Summary: Take Two! I lost the first file of this episode, so here goes the second take. I talked about what's happening at work, and what I will be doing when the shop closes at the end of this month. I spent some time sharing my thoughts on what's going on with the quilting industry, and how things are changing. While I still believe in supporting small businesses where we can, we have to accept that even with doing that, some shops will close. Probably a lot of them will close. The quilting industry has become bloated and consumers can no longer support it in the same way. The industry is changing. I think it's like an over inflated balloon, and the shops are the air inside. The balloon has popped, and as it contracts, some of the air inside will manage to be in protected spots, and remain there. Most of it will go away. Some shops have multiple contributing factors like location and buying power, that will keep them afloat during the period of reduction. I hope some lovely quaint shops are still standing when this is all over. I hate to imagine a world where the only place I can actually see and feel the fabric I am buying is a big box store. DISCLAIMER- PLEASE NOTE, I do not claim to be an expert on ANYTHING, whether it be quilting or economics. All my opinions are simply that, opinions, which are based on my observations of the world around me. I sometimes make generalizations in my podcast when I talk about groups of people, sometimes based on age and stage of life. I never mean to exclude or offend any groups. I can only comment on what I've seen, and experienced. Please don't take it personally if you don't fit into those sweeping generalizations that I sometimes make. I KNOW THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS, AND SOMETIMES I AM JUST COMPLETELY OFF. Twilt On
