Tiffany

I normally find that the ladies in quilt shops are wonderful, but there is always that one person who has to ruin it for the rest. I discovered that one person when I was on a Shop Hop. Our Shop Hop is done once a year (in May) and it used to cover 3 states; Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. The shop in Utah didn't sign up so we're down to 2 states now. It takes 2-3 days to cover all the stores & the driving covers about 1000 miles, or it did when I had my bad encounter. I live in Idaho and hit the LQS in Jackson, Wyoming. At every store they had something special on sale and it was my first time ever participating. I walked into the store and asked the gal working there what they had on sale for the Shop Hoppers. (We buy a passport so we can prove we're part of the special Hoppers & each store stamps them. This way someone just off the street doesn't come in and gobble up the special sales.) This lady went off on me, screaming at me and going on and on about how whatever they had on sale was listed and all I had to do was look. Needless to say, I didn't buy a thing and I refused to go to that store again for several years, except to get my passport stamped during the shop hop. Since then that lady has moved on and the new gals working there are all wonderful, but it took several years to remove the bad taste from my mouth.

Madquilter - the store lady was right, your quilt is a nightmare and you simply must send it to me so that you never have to look at it again! ;)

You men need to move here to Idaho Falls! Men are adored whenever they walk into a LQS and they tend to receive a lot of attention. Of course, we're used to having men belong in the quilt guild and John Flynn was giving classes here before he got famous, so we expect men who quilt to know what they are talking about. And men think differently from women, which makes their quilts interesting. Plus they come up with great ways to solve issues and problems that most of us women never think of. Come here and you'll get treated like you are famous!


:shock: I can't even imagine where to stuff a bolt of fabric! Good grief, how sad. If they're that worried, put in some video camera's. They aren't that expensive!

pup&pen

We had a wonderful LQS here and the owner was amazing. I took classes at her store and I received EXCELLENT service from everyone, everytime I went there. She helped me pick out fabric all the time. I was so sad when she closed. Her mother was ill. Anyway, now all the other stores I go to ignore me. When I ask for help I feel like I am intruding. The last time I went into one store two ladies were working & they were eating their lunch at the same table they had fabric on display. I was disgusted. I only go back because I love two of the instructors. DH got me a gift card from there for Christmas & signed me up for a class. I need 10 yards of fabric for the quilt but I will buy that online & save the gift card for another class.
On the other hand, when we went to West Virginia I visited a quilt store in Parkersburg and I was greeted like family. :D

peaceandjoy

We are fortunate to have a condo in FL, on the west coast... Our someday retirement home. When we are there, as when I go ANYWHERE, lol, I like to visit a couple of local LQS. The first (and only) time I went to one of them, while I was browsing, the owner was on the phone. That didn't bother me - I wasn't ready to have anything cut or check out and didn't need help. What bothered me was her conversation. She hated having to accept credit cards or debit cards, as stores pay a percentage of those charges/debits. She carried on and on to the person on the other end about how unfair it was. :roll:

I LIVE by my debit card, whether on vacation or home. So I knew I would use my card. I did buy a few things, as I really liked them. And then I paid using my debit card, knowing full well it was ticking her off and that she'd have to pay the percentage. :twisted:

But I'll be dipped if I'll go back there again!

sewmuchmore

Your quilt is gorgeous, wished mine first one turned out that well. :thumbup:

MistyMarie

I have had awesome experiences in quilt stores and horrible ones.

I was in one in a small town up in Idaho (Glenn's Ferry, I believe) and the couple that ran the shop were the NICEST shop owners I have ever had the pleasure to meet. We had had vehicle trouble heading up to my grandmother's memorial service in northern Idaho, so my mom, sister, and I had time to kill while the guys dealt with a locked up brake on my parent's fifth-wheel. The store was tiny, but the gentleman was using a long-arm and let me pick his brain about how to use it for almost half an hour. I ended up buying several yards of fabric from them, even though I had no project in mind for it because they were such wonderful people. They seemed genuinely glad to have a "visitor" to their shop.

Where I live, I hate going to my LQS because I always feel like they don't have time to give me, see me as not a big spender (which is funny, considering my stash of fabric!) and not worthy of their quilting wisdom. My husband is gone quite a bit with the military, so my children often have had to go with me to the store. I think this is the reason they are so rude to me, even though my kids never have acted up or messed up or touched anything in the store. Not only that, but I have asked them several times to call me when they get in a certain type of muslin (that they keep selling out of), but then I've gone in to see if it is in, they tell me they just sold out of it and to get on the calling list. It doesn't seem to matter that I keep telling them I AM on the list and when they check, there I am!

I will drive an extra ten miles to the other quilt store because they have a play area for children and I don't see a look of sheer panic spread over their faces when my children walk in with me. My kids are VERY well behaved and have been taught to not touch anything, so it angers me when shop-owners assume that they are going to be terrors.

Marjpf

Stores that are smart enough to put in a kids play area always seem like nicer people, and smart, too. You spend more time and money there!

lots2do

I'm lucky to have a lot of shops nearby and in Maine where our relatives are. Most, I get excellent, friendly service at. Sometimes there are some that are a bit cliquey.
lots2do

Dingle

You know when you are new to quilting you just have to have everything. Well that was me last summer. Made one of my few and far between trips into Vegas. Was going to go to Hancocks for the first time since I have never been in one and hoping to find anything different then what Joanns carried. First thing I noticed when I walked in there was only one other person in the store. (On a Saturday) Second thing was it seemed dirty to me. Freight everywhere. Most of the fabric was ugly and looked like it was old. Didn't smell real nice in there either. Then a man appears and asks if I need help. Told him no just looking right now. Next thing I know everytime I turned around he was there watching. Made me real uncomfortable. Needless to say I left, didn't buy anything and will never go back.

Quilt Mom

I'm sorry you have experienced problems taking your children to a lqs. I used to work in a lqs, and the owner had a place where children were welcome to play while their parent shopped. It was wonderful. Not only did the children enjoy the time much more, they weren't whining to leave the store. And Mom/Dad usually spent a little more time, and sometimes more money. When the little ones were encouraged to get involved in converstaions - 'what are your favorite colors", etc. - it was interesting to hear how much they 'helped' in the process at home.

I'll bet your children are involved in quilting at home, too, aren't they?

chris_quilts

Also related to sewing machines. In a local sewing shop, not a LQS, I was looking for the Janome brand since I'm hunting a new machine. The owner told mre that I would not like a Janome but she had the Project Runway edition Brother which was very comparable to the Janome model I want to test drive. They are a small shop and only carry Brothers, I believe, but I couldn't believe her answer about I wouldn't like the Janome. She wanted the sale and not the customer's satisfaction. It is true that when I testdrive the Janome, I may not like it but I want to try it first before looking at other brands. My Singer is approximately 25 yrs old and I just want a larger throat area for quilting.