise quilt that’s currently in progress. 

“I make quilts all the time,” Barton said. “And I’m also making baby chaps for kids for the rodeo. I’ve always got my hands doing something.”

Barton said the quilt she is currently making is for her daughter’s boyfriend, an ode to his favorite activities. 

“He fishes and hunts and does all the ‘Vernal things,’” Barton said. 

Themed quilts are big in the sewing community, Kim explained. Her first-ever quilt was Halloween themed and made at a quilting retreat she went on in 2019, but she has made nearly 100 quilts since. Her favorites are those she has made for her friends and family.

One quilt she made for her daughter is Barbie themed. Then, there are the Christmas and holiday quilts. Some quilts — like a brightly colored aqua, rose red, navy and bronze orange square throw — are displayed on the walls of Mountain Mermade.

Kim and Ken have been gifted quilts, too. An intricately designed beige and dark red quilt with circular patterns and curved borders hangs in the stairwell landing. 

“It was my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary quilt,” Kim said. “A wedding ring quilt.”

Mountain Mermade is a tribute to quilting, but it’s also an homage to the history of the retreat’s building, which is on the Heber City historic homes walking tour. 

The home was built by Frederick and Minnie Crook in 1905. The pair raised 11 children and three grandchildren; at one point, all 14 lived under the same roof. 

Coincidentally, Minnie was known for her quilting and hand appliqué work. 

“We didn’t know that when we bought it,” Ken said. 

Photos of Minnie and Frederick are displayed in a glass cabinet in the sewing room and kitchen. Kim said she hopes to try hand quilting as Minnie once did. That’s opposed to her regular machine quilting, which is much quicker and easier than sewing each stitch by hand. 

Quilting requires patience, but that’s part of the fun, Kim said — a peaceful activity that she gladly immerses herself in. Kim said her daughters have joined in on the fun, too. 

“Our youngest daughter, who’s 18, said ‘No wonder you stay up all night,’” Kim said. “You just think, like, I have one more row, one more block.”

The Davis family is quickly becoming a family full of quilters and crafters.

“They caught the bug,” Kim said. 

Interested parties can book a sewing session on the Mountain Mermade retreat website. There are sew days — where individuals arrive between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. each day to sew — and “sew and stays,” where visitors spend a night or two. 

Then, visitors can rent out the whole place to host a retreat for themselves and their friends. Kim said she appreciates both options — retreats and sew and stays — because they provide different opportunities for social crafting. At a sew and stay or sew day, Kim said sewists can meet other quilters and make new friends. 

That’s also why Kim has also started hosting classes, especially excited to teach “learn to quilt” sessions and instruction on upcycling an old quilt into a quilted jacket. 

“I wanted to create a safe space and a learning space where you can meet friends, escape and love yourself,” Kim said.

Both Ken and Kim said ultimately, the hope is everyone who comes to stay at the quilting retreat finds the same joy in creating that they have. 

“There’s a known connection of when you’re doing things with your hands,” Ken said. “It helps with mental health and balance and getting away from the craziness of our current society. If you get into projects and stop watching the news, then you find a little more peace.”

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