Tales of a Fourth Generation Textile Executive: Our Team Rocked Schoolhouses!

November 27, 2017 /

I hate to tell it how it is, but I am going to.   All of the schoolhouses that the Studioe Fabrics & The Blank Quilting Corp. sponsored at quilt market rocked and I got to witness most of them.  Don’t take my word for it though, take it from all the people that stopped me to say how relevant and helpful our  sponsored schoolhouses (SH) were. “So much better than those SHs that become showcases for new lines, which is what schoolhouse is clearly NOT supposed to be,” said  one happy customer.  (Please note that where possible I linked the schoolhouse on Youtube so that you could witness this for yourself.)

I personally found our social media oriented classes to be the most useful.   I mean, who knew how important a PS was.   But seriously, I attained a lot of good information with supporting handouts as well as clear and concise instructions and explanations.   In particular, new Blank Quilting licensor, Hope Yoder did a great job explaining social media photography and how to market and sell more fabric.  Abby Glassenberg dazzled us about how to make your shop an Instagram shop and how to use email marketing.  And our own Vanessa Denniston, our social media guru, wowed everyone with a how to on Facebook advertising that was extremely thorough.

 

Outside of the social media realm, Pepper Cory discussed, explained and showed different blocks from well know quilters in the industry using Peppered Cottons.  This is part of her new RSVP/designer program.  Also, sales rep extraordinaire, Janice Pope, spoke eloquently about how to lift your dollars per square foot metric.  Finally, Tana Mueller of Western Denim and Dirt, a Blank Quilting licensor, explained different variations of applique.  This is our way of giving back to our business partners.  Thank you for your support.

In general, I must say that the SHs were very valuable and are a great reason for shop owners to come to market.  There is just so much to learn and there are lots of smart people teaching.   Maybe I will do a schoolhouse one day.   On what, I have no idea.   Any suggestions?

With all this being said, please give strong consideration to attending the next quilt market in May 2018 in Portland, Oregon.  It’s not too soon to start making plans.  Sometimes it pays to book early.   I am excited to travel to the west coast minus the long flight and time differential.   See you then.

Schoolhouse Scott

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6 Comments

  • Elizabeth Umbaugh

    November 29, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Just watched Abby Glassenberg’s Instagram Schoolhouse – great presentation! Is there any way to get a copy of the 30 tips she goes over? I found out about the video from her newsletter and listen to her podcast while I work. We’re looking into doing Instagram but I’m beginning to realize it’s a lot of work coming up with content and photos, more so than Facebook! Looking forward to watching the rest of the schoolhouses on You Tube.

  • Barbara Esposito, The Quilted B

    November 28, 2017 at 7:56 am

    Hi Scott – thank you for the links to your SH You Tube videos. What a brilliant idea! And as always, remember that I gladly volunteer to carry your bags to the next Quilt Market!

  • Joanne Hubbard

    November 27, 2017 at 3:38 pm

    I’ve watched a few of the Schoolhouse videos (Pepper Cory, Janice Pope, and Tana Mueller’s) and thought they were very well done. I’ll take some time soon to watch the others you’ve share. I appreciate that you share them here, for those of us who didn’t attend Market. I agree that these are so much better than the last ones I attended. Yes, it’s been a few years since I’ve attended a Market, so perhaps my opinion isn’t really valid, but I was quite disappointed at the time and I’m happy to see this kind of valuable information being presented.

    I’m glad you found some positives at Market and I look forward to even more.