TALES OF A FOURTH GENERATION TEXTILE EXECUTIVE: JACKSON HOLE -E- COW DAY 1
Tales Of A Fourth Generation Textile Executive: Jackson Hole – Day 1.
Jackson hole-e cow! Sickest work trip ever! I am so not used to a work trip that is actually enjoyable and not so much work and definitely no hard work for certain (don’t tell my boss-dad). I could get used to this. The wonderful fresh air, beautiful views, traffic-less streets and some of the most friendly and warm people are in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This sure ain’t New York!
Arrived late Wednesday night and unfortunately didn’t get to enjoy the views at that time because it was so dark. But that made it that much better when I awoke early Thursday morning and looked out into the mountains as I sat and ate breakfast. In a word…breathtaking. In another word…heaven. Call my wife and kids and tell them I won’t be making it home for dinner….ever again! I am cracking up just picturing my wife’s face.
I had some time before my first Jackson Hole Quilt Festival “event”, so what did I do? I made like a cowboy and went on a horseback ride.
One of the festival organizers hooked me up at a local horse ranch and I got a free ride….yippee–kye–yeah. My horse Pepsico and my tour guide Oren were both great, but unfortunately the only wildlife I saw were some chipmunks and cattle, but I am not complaining, I am just saying. Oren did say he saw some bears the day before…I was way jealous.
Next, I took a rather ambitious ride to Rexburg, Idaho to see some customers. I would say that the solid hour and a half ride was boringly beautiful, if you know what I mean by that. I traveled through some tiny towns that seemed like they were from another era, but they were precious. One of the signs said population 160…holy tiny. That is like the number of people in my passenger car on the train to work. It’s another world in the Mid-west compared to what I am used to in New York, but I love it if you haven’t figured that out yet. Change is good once and awhile and this was the kind of change I needed to experience to get me re-invigorated about my job and ready for what I hope will be a successful quilt market.
After Rexburg, I headed back to Jackson for a meet- and-greet at the quilt shop in Jackson…”Stitch ‘n Time” on Alpine Lane. The owner, Kim Kerr, is the organizer of the Festival, which is in its second year. Her shop is one of the largest I’ve seen in awhile. It was very spacious and interestingly I learned that the openness of the shop was to cater to people in wheelchairs. Wow! Isn’t that thoughtful? Damn, those Wyominginians (is that a word) are considerate! The place was rocking because the daily classes had just let out. It’s always awesome to see people line up at the counter and to see the quilt shops flourish as I am always rooting for my customers. It was even more awesome to see that a lot of people were buying up the new Studioe shot cottons.
A small crowd gathered and I then had the chance to chat and to show them the new lines being released at quilt market. The customers enjoyed having this rare glimpse that quilt shop owners everywhere experience so often. As always, it was insightful to hear comments about the lines. After a couple hours of that, I was invited to dinner at a little Mexican joint with 3 of the guild members. They were so inquisitive and interested in all aspects of the fabric business and me as a fourth generationer. After a quick bite and some conversation, we headed over to the Snow King Hotel for an evening class by Kelly Gallagher Abbott of Jukebox Quilts in Fort Collins, Colorado. She gave an excellent lecture on long arm quilting, among other things, as she is a Gammill quilting machine dealer. It was kind of Spanish to me, but everyone was really into it and what I did follow was neat. Day 1 is done. Stay tuned for day 2. In the meantime, happy quilting.
Yours Truly,
The Driver Of The Studioe Ship