Closings

There have been endless closings of quilting/fabric stores, and scrapbooking/multi media/fine arts shops in our region over the last 10-years. Many due to retirement encouraged by e-commerce. Independent books stores were hard hit in the years prior to this last decade (and continue to be). Most of the retail left are the ‘big-box’ stores of books, paper, and fabric, where few establishment care if their employees know more than the surface of their trade.

One of my favorite stores, a cross between scrapbooking, fine arts, and exquisite paper shops, announced their closing a couple of weeks ago, after 28 years in business. I made the hour+ trek north this morning to meander through their waning stock for the last time, and then quilt-store hopped my way home.

I mainly bought blank card stock and envelopes, and a collection of fish-print rubber stamps that I’ve always admired, yet made careful choices about even at 20% off. Unbelievably and despite years of attending the local quilt shop-hops, I managed to visit four quilt shops I’d never been to before. There were three that have closed in the last few years I wish I’d been able to visit again. Despite telling my DH I would only shop for fabric for a jacket pattern, I found two pieces that had to come home with me: One a heavy weight cotton with mid-century mod flamingos and guitars, and another, a Mexican panel of 4 interpretations of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

It was a good sensory day-trip. A day off of hard labor, which resumes tomorrow, followed up on Friday by taking mom to the doc.