Originally Posted by Rose_P

I have to disagree and defend JJ for pointing out a simple truth. If her words were 'political rancor' or 'disrespect', I missed it. She did not blame anyone. If the people I noticed at the Houston International Quilt Festival last month are representative of quilters, there are an awful lot of us who are retirement age. It is a fact that Americans who rely on Social Security and/or government pensions did not receive a cost-of-living increase in spite of rising prices, therefore their spending power is going down. Shops that need these customers will absolutely be feeling the pinch that results when those who want to buy their goods are no longer able to afford them. The shop owners are caught between the rising wholesale prices and the declining income of many of their customers. We all need to support our LQS's as much as we can if we want to see them stay in business.