Q First in Quilting: A Local Treat! - Part I

Good Morning and it's great to be back!  If you're a regular follower of Anne and I you might have noticed our absences last week.  For my part, I was on the road for most of April.  I went to Tipp City, OH; NYC and to good ol' Cincinnati.  All of my trips were very fun but there is no place like HOME!!!!  When life catches up with one from time to time one must give in to the demands of life on occasion.  However, no worries!  We're back and ready to come out swingin'!

Not long ago Anne and I sat down with Laura Schneider, owner of Q First in Quilting, a local Lexington quilt store brimming over with style and personality.  We conducted the interview as the first in a series of articles highlighting the delights of our community.  Over the short years we've lived in Lexington we discovered Q First and found the atmosphere light and airy with a nod toward the modern aesthetic.  Once you've gone in you cannot help but return again and again.  Not just because the fabric selections are inspiring but the staff are very helpful and make you feel welcome.  We asked Laura about her shop and philosophy toward the quilting arts.

Kim Dixon: When did you first open?

Laura Schneider: We opened 3 1/2 years ago on Halloween day of 2009

KD: Why a quilt shop?

LS: Well because I love quilting and have for a long time.  I started when my son was 4 and he's 24 now and probably within 5 or 6 years of starting to quilt I knew I wanted to open a store some day.  I've done a lot of other things in my life but this [store] was just fun to do.  Plus I know quilters because I quilt and they are just wonderful people!  I mean, who wouldn't want to spend all day with quilters?

KD: Did you think of starting out small at first or did you always envision a large establishment?

LS: From the beginning on it was always, "as big as I can get".  In my experience, one of the first things that can happen to a quilt store when they first open is, if they are too small at the beginning it takes a long time to build a loyal customer base because people don't want to keep going to a place that doesn't have what they are looking for.  The store may eventually provide the stock the customer is looking for but by then the store is already categorized as the "quilt store one does not go to..."  So we wanted to be a large store right away and grow as fast as we could.  We've been fortunate that this has been a really good location and our customers have responded very well.

KD: It is a good location...

LS: Yes, it is but when people first try to find it...

Anne Warman: It is a little hard to find the first time out!

LS: Yes!  People will call us saying, "This is a church..." and we'll say, "Good!  You're almost there then!" [laughter]  The shop is located in a strip mall set off from Harrodsburg Rd.  An old historic church is the first building seen when heading toward the store, which sets just behind and to the left of the church

KD: What is your business philosophy?

LS: Service.  My philosophy is: we cannot provide too much service.  We are here to help when a customer is stuck which will make them happy and successful and bring them back to us, and in-turn will help us in the long run.  It is also just a really good way to operate because people come in with a problem and you help them solve it, which is a really nice feeling!  So we help with sewing machine problems, quilting problems, fabric quantities, and technique issues.  We try to help answer such questions even for people who don't necessarily come to buy from us, with the thought, if we help them now we hope they will come back to purchase here at the store.

AW: Well I think that's something that separates a quilt store from the online version because not only can you touch the fabrics but there is a person you can consult.

LS: Exactly!  And if you buy a sewing machine from Sam's Club (for instance) where is the sewing machine expert that can help you when your bobbin winder doesn't seem to work correctly?  Or, where is the person at say... Walmart, who can help you make a pleat in a little girl's dress?  Those people don't really exsist in such stores and that's what sets quilt shops apart, as well as, what we like to call "fondling," which means you get to come in and touch everything!  Customers can actually see what the fabric feels like, get the weight of fabric, carry bolts around with them to compare with other fabrics and you can't always tell that online or necessarily see the true colors.

KD: Have you ever thought of expanding your business and developing an online component?

LS: Yes, absolutely!  That's in the pipeline and will probably happen sometime this summer or towards the end of the summer.  We are definitely going there and we want to do some online retailing for those customers who are not local and also we would like to expand our regular customer base beyond the 75 mile radius we have established thus far.  There's the whole United States and the world to look towards...

Stay tune for part two of this insightful interview!

Q First in Quilting
4383 Old Harrodsburg Rd
Lexington, KY 40513

Hours: Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(859) 554-5800