I work PT in a LQS. One thing that the owner does is to have classes taught/lead by local quilters. This means that several of our customers are always on the look out for what is new to bring in as a class. The classes, in addition to teaching new methods/ideas, allow for friendships to develop and grow. BTW, I think your ideas for a shop sound great. If the owner of your LQS takes your idea about the pen/marker, you might want to keep feeding her ideas. Be careful - you might end up working there.