THE LAST WORD
In a world where you can buy anything with a couple of clicks, it’s easy to choose convenience over community. Angie Wilson reminds us of the joys of shopping local
Angie Wilson reminds us of the joys of shopping local and picking community over convenience
In this day and age of online, we often forget the pure value in being together.
I was sitting in my local quilt shop the other day, getting ready to teach, and a lady came into the shop to look for a specific fabric. As she talked with the shop assistant, she revealed a problem she was having with a particular pattern she was making.
I listened with interest because I’m always open to learning new tricks, and I wanted to hear what the shop assistant would recommend.
As I sat there, I saw one of the most amazing things transpire – the whole shop got involved in solving this lady’s problem. I watched as the assistant asked the other shop staff for their advice and then people who were looking through the shop started to pipe up and share their experiences and advice. It was brilliant. This lady had come in for fabric and had left armed with at least four new things to try to help her work through her sewing problem – and I’d learned that I needed to change my sewing machine plate if I wanted to stop having my HSTs eaten!
As I thought about this encounter, it struck me that this is why brick and mortar stores will always have the edge over online – the people and the community. As much as I love being able to order fabric at three in the morning when I can’t sleep, nothing beats the years of experience that are held within the walls of my local quilt shop. Sure, I could go online and ask Google, but Google can’t sit with me as I try and work through something. Google can’t change its advice based on what I’m actually doing in the moment. Google can’t commiserate and share in my experience quite like the lovely group of ladies that frequents my local quilt shop and Guild.
Online certainly has a lot going for it, and I will forever be thankful for the friendships I’ve made and the ability to go on fabric expeditions in the comfort of my pyjamas, but nothing will beat the friendship, support and affection that I find at my local quilt shop, because it’s delivered in person. It can evolve and adapt to what I’m doing in the moment – it can problem solve in 3D.
The problem is that people are starting to forget the value that’s held in their local shops. The pure joy of having a human connection with someone and the untold benefits of doing a class with a teacher you admire and who supports you can't be rivalled by a website. We need to be mindful that we don't lose our repositories of advice, community and fellowship.
If you haven’t been into your local quilt shop, get down there! Make friends with the people that work there, check out what’s on offer, ask them questions and pick their brains. Take full advantage of the human connection, because you never know how many problems you can solve with the help of a fellow quilter.