No two Quilt Markets are ever the same, and the trek to this Spring Market began on a whim with the social media hashtag #8statesin8days. It wasn’t a well-thought-out marketing scheme, but a spur-of-the-moment idea to make the daunting, 3600-mile-round-trip adventure a bit more fun. But it didn’t take long to realize that many of you were following our road-trip stops and enjoying the beautiful country right along with us. We loved the suggestions of where we should shop and the kind offers of lodging. It just cemented for me something that I’ve known for a long time: The quilting community is strongly connected with friendships. And social media strengthens those connections. Thank you for making the trip extra fun.
You might ask why we drove so far and the answer is simple—we had 400 blue bags full of goodies from our advertisers and magazines to share with the industry. We enjoyed meeting so many of our subscribers and connecting with lots of new potential subscribers. As you’ll see in the Market Review story on pages 30-41, there is much to be excited about. Fun themes to promote, new patterns to make, and lots of people doing creative things. Did you catch our Market Digital Recap? If not, you’ll find a link to the FREE download on AmericanQuiltRetailer.com. In that issue you’ll find even more photos and a dozen videos to watch. Let us know what you think!
In Every Issue
- Letter From the Editor
- Connect with AQR Online
- Our Contributors
- Book Nook: Learn about the latest books in the quilting industry.
- Free-to-Use Project: Designer Sue O’Very created a darling sewing case to keep your workspace tidy.
Business Savvy
- Cornerstone Content Lays a Solid Marketing Foundation: Make an impact in your business with the right kind of content.
- Shopping Las Vegas: Marketing experts Kizer and Bender share insight from the city of entertainment.
- Managing Your Social Media Investment: Where and how do you spend your energy to get the most return on your investment?
- The Employee Handbook: Best Practices: Make sure your business is equipped with a guide for employees.
- Turn a Free Pattern into a Money Maker: Learn how one free project can be used to produce many add-on sales.
Check It Out
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- Change Can be Good: Designer Tula Pink shares how recent business changes have challenged her to shake things up.
- Connect the Dots of Your Life: Push yourself to do more outside your comfort zone and create a new pattern in your life for making it happen.
- Spring Market Review: From themes to patterns to colors, see what the AQR team found in Portland to share with you.
- Showcase Your Products: Quilt Market offers inspiration for how to display our new purchases and get our customers’ attention.
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