A successful LQS in today's market, has to be willing to have an online presence. More and more people shop online these days. Just because there's not a quilt shop in your area, doesn't mean the quilters in your area aren't shopping. Your competition isn't outher quilt shops, but rather the plethora of shops online.
In my market of 250,000 population, smack dab in the middle of West Texas where cotton is king . . .we don't have a quilt shop, but I spend about a $1000 online per month for fabric and notions. I'd love to spend that locally. But since there's not a LQS, Google is my best friend.