My perspective on independently owned quilt shops was changed dramatically last month when I visited 36 of the 39 quilt shops in my state. These shops have all gone together to form an independents group which allows them to go together and buy their fabrics and other wares in bulk quantities, good move, they all save some money. But what I found odd is that the shops that were way out in the rural areas of the state charged far less money for their fabrics and notions than the shops that were closer to or within the larger cities. This is the direct polar opposite of what we see with the pricing on food, fuels, clothing and other necessities. It did not appear that supply and demand was what was driving the drastic changes in pricing. Something else that is always noticeable to me is that the staff in the rural areas is ALWAYS much more friendly and helpful than what I find in most of the cities (Kearney excluded). Having lived in the largest city of the state for the majority of my life, and now living in one of the least populated areas it's hard for me to believe that the shops that are having problems are having them because some people shop at discount stores or big box stores. If that were true there would not be any small independents out here in the country. Incidentally, the Walmarts that are out here in the central and western part of the state did NOT take out their fabric departments so the rural LQS are competing with them just as much or more than the shops in the cities which did loose their fabric sections. To me the poor LQS thing doesn't seem to hold any water, at least not in my state. Just another perspective.