Local Business To Celebrate Change In Ownership

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

There are major changes afoot at one locally-owned business. Xtreme Stitch, known for its affordable custom embroidery and much more, has had a change in ownership. Both the new owners and the outgoing proprietors are holding a big celebration of the change.

A major Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting event will be held at the Xtreme Stitch store at 196 S. Moapa Valley Blvd #1 on Wednesday, March 28 from 1-6 pm. Food and refreshments will be served. Board members from the Moapa Valley Chamber of Commerce will be there for a ceremonial ribbon cutting. And there will be plenty of activities to keep folks entertained.

This event will be an opportunity to say farewell to Xtreme Stitch founders: Vernon and Tim Lytle.
The Lytles started Xtreme Stitch in 2014, running it solely out of their Overton home. But the enterprise quickly grew and they opened a small downtown location in December of 2015. The following year, in November, the business had grown to the point where the Lytles needed even more space. So they relocated again to its current larger quarters.

Recently, an opportunity came up for the Lytles to become involved in a growing family business venture. Vernon’s family live in New Mexico, in chile pepper country. They have operated a small family farm in Hatch, NM for many years. There they grow chile peppers and also produced a variety of delicious bottled salsa and chile products.

Vernon and Tim were recently asked if they would be interested in returning home to run the family business. Vernon said it was something that they just couldn’t refuse.
“I grew up working in that business,” he said. “It was my life before I went off to college. And the business has been growing by leaps and bounds. So we decided that it was time to go back and continue growing it.”

Next week’s Grand Opening event will also be a chance for locals to meet the new Xtreme Stitch owners, Gary and Vanette Christensen of Logandale.

In an interview last week, Vanette said that, when she and Gary heard that the business was up for sale, it seemed like just what they were looking for. Gary has been commuting back and forth to Las Vegas for the past 17 years for his job. Now he is ready to retire. He hoped to be able to stay closer to home.
“We are kind of at that magic age,” Vanette said. “He is ready to retire but we really aren’t that old. We don’t want to just stop. We want to remain active. So this just seemed like a great fit for us to be able to stay connected to this community that we love.”

Vanette admitted that neither of them had run an embroidery business before. But they do have some experience in retail from when they were younger. And both of the Christensens are used to business management responsibilities. Vanette retired ten years ago as a sergeant for the Los Angeles County Sheriff. Gary has worked for Signature Management, a major homebuilder in Las Vegas.
Vanette said that the couple has been busy over the past couple of weeks receiving training from the Lytles on how to run the various machines in the business.

“The technology is not terribly difficult,” Vanette said. “But there has still been a lot to learn.”
She said that there are ways to operate the machines that ensure a higher quality product. The Lytles have always been committed to following those methods to provide the best possible for the community. It was important to the Christensens that they were completely up to speed on that as well.
“Tim and Vernon have been very patient and have taken the time to train us in all of their secrets so that we can provide that same high level of quality,” Vanette said.

The Christensens plan to continue offering the same range of products and services that Xtreme Stitch has become known for. They will continue to cover various types of apparel at the store including t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, jackets, hats and more. If an item is not in stock, it can be ordered through the store’s expansive website at www.xtremestitch.vegas.

The store will still provide custom embroidery on all kinds of items. And it will also offer full customized screen printing services.
The store will continue to welcome any size order. That ranges from as little as just one customized item, all the way up to large corporations of employees.

Finally, Xtreme Stitch will still carry the delicious bottled Hatch, New Mexico chile products that have become a favorite in the store.
Both the Lytles and the Christensens said that they are looking forward to next week’s Grand Opening Event to be able to meet and mingle with community members.
“I think the key word for us in all of this is ‘bitter-sweet’,” Vernon Lytle said. “We love this community and its people. We have been overwhelmed by the support that everyone has given us as newcomers here. And it has been important to us that the business be able to stay running here as part of the community where people rely upon it. So we are glad that it will be.”

Vanette Christensen said that she and Gary were happy to be able to continue providing that service.
“We also love the Moapa Valley community and our time here over the past 17 years has been wonderful,” she said. “We have never met a stranger and we have always found common ground with the people here. We are happy to be involved in the business sector and glad to provide this service that is needed here.”