Quilt Shop: Cotton Lane Quilting

There is one quilt shop in Hemet, California, Cotton Lane Quilting, which I visited today.  It was easy to find, and it's very cute and inviting from the outside.

  I called, as I always do, to make sure they were in business and open, and I was surprised to hear the name of the place when they answered the phone.  I was expecting to find Butterfield Quilt Shop, which is no longer in business.  I was informed that the latter is out of business and that Cotton Lane Quilting has moved into the same building and taken the same phone number.  Perhaps they bought the entire business and just changed the name.  I don't know when that happened, but I had a feeling the shop hadn't been there long.

For one thing, there was very little merchandise.  There were probably less than 50 bolts of fabric in the whole place, and not a lot to suit my taste.  The fabrics were pretty, and of good quality, just not my thing.  I did pick up a couple of fat quarters that I can use in my Winter Wonderland quilt, and I bought a bottle of Mary Ellen's Best Press Starch Alternative.  I've read about this product before, and it seems to be very popular.  I don't have any starch with me, and I wish I did.  I thought it would be a good time to give it a try.  I'll tell you about it when I've had a chance to use it. 

They had a nice little "nook" area with quite a bit of merchandise marked 40% off; but again, nothing that really appealed to me.  Others might like it, however.  There were quite a few women in the shop and they appeared to be getting ready to start a class.  Everyone seemed friendly enough, and they all seemed to know one another well.  I have a feeling the shop is closely connected to the Hemet quilting community.

I'd probably rate this shop with three rotary cutters out of five.  There really needs to be more merchandise for me to be able to recommend a special trip to see it.  The customer service was good and the women were friendly.  It may be a work in progress.  I'd like to see it again in a couple of years and see if it has improved.  Maybe another visit another year.  With so little merchandise, I think they'll have trouble competing with the JoAnn's in town.  I know there are other quilt shops in nearby communities too.  It'll be interesting to see if they're able to weather the competition.