To MadQuilter:
Good for you ...! and happy to hear the Quiltzilla is no longer in business, NO surprise there!! What an unbelievably RUDE & UNhelpful thing to say to a customer.
I've encountered some QS owners (& employees) like that over the years. Fortunately they are the minority. I've been to a lot of shops on our vacation trips and 95% have been good experiences.
One LQS we had years ago was NOT a warm, welcoming place - they weren't interested in helping you unless you spent hundreds of $$$ at a time. They went out of business pretty quickly!
I taught classes & worked PT at another LQS. Helping NEW quilters & our students in a positive, ENCOURAGING way was the BEST part of my job! I like to think that I helped quite a few newbie quilters on their way to making lots of great quilts. :)