cannyquilter

I have only been on one retreat and that was held in a big old house in the middle of nowhere. It was great. Good luck

SuzieQuilts

I am sorry I did not say the location. I live in Eastern Montana; you know, the Montana the does not make the calendars. It is on the interstate, and 100 miles from Billings, the largest city in Montana. A woman is trying to get a fabric store up and going in her home, so we could help each other out. I have not purchased the beds, but will get long twins. Each room will have a queen or full and a twin. I really appreciate the feed back. The zoning and the price will be the two factors, if this is a go or not. We are debt free and both have full time jobs to cover the payment until it starts paying itself. If it fails, I still I have a house. My mom was a master quilter, and I know she would be thrilled to know that quilting ladies were coming for visits. Yes, there would be weekends that I have guest teachers. I would make time to rent it out to other groups. I would also have theme weekends, like sisters weekend or Christmas gift sewing weekend. I think the possibilities are endless. I will keep you posted.

CanoePam

You might want to think of more than quilting retreats. The place we go for retreats also rents out for family reunions and other groups. It will give you a larger pool of potential customers. Note that most adults won't share a bed with anyone other than their spouse, so a queen bed and a twin is for two unrelated adults or a couple and a child.

Think about how you will market the location. Direct mail to quilting groups? Attending quilt shows? What about a web site? Your location in a lightly populated area works against you I am afraid which is a good reason to broaden your customer base.

toverly

Sounds like a perfect home to start. Do your research and I hope your dream comes true. You can also help family reunions, church retreats and weddings.

my-ty

Why not market as a Bed & Breakfast with a option of retreats for reunions and other groups including quilting retreats?

sweetana3

The retreat center we went to in eastern Iowa was in a town with nothing much, West Union. She also provided housing for reunions, weddings and other events needing housing because there was no hotel/motel and the residents needed it. She had taken two apartments upstairs and converted to multi bed rooms. Very nicely decorated with antique sewing things and quilts on the beds. Two clean bathrooms and the kitchen had enough for coffee. http://www.moonlightstitching.com/retreats

Here is another one in Oelwein, Iowa that had a small quilt shop downstairs with a sewing area and the rooms upstairs. https://www.facebook.com/Lou-Anns-Qu...9062/timeline/

No one can tell you if you are really in a spot that will draw people and make money. It takes a lot of research and work.

CookyIN

Suzie, it sounds as though you've given this a lot of thought and are willing to diversify to fill those beds. Also, you wouldn't be dependent on this for your sole income and, in fact, have other income to support yourself and your dream venture. You're way ahead of the game so far.

I'd contact other retreat owners far outside your own part of the country (non-competitors) to see if they'd be willing to talk to you about their bumps and victories on the road to success. No one can give you better insight and advice than someone who's doing exactly what you dream of doing.

Best of luck to you and please keep us posted!

quilttiger

Check out www.quinberrylodge.com for some ideas. If the website does not work for some reason, try Googling quinberry lodge (in Black Hawk, CO). How is the weather during the winter months? This could keep some quilters from going there during the winter months. Good luck on your venture!

SuzieQuilts

We do have snow and some tough winters, but others have been mild. My sisters and I have agreed on a reasonable price, but will wait for the appraisal, so it may go down, and they agreed on that, in order for me to buy them out. I also talked to city hall, and I will have to go through a zoning change procedure. I am ok with that, as I see it as a sign if I should be doing this or not. If I don't get the zone permit, then I will not buy the house. Thanks for all of your input, and I will keep everyone updated. Quilting is not a hobby to me, it is my passion, and I would be so blessed to be able to follow my passion.

citruscountyquilter

Is the area zoned for you to run a business? If it isn't you'll have to get a zoning variance so that's what I would look into first because without that you can't do anything else. Before going to any expense of a zoning variance however I would do a feasibility study as to whether there would be a market for your retreat. You could check with the Small Business Association (they have a great website too), SCORE (retired executives that help businesses) or a college that has a marketing program. They are often looking for projects to help with classes. Before you invest any money in the business you need to do some research and develop a business plan. Research, Plan and then you can think about twin beds.