Sport or Adventure
A planned quilter’s shop hop is where fabric and quilt shops join together to coordinate a set time frame for shopping in their shops. The shops do this to encourage shoppers to visit local quilt shops they may not have visited before. Shop hops also increase sales. This practice is the epitome of “Shop Small” and “Shop Local”. The “sport” of shop hopping serves quilters by offering opportunities for sales and discounts. Shop hops give quilters a reason to vaca, and provides comradery among those “hopping”. So, I planned my quilter’s shop hop experience around the All Missouri Shop Hop.
All Missouri Shop Hop
The quilter’s shop hop in Missouri was so much fun and afforded the opportunity for some quality sister’s time. Through no fault of their own, our other two traveling buddies were not able to make the trip this time. Be warned that this post is very quilter’s eye-candy heavy. In this post, the first of three about my shop hop experience, I inform about shops I visited in no particular order. The shops are all located in the northwestern quadrant of Missouri.
Shop Hop Sister Time
We didn’t begin with Missouri Star Quilt Shops located in Hamilton, MO, but we certainly did our share of purchasing even though we had already visited many shops. In all, we visited 16 shops and purchased something from each one! MSQS is such a fun town. Yes, I said a fun town–the whole town is a quilt shop! The shops each have a theme such as a batik shop, a shop containing flowered fabrics, well, you get my drift. The shops are easy to access and there is a museum about JC Penny since this was his boyhood hometown. You could actually do a quilter’s shop hop just in this one town!
The AirBNB–The Chase Mansion, Saint Joseph, MO
I couldn’t leave out info about the wonderful place we stayed–The Chase Mansion. It is located in the historic district of the city along with other beautiful old homes. The mansion has 5 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms and plenty of space to find your own nook if you visit with a crowd. The mansion architecture and history are interesting. But, I’ll let you research those for yourself. The host is great, he provided us with snip its of info about the area and the home. This is the perfect place to stay if plan to join the quilter’s shop hop in Missouri. Just a little secret–there is a ghost involved!
Quilter’s Shop Hop Shops and Owners
As I said earlier, the shops I am covering are in no particular order. The first one I want to talk to you about is the Fabric Chic. The shop is located in the small town of Parkville, MO. There are two quilting shops in this town. The town itself is a little boutique town and has antique shops, art galleries, and a historic downtown. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. Park University is located in the town, as is a wonderful park on the banks of the Missouri River.
This lovely lady, Cindy, is the owner of The Fabric Chic. She was so informative about the fabrics she stocks and introduced us to a line of fabrics that are cotton linen. Beautiful! She designed the Dashes and Dots quilt to share with Quilt Sampler magazine readers. Her shop was showcased for the 11/26/21 issue of the “Discover 10 Top Shops” article. I would love to have a chance to visit with Cindy again and attend one of the classes she holds next door in her Sewing Lounge. I will showcase the other shop in an upcoming post about the quilter’s shop hop.
More Shops
Rocking Chair Quilts in Butler, MO, is another cute and homey quilter’s shop hop destination. This shop is located on the main square and features many types of fabrics from many lines. My sister and I spent a long while here since Debbie, one of the owners, is such a friendly person. Her co-owner, Lisa, was out of town the day we visited, but after taking a look at their Facebook page, I know we would have had a wonderful chat with Lisa, too. The shop is just so darn cute with all the projects hanging everywhere. The vignettes serve to make a shopper want to buy one of everything in the shop.
The Quilt Shop is located in a hardware store in Iberia, MO. The owner shared that she had “done the books” for the Newcomb’s Hardware for, I think, 30 years and decided to follow her dream and open a quilt shop. Although the shop is small, it is warm and inviting and I think anyone that enters could not leave without buying. She took a lot of time with us just chatting, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Quilter’s Shop Hop Food
I haven’t talked food, but when asked where she would recommend to eat in Iberia, she readily said, Hard Times Bar and Grill. She didn’t steer us wrong! The lunch special that day was a ribeye sandwich. Since it was way past lunch time, we were surprised to still be offered a lunch special. It was well worth the drive and waiting til after our regular lunch time to eat.
More Than a Quilt Shop
The fifth shop I am highlighting from our quilter’s shop hop is Pansy’s Patch Quilt Studio in Albany, MO. Misty, the owner, shared her newest creation with us. I loved the new design so much and felt I had stumbled upon a treasure that nobody else had had the pleasure to admire. We spoke at length about making the design into a kit and sharing it during a class. Since it was an original design and may become a Mystery Quilt class, I didn’t feel it fair to share.
The shop truly is a studio in every sense of the word. You see the persona of “studio” in the old magnificent building and decor. It is seen in the lovely innovative quilts hanging on the wall and the upbeat fabric selection. But, most of all, you feel it from the encouraging owner and staff that celebrate differences in quilting styles, fabrics, designs, and techniques.
Quilter’s Shop Hop Memorable Moments is an Understatement
As you can see, each shop brings something different to the table. Each shop has its own personality that shines through the owner and designer of the shop. All in all, we had such a great time traveling the Missouri backroads to participate in the All Missouri Shop Hop. Jen Gasper, Shop Hop, Inc., and her team are the organizers of this quilter’s shop hop and have done a fabulous job. You can check out all the shop hop info on Facebook on their page: https://allmissourishophop.com
Well, I am just sorry I only visited 16 of the shops and wasn’t able to visit all 70. Quilter’s shop hops are part sport (a race to see how many quilt shops one is able to visit in a short amount of time) and part adventure (well, doesn’t each day, each new shop, each piece of fabric purchased, each quilt pattern, and each person we meet open a door to a new adventure)? Join me again as I showcase more of the shops on the All Missouri Quilter’s Shop Hop. In the meantime, read more about an impromptu shop hop here.
