i think friendly and courteous staff if the most important thing as well as lots of fabric choices. online sales is just as important because you attract customers from all over and people like me who might be visiting in the area. i go to the dallas area to visit my brother and family and always check out as many quilt shops as i can i even order from some of them online since we only have 2 lqs shops within 50 mi of where i live. i shop often from a great shop online from las vegas. so customers dont have to be local.
carla