By Rita Latour
I have just completed the Illinois State Shop Hop. It was two months of traveling the state from North to South and East to West. It was amazing how vastly different the 71 participating stores were, and the varied fabrics and projects offered.
During this journey, several stores that I genuinely enjoyed visiting over the past four years, shared that they were closing their doors. This is sad, not just for me, but for all quilters.
We live in an “instant” world where it is easier and often less expensive to go online and find the product we want. We can look at several selections immediately, compare features and prices, and with several clicks it is on its way to us. Online purchasing has benefits and certainly is not going to go away. However, it makes me sad because there are consequences to this type of purchasing.
It was pointed out to me recently that online ordering creates an excessive amount of waste and billions of dollars in the expense of packaging materials, all of which eventually end up in a landfill. However, the larger issue is the loss of our brick-and-mortar stores across the country as they find it more difficult to compete and offer value to the customers.
This is no more prevalent than in our quilting stores. Our quilting stores offer us inspiration as well as the ability to see true colors and feel fabrics. The samples the store provides reinforce the use of fabrics and colors that we cannot get from an online picture or word description. Quilting is a tactile process, and we need to touch and feel. Our quilt stores offer learning opportunities and knowledgeable staff members who are more than willing to share their knowledge and ideas with us. We can walk into a store with fabric swatches and spend time matching and choosing colors to work with our projects. You can’t do that online.
It is important for quilters, and me specifically, to do our part in supporting our quilt stores and what they offer us. You may wonder what part you can play in assisting our stores. Whenever possible, go to a store directly. Shop in the store. Also, remember that our quilt stores offer us many insights and spark our imaginations with creativity. Nothing is more inspirational than sharing ideas with a group of like-minded people. Quilters are generous in the sharing of knowledge and ideas—and that you get from walking into a store. If you absolutely cannot get into a store, consider purchasing from a brick-and-mortar store’s website.
Finally, when you are traveling around our state and stop at one of the many picturesque small villages we have here, see if they have a quilt store. If they do, drop in and visit. Share with them what you like and why you stopped by their store. If you have an opportunity, grab some friends together and do a shop hop. It is truly inspiring, and it is one small way we can help maintain and support our quilt stores.
Happy Quilting!
I’m a resident in Central Illinois and welcome your comments. Please let me know if there is a quilting topic you would like to talk about. Contact me at [email protected].
