Originally Posted by mar32428
My DH and I even scoped out the quilt and fabric shops when we went on our 16 day Alaskan cruise. Checked every stop we made. Only found two and they didn't have very much fabric of any kind. Too expensive to ship up there.
On our cruise to Hawaii, I really lucked out. Went to several quilt shops but they were just like here in FL. Most were in malls and big shopping centers.
the tours to Alaska reach only the smaller towns and it's true, most of them don't have quilt shops. There are some amazing shops in Anchorage and the SouthCentral part of Alaska, including Homer, Soldotna, Kenai Wasilla and Palmer.
...a friend and I are starting a business for providing day trip shop hops for travelers out of Anchorage...amazing how many travelers have to spend a day in a hotel and don't get a chance to help the local economy!
...take a post office flat rate shipping box with you when shopping..it's amazing how much one can hold and you don't have to pay for an extra suitcase, and receiving it at home is like Christmas! Most shops will deliver it to the post office for you as long as you pay them the postage.
...side benefit of planning to visit quilt shops is that it takes you off the main highway and you see more beautiful scenery than if you just whizzed thru town.