THE YEAR WE BOUGHT
THE QUILT SHOP
An adaptation of a classic by the
Windmill City
Quilts WebGuy
2007 'Twas the year we bought a Quilt
Shop, in downtown Geneva.
Not a full year mind you, but little more than a half;
The shop came with fabric, and patterns, and workers that care,
With no time to relax - Salt Lake City Quilt Market soon found us
there;
The reps came at us with batiks, and florals, Blues, golds and reds;
While invoices of large dollars danced in our heads;
Nanette with her quilting experience and I without none;
We bought a quilt shop, and we blended a desire to make it fun.
Soon in the Fox River Valley arose such a clatter,
In Geneva there lived a couple with new ideas on this matter.
From "Behind the Windmill" we found experience and assistance,
As we planned our Grand Opening just ahead of the solstice.
The excitement that was generated that early June weekend,
Became motivation, as hard work soon found us at our first quarter's
end.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But hundreds of quilters brought to us by cars and in groups,
With eager desires to Shop Hop and bring cheer.
If ever a doubt existed, we knew by that October,
The Quilter is a friendly, intelligent shopper.
While eager for quality, fine bargains they craved;
Fun websites they like, but fine classes will cause their time to be
saved!
They give back to communities, and have a love of the game;
For them great distance don't matter if they like the places they
came!
From Illinois cities like Aurora, Batavia, Bloomington, and Elgin,
Fox Lake, Genoa, Harvard and Princeton.
To Quilt Shops they come from states like Iowa, Indiana, and even
Washington.
The lesson I learned was as simple as this:
A quilter is unique, and deserves to be pampered.
So in 2008 at our shop they will find: Modas, and Hoffmans and others
we got.
At the Windmill you'll find Amy Butler, Chiaverini, Benartex, and
Northcott;
But now with eyes twinkling, as our calendar draws to a end,
This fellow quilter rubs the sleep from his eyes,
As I type one last fun email before my Christmas shopping I begin.
You see it is of you I dreamed, of our customers all,
What I wanted was a gift for you each, under our tree bright and tall.
Not one, not two, maybe three maybe four.
I awoke to tell Nan, "We need to buy each one a nice gift!"
She laughed when I told her; she reminded me gently hoping to cushion
my fall, "Our children need presents; besides there are so many
customers, your dream is too tall!"
So away she sent me to think these thoughts through in my head.
And a wonderful thought I came back with instead.
I think I have learned a thing or two about the quilter;
In the days that I worked at the store by the river,
From weekends in early May, through cold December nights when I
shiver.
I found one thing in common with all customers I met at the store.
One thing that hit me every time I opened the door.
Good food is the thing - good food is the ticket!
How can good gifts on my friends I shower?
In what way can we give back to each at this late hour?
With permission from our Geneva neighbors,
I prepared our gifts to all and in fours;
I marched back to Nan with my idea standing tall;
Christmas Coupons I will give to my friends one and all!
Coupons for lunch, or dinner, or possibly just a snack;
Christmas Coupons for food every time you come back!
For pizza or pasta, burritos or nachos, snacks of cheese or almonds;
Good now until March, these gifts I hope you enjoy.
A free or discounted treat - better than any new Christmas toy.
So the next time you visit us, maybe after, perhaps before,
Allow time for our neighbors, a taste treat is awaiting just inside
their door!
With a final wish for you each at the close of our first year
at the Quilt Shop,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
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