Advice to Quilt Shops

I've had a few days off from work and have spent them catching up on sleep, doing a little house-cleaning (a very little!) and finishing some quilt projects. Finishing one of those projects required me to buy some fabric (I needed some purple fabric for binding -- and purple is a color I just don't have much of in my stash!). So, yesterday, I visited a local quilt shop, and my experience there reminded me that I've intended to write up some advice to quilt shops.

I worked at a quilt shop one summer during college (ran the shop a few days each week including quite a bit of time when I was there solo), have visited tons of shops (even in other countries!), been to International Quilt Market in Houston twice, and my mom is a professional quilter. When I think about my favorite shops as well as the shopping disasters, here are a few other things I'd suggest:

• Remember that a customer's appearance or age and knowledge or likelihood to buy a lot are independent factors. Just because I'm young does not mean I'm clueless.
  
• Remember that not everybody likes the same fabrics you do. You may totally love batiks, but it's nice if you can offer a little something else for those days when I want variety. If you're in a larger city and want to specialize in one type of fabric, that's fine -- but be prepared to send me to another shop to get what I want (accurate directions help!)
  
• It's nice when you have a chair or sofa where the non-quilters can sit, but it's also OK for them to browse if they prefer. Basically, have a chair available, but don't go up to my husband and joke with him that he needs to use it. He actually is helping me pick out fabrics and I may buy more because he's with me!
  
• It's great when you label display quilts with a pattern or book. And, this may just be me, but I also think it's fun to see a quilt done in a different color-way than the pattern or book (though if you kit it up really differently, give me a color photo so I can remember how you did it).
  
• Treat people kindly. If I hear you gossiping about the customer who just left (for her hairstyle, fabric choices, or relationships), I'll presume you're going to gossip about me, too -- and this may lead me to not coming back.
  
• Give yourself enough space for cutting fabric. Even if your shop is tiny, remember that 99% of all you sell crosses over that counter, so it's probably worth the investment in another 9 square feet for a decent cutting surface. This space can also double as a place for me to set out my bolts to decide what to buy. If your shop is especially large, multiple cutting stations are great -- so customers don't have to wait as long (as I did yesterday... waiting about 15 minutes to get a clerk to come cut my fabrics!).
  
• Not everybody loves your shop pet (especially if it's a cat or anything else that's more prone to causing allergies than a goldfish).
  
• I probably don't want to sign up for your frequent buyer program, give me your email address, nor get your mailing list. Let me say no, then don't hassle me about it. (this is especially true when I'm out of town).
• List your hours and good directions (for both people who know your town and tourists) on your website. (That presumes you have a website. You don't need to be able to sell me fabric on your website, but a static site with hours/directions/class schedule/basic info is cheaper to maintain anyhow.)
• Be able to recommend a good machine-quilter - one with experience and with good equipment (i.e. not just a domestic machine on a rail system). The best machine quilter, of course, is none other than my mom. :) (www.goldenbellsquilting.com)