What "makes" a retreat?
 

Not sure if this is the right place to post this thread but will try it. I did search the board for other threads about retreats but didn't find what I was looking for. I have recently been faced with some mechanical health issues that may lead to me rethinking my career path.. ( wheels are not working so well). I briefly thought about a quilt shop but quickly discarded that, I enjoy browsing them probably not so much the necessary things to make it run! Then I remembered reading the Elm Creek books and starting kicking around the idea of a retreat venue. I even found a nearby Victorian property that would be ideal but there are few outside activities. There is a golf course, restaurants and small shopping sites but it is not a metro area by any means. So my question is what makes a retreat really special? The venue, classes, local activities outside the retreat? There is one other retreat venue within 50 miles but it is mostly focused as a corporate retreat with quilters tacked on...I would really want to focus on quilting and teaching. Thanks for your insight, you may have guessed that I haven't attended many...make that any retreats but i love the idea and think I could make it work.

I'm still pretty new to quilting, and have been interested in some retreats I've seen. I find that what attracted me the most was a retreat at a nearby hotsprings resort. The retreat was a weekend, and had access to a sewing room (conference room in the hotel) 24/7 so that people up early could sew when they wanted to and people up late could sew when they wanted to...I know there were a few activities planned but it wasn't regimented in that you HAD to participate. You could quilt and sew when you wanted and were also free to enjoy the quaint little town it was situated in. For me personally, I like a less regimented retreat.

I know some prefer classes, pre-determined projects and timeframes...this is just my own opinion :)

Another thing, honestly, is price and location. Reasonably priced is hard to find, I do get that, but if it's a long journey to get to with travel costs, and then cost of retreat, meals, fabric and supply kits, it all adds up so a fun weekend away all of a sudden breaks the bank. I hope that made sense as I typed it :)

What would make it special is the person hosting it. The people who attend. The keepsakes and mementos you bring back, the pictures you take and the new friends you make :)

You say it is not a metro area, but how close are you to larger towns? If I could drive there, (3 hrs or less) it might be an advantage, if there are woods, etc to nature walk in, etc. A little getaway, without having to fly, like to the mountains, or beach. Sew a little, get in tune with nature a little. Even having a nice big porch to sit on and relax in the evening after dinner might be nice. I have also heard of retreats, that you drive to for the day, and go home at night, although I don't see that as a great an advantage, as I would be tired, and may not want to drive after that, and also, if you want a place to sew for the day, most local shops offer that.

I would suggest designing different types of retreats. Have some that are shorter (a weekend, or even just a day), some that are longer (long weekend or weeklong, maybe even 2-weeks); some that are more structured and others that are less structured; some that are themed and some that are "pick your own;" maybe even just have a quilter's B&B option where people can stay and make use of certain parts of the facility (like a couple of open sewing rooms, a quilter's library, or a space for designing) and sew in peace without kids, spouses, work, or whatever other interruptions and stresses happen at home.

Have kits available, or allow people to bring their own supplies; some materials available to rent (like sewing machines) or some that are free to borrow with the price of the retreat.

And depending on your location, you may want to see if you can offer some organized side trips or shuttle service to either local quilt/craft shops or fairs, or even just to certain local tourist attractions.

Now... having said that, I'll add the caveat that you should definitely not have so many different packages that you can't manage them all!!! Start out with fewer options and work within your abilities and resources.

Or become known for one well-run type of retreat.

Maybe Wed morning -Sunday evening one week and Friday evening - Sunday evening the alternate week.

I would love to do a retreat, but so far have always found ones nearby not set up to accommodate my aging body (and I don't want to travel very far). At my age I do not want to share a bedroom or bathroom, and I need a pneumatic adjustable chair (along with a table at the correct height) for sewing. Cutting tables and ironing boards need to be at the correct heights too. In my younger days I attended quite a few quilting classes and, even then, found that more than an hour or so in "make do" working conditions gave me physical issues.

I would check with a LQS or guild nearby because that is where your customers will come from.

One of my favorite retreat spots is an old farmhouse (in the middle of no where) that has been converted to a B&B (for quilters and hunters -lol). Two new buildings are adjacent to the old building (that has been remodeled) that contain WONDERFUL sewing rooms, complete with raised cutting boards and large ironing boards with nice irons, and great adjustable sewing chairs. One thing that hasn't been mentioned before is the food. This place has really, really good food -- we go to the main farmhouse to eat.

Linda in Missouri

Since I am now dealing with my own "aging" eye openers, I would really like to have the facilities be user friendly and the seating especially! I think starting small with high quality tools and working up from there. This is a small town with a population of less than 2000 and the quilt shop there closed, but there are two other ones fairly nearby that would be easy to work with. I would like to work with them and offer a beginners retreat for sure. I thought that it might be possible to offer private rooms and dorm style rooms both. I wouldn't mind sharing a room with some people but with others... well private is nice too.

I have attached a photo. The house has been on the market for a long time and if someone beats me to it, I guess it wasn't meant to be. The upper floor currently has 2 apartments so there is room for growth and there are two outbuildings as well.[ATTACH=CONFIG]530192[/ATTACH]

I clicked on the attachment but got an "invalid" message. It might be better to just cut and paste the address of the advertisement.

Edit: p.s. Is there a quilt guild in your area? The quilt guild near where I live sponsors a quilt retreat every year. The last time I looked at their retreat I didn't sign up because they offered only double rooms.

I can still manage stairs - just more slowly now - but I would like my own sleeping quarters - I have been told that I sometimes snore - very loudly - and not even my spouse is "good" with that at times.

So good sound-proofing between the bedroom walls would be a good thing.

Also - an easily accessible public restroom on each floor - I don't want to have to go two blocks and three flights of stairs to answer nature's call!

Food is a concern - would it be provided as part of the package?

And if so - how would one manage it so there would be "enough" supplies on hand?

Would you have a refrigerator and microwave and sink available - in each room or in a "main" sewing room?

Would you have vending machines available?

I think eating and drinking should be kept away from sewing and fabric - would there be an alcove or something for munching?

How would you be able to maintain it? Are you able to afford someone to do that and the cleaning and cooking? Do you have someone that can/will do those mundane things?

Is it in fairly good condition now?

(Not trying to be a wet blanket here - even though it seems that way)

Back to the original question - I have not been on a retreat - but what I would hope would happen -

I would meet people that would become friends and we might have one or two group activities, and then the rest would be sewing or vegetating. And food.

Some place near by to go to if I needed some space would be good, too.

I've only attended retreats that were "work on your own project" types. The early retreats were organized by a large guild and had many participants. We each got a 6' long table to use for our sewing. These were fun and I met people that I still keep in contact with. A small group and I have been going to a retreat twice yearly. It is in a house built specifically for quilting. I think the suggestions to research with LQS and guilds are excellent. You should decide what type of retreat you want to host. If you want to be heavily involved (having an instructor, classes, etc) or if you want it to have little involvement. Our retreat is low key. We do our own meals, which is very easy. It gives us a chance to get up and move around after sitting at our machines. Since the building was built with quilters in mind there are plenty of electrical outlets, lighting and space. There are two dorm type bedrooms and three bathrooms. This isn't the Ritz Carlton, but it meets our needs and the price is right. The calendar is open so you are able to choose when and how long you stay. We stay for three nights for right around $100/person. There is a quilt store about 25 minutes away, which we are able to visit if we need/want to. If I were in your position I would do a lot of research online of retreats in your state and see what's out there so you'll know about the market. My friend and I have talked about doing this, but we are too busy right now to go any further with it. My personal preference is the retreat where you work on projects of your choice. Hope this is helpful and not too rambling. Good luck with your decision.

I also recommend a covered outdoor work area, if you have the space. I love to sit out on the porch and watch the rain while I knit or hand-sew items.

From retreat experience: All on one level . . . Plenty of room between tables . . . Comfy beds . . .theme ie: bears, woodsy, ducks, etc. . . Delicious meals . . . Plenty of bathrooms . . . Location, location, location . . . Several ironing and cutting stations . . .
If the guests are coming from the city they will want peace and quiet.
Retreats are fun usually but we've been where the employees said they almost had knockdown fights between some of the campers.
Retreats are a HUGE amount of work.
Not to be negative, just double or triple the amount of work you will think it will take. Plus don't forget about insurance, zoning, taxes, etc etc.

I think the best quilt retreats are those where you can just sew, either your own project or a class. The one thing I don't want to worry about is cooking and cleaning. If you are going to prepare meals on site, you would want to check with your local health department. My sister had a place, in an old house, where she was just serving tea, cakes and cookies and she had to install restaurant quality kitchen fixtures. Might be different if you don't prepare the food there, but have it catered. Anyway, check with your local health department, zoning department (is it zoned for commercial use?) and see if there are any other permits you need. Fire regulations may also apply. Insurance will also need to be checked. She also had 4 parking places, one of which had to be handicapped. The house already had a ramp. Don't want to sound negative, but there's a lot of things you need to check first!

A Victorian house probably would not be my first choice for a quilting retreat unless it had an elevator. Many of us quilters do not enjoy hobbling up & down the stairs, especially on a vacation. As others have said, space to do handwork, plenty of outlets for at least 6 machines and 2-3 irons (and the amperage to support those outlets). A couple of bathrooms minimum & plenty of hot water (honestly! I'm quilting, not camping). Family-style dining or restaurants within 15 minutes drive. Nearby LQS for emergency supplies. And depending on the price, some sort of quilting personality/instructor. If it is a low-budget/grab-your-quilting-friends type of place where you just go to have a serene environment & place to quilt you won't need as many things as a draw, but you'd still need to make sure people had basic comforts and access to quilting supplies. (I'm blessed to be in a large guild where people offer their lake house for free & we just need to bring the food and our supplies; those are only 200amps so we get one iron and 3 machines & that's about all the load it can handle. It's not ideal in that sense, but other than us feeding the hostess and helping put the house back in order at the end of the long weekend, it's free so I wouldn't dare complain. It's a beautiful home in the woods on a lake that is nicely decorated & has a couple restaurants nearby and an LQS about 20 minutes away. It's one story with plenty of parking.

For a true quilting retreat that costs a few hundred dollars, I personally would want to know that a quilting instructor is coming who will be teaching some technique in which I'm interested. Of course then you would need even more outlets unless you're only catering to Jinny Beyer-types who do everything by hand.

I'm sorry I don't know the distances in your state but I see there are quite a few quilt retreats available in Wisconsin https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=...quilt+retreats
I attend two quilt retreats a year; one is held in a church camp with dorm type bedrooms but each gets it's own full bath. This is organized by mostly ladies who belong to the local guild, although it is not associated with the guild. The guild itself hosts a different retreat, which is also nice but I had to choose only two once I retired. :D The bad side to this one is the sewing area is upstairs while the sleeping rooms are downstairs, not a problem for me as I love the exercise and there is an outside dumb waiter elevator thingy to deliver your machines and chairs etc. to the upper floor. It usually sells out at 18 people and we each get our own tables. There's usually a project or two you can participate in and/or do your own thing. Everyone goes home with a nice door prize, I have won 2 books in the past. We also play bingo with FQs and at the end of the weekend there is at least 2 happy people winning them. The cost is reasonable at $200 Cdn and the food is acceptable, made on site by the church volunteers and delivered to a small dining area where the retreat organizers have usually placed little goodies beside our dishes; one year they were quilted luggage tags; one year they were a bag of felted wool pieces.
The other one I attend is pricey at almost $500 Cdn for the same amount of time (arrive around 2 on Friday and leave by 4 on Sunday) and this is at Harrison Hot Springs Resort which I imagine is the one that Orlinth was referring to. That price gives you a hotel room with 2 queen size beds; access to outdoor mineral pools; a coffee and danish for breakfast; you're on your own for lunch; and a wonderful buffet in the dining room in the evening. This one is run by a quilt shop and she brings a mobile shop with her; last year she also brought a few machines for people to try out. There is always 1 door prize for each retreater and usually the quilt fairy comes at night and we get a spool of thread or FQ at our machines in the morning. Last year they brought a game called strip poker where you bring as many 2 ½" strips etc. to play. This is an expensive weekend but so wonderful to relax in those hot pools after a day of sewing. AND of course the friendship and laughter goes a long way. There is always a few demos for projects that they sell the kits for, I watch the demos but don't usually make the projects as I always have enough projects on the go.
I admire the ladies who organize these as it is a huge amount of work and very time consuming.... good luck on your new venture if you decide to go for it.

Yikes.... I wrote a book...sorry about that!

Excellent...I love books! lol There are several retreat centers in the state but only two within 50 miles and one of those is a business focused site with quilters as an after thought ( I was quite offended for some reason) and the other is run by a quild and not well or advertised. None have the charm of this large Queen Ann Victorian, in my completely biased opiniion.http://www.remax.com/realestatehomes...-carousel-prev. I tried to copy the link...hope it worked.

Interesting that this lady also was inspired to have a retreat center after reading the Elm Creek books. Our little group read and enjoyed them as well.
http://www.homesteadcabinretreat.com/

tjk829, that is a gorgeous property. I have never had a rental property or business so don't know all the tax ramifications etc. would you hire someone to promote it for you, and as others have said...for quilters the food is a great draw. The guild uses a place locally called Edenvale which I will try to get a link for... their foods are mostly organic and original recipes, just as another idea for you.
http://www.edenvaleretreat.ca/

Tjk829. That property looks amazing. I have only been on one quilt retreat and it was fantastic. It was on old manse which had been modernised. No programme, just turn up and sew. Maximum 6 people great food wonderful setting, in the middle of nowhere. For me it was a long way 6 hour drive but well worth it. Not sure how to set up a link but if you google West Manse, Cullen, Scotland you will get the website. I am going to post about my retreat with lots of pictures. Good luck. I'd love to go to yours but I think it will probably be a bit too far.

I know that the quilt store in Hannibal MO has retreats at a retreat place. You might want to call the quilt store and talk to the owner about what works. I think of that line in the movie "If you build it, they will come".

I went to a retreat in an old barn converted into a beautiful space. The only thing I didn't like were the stairs to get from the bedroom/kitchen/living room area to the sewing/store area. It seems the population that can afford these retreats (both money and time) are older and have health issues. I loved the retreat, the staff, the food, etc. but would not go back because of the steep stairs to get to the sewing area. There is a bedroom/bath on that floor, but then you still have the stairs to get to the dining area.

My take on what a quilting retreat is - a quiet place with the focus being on quilting, crafting, etc. and not on whether there are a lot of other activities outside the building. Of course, having food provided is also a necessity for me. That is why I would go on a quilting retreat - to quilt with other quilters and not have to go out for eating, entertainment, etc. and not having to think about "what's to eat" and that is what I would expect to be paying for. Good luck on your venture whatever way it goes.

What a beautiful property! Good luck on your venture.

Clicked on your attachment and kept coming up with invalid. :(

I have yet to attend a quilt retreat. I've looked into a few but I'm always prevented by a variety of things:
1. sharing a room - I don't share well and REALLY need my own hidey-hole if I'm going to be comfortable being amongst a bunch of strangers or near-strangers for several days.
2. meals - as a vegetarian, it's difficult to deal with a place where food is provided and I don't have much opportunity to make or buy my own meals. Usually in situations like that I end up coping by eating a lot of salad and rolls, and protein bars out of my purse, which leaves me not feeling very well after a day or so of that diet. (I have stomach issues on top of my weird diet, so eating is always a problem for me.)
3. distance - I won't entrust my machine to an airline, and I can only drive so far before it starts sucking up all my vacation time. I also don't like being on the road (in random cheap hotels) overnight alone.

I would like to attend a retreat that somehow solves all of those issues, and is located somewhere rather remote and beautiful. I'm not interested in going out on the town as part of a retreat - to me the point of a retreat is to somewhat "trap" yourself with your sewing so you aren't distracted and get more work done. (I am thinking of weekend retreats though, I suppose if it were longer I'd get a little stir-crazy!)

Quilting retreats are so much fun. The one I try to go to twice a year is about 2 1/2 hours from home. It is in the country. It is a metal building that is huge. It is very nice and the front exterior is beautiful.

The accommodations are up to four to a room. There are eight regular rooms and an additional two handicap accessible rooms. All rooms have a private bath. All of the beds are twin and have beautiful quilts on them. There is a small lounge with a TV. The workroom is huge with two full walls of design boards and a large window to look out. Each station is set up using two tables to make an L shape. The lighting is abundant along with surge protectors for the stations. The kitchen is set up like an upscale restaurant (albeit much smaller) and the food is wonderful. There are chairs and settees along with a large table and chairs outdoors along with a fire pit.

The prices are great as well. There a couple of choices and it is more expensive for weekend retreats than weekday retreats. Weekend retreats run from after 1 pm on Thursday and leave by 1 pm on Sunday. Weekday retreats run from Sunday after 3 pm and leave by 1 pm on Thursday. They have a small fabric shop on site with nice fabrics and notions that you might have forgotten at home. The fabrics are mostly blenders and things you might want to finish your project(s).

Also they have times when they have open retreats and there may be a well known teacher doing classes as well. The classes are an additional fee.

I truly enjoy going. We can sew night and/or day or not. It is up to the individual. The owner and staff are amazing.

oops! Forgot to say they accommodate to food needs. One of our group has to be gluten free, another no citrus, another is diabetic and another low to no carbs. They do it all. Everyone always talks about how great the food is.

I don't think I would be able to install an elevator but there is a second staircase where a chair lift would work. There was a ballroom at one time and that just screams work space to me. I am hopeful there is enough space to provide both single and dorm style sleeping arrangements, I would prefer a private room myself but I know at times a group sleepover is a blast. I plan to collaborate with the local caterers for food service since I really hate to cook and people that love what they do are so much better at it than those who perform grudgingly...but who knows maybe there are folks who like cereal for supper!

I have been to several quilt retreats and I love it!!! Our Guild sponsors 2 per year at a former Dude Ranch in Central California called Wonder Valley. It is a very large camp style where you have dorm rooms and you have a choice of private, two, three or four to a room and priced accordingly. From Thursday or Friday to Sunday noon. Meals are included in the price...for a fee...you can also have drinks for Happy Hour.;) Of course some can't sew straight after that.:eek:

Most of us take snacks and drinks so it fills a table. We have over 100 member in our guild and up to 40 quilters at these retreats ..some quilters join the guild just so they can go to these retreats.

They invite a local quilt store to set up a mini-store in on site with notions and fabric. Our retreat chairman is very gifted in games and prizes to keep up the fun and there is a class for those that want but mostly we work on our own projects. I have taken up to five projects and then decide to start something new..

That is a great property and if you have the means and passion for this then I go for it. Quilters love to get together and sew and have fun...birds of a feather..

It's a cute little home. Having worked both for the city housing department, of course all I see are issues, but if you can make it work I think it's always wonderful to do what you love. Do keep in mind that those chair things are VERY slow & if you have more than one lady who struggles with the stairs, that would take quite some time to get one up, send the chair back down & send the next up. We looked into one for my grandmother's old house &, in addition to the cost, found it took about 5 minutes to get up the stairs. Very frustrating to a disabled person. In addition to that, I only saw the one full bath that had a tub. Hopefully the other one has a shower both for accessibility & sanitation (ick! I cannot imagine taking a bath in the same tub right after my new quilting friend did unless I had ready access to sanitizer or a maid came to clean it. But maybe that's just me.)

Just make sure to have your realtor check with the city about zoning to ensure you can run a business from there & definitely spend the money on a good, reputable, licensed home inspector who understands how you intend to use the space. Turn-of-the-century buildings are truly beautiful, but they also come with a whole host of problems hidden behind the walls (knob & tube electrical, illegally run pipes, asbestos insulation, inadequate structural support & damage from water or pests that only received a cosmetic fix ... just to name a few). A good home inspector can find some of those issues for you, but others won't be uncovered until you do rehab or it gets bad enough to see damage on the walls/ceiling so it's extra important to have an emergency fund.

Also, make sure to take into account that taxes go up quite a bit when it's used as an income property. Again, though, please don't take any of this as discouragement. Just a desire to help a fellow quilter learn from others' mistakes in the hopes that you have more time to enjoy your new business. :)

That was my concern with the chair lift as well but I thought something was better than nothing? The listing doesn't show all the space, it totally ignored the 2 full apartments on the upper level and didn't show the other 4 bedrooms. I have been "lucky" enough to have remodeled three older homes the earliest being 1900 and the newest being built in 1922. you are so right about the surprises that await when rehabbing a vintage home. It is currently zoned commercial and we learned a painful lesson regarding inspections. For sure a full inspection will be done as soon as possible and BEFORE any money changes hands! Hard lessons really stick!

I am also a Linda in Missouri. Where is this place? It sounds great. Do you know when their next retreat is?

I am also a "Linda in Missouri" in the central state area. Where is this place you talked about and do you have information regarding retreats. It sounds great.

The people. Retreaters as well as facilitators.

I go with a group on retreat every year, what we like is, a large room for sewing our quilts, food prepared by the retreat so all we have to do is enjoy ourselves, a nice comfy bed for when we decide to sleep, we don't get out to see other things unless quilt shops are nearby, it's our week to sew, laugh, and enjoy each other!