Quilter's Paradise - Newsletter 03/04/10

Hi <%[First]%> <%[Last]%>,

Hello, my Quilters in Paradise!

Get ready, 'cause the Sixth Annual San Diego Cruisin’ Quilters Shop Hop starts this Saturday, March 6th and continues through Saturday, March 13th. With 16 participating shops in the San Diego area, as Baby Bear (from "Goldilocks and the Three Bears") would've said if she was doing the run: "It's not too big and not too small, but just right". There'll be lots of fun and all of us at Quilter's Paradise look forward to seeing the quilt run veterans again and welcoming all the first-timers! But, "What's going on at Quilter's Paradise during the run?" you ask. Well, the best way to answer that is to recount a recent conversation between my husband, Mark, and me as we were planning for the quilt run ...

After work one evening after the customers were gone and we had closed the registers, I joined Mark at our conference table, as we are inclined to do, to review how the day went and what needed to be done in the days ahead. As I sat down, I started the conversation by saying, "You know how you've been referring to me as a "Mad Scientist” these past couple of weeks?"

He looked up at me with a look that said, "Uh oh, now here's trouble."

"Well, I got to thinking. March is officially here and so 'March Madness' is now upon us."

His deer-in-the-headlights look soon gave way to puzzlement and, being a guy who’s into sports, said: “You mean the annual men's and women's college basketball tournaments coming up soon that leads to the national champion?”

“No, silly,” I replied. “I mean the Cruisin’ San Diego Quilt Run.”

“Huh?" Now he was really lost. "What’s so mad about it?” he asked. "Sure, there's excitement and some craziness ... but madness?"

“Well, you know my birthday is coming up during the run.”

No response. He just stared at me blankly inviting me to connect the dots for him.

“You know how we offer a one-time birthday discount to our customers during the month of their birthday?” I asked.

“Yeah …”

“Well, I want to extend a discount on fabric to everyone who visits the shop during the quilt run.”

I now had his complete attention, but with a look that said “What are you getting me into this time?” So, I continued, “What we’re going to do is take all the cuts of non-sale fabric a customer purchases that are at least 1 yard and determine the total yardage of those cuts. If the total is 1 yard or more, they get 10% off on that fabric, if the total is 2 yards or more, they get 20% off on those fabrics, and if the total is 3 or more yards, they get 30% off.” I looked at him expectantly for a reaction as I asked, “So, what do you think?”

After a pregnant, but thoughtful, pause, he replied, “Not bad. But every birthday has a cake, right?”

“Yeah, so?” I replied. Now it was my turn to figure out just where this was going.

“What’s the icing on the cake then?” he asked.

The question hung in the air as a challenge. Apparently, he thought I might be a little crazy, but not yet mad. I had to admit he had a point and, mulling it over, inspiration struck. “Ok. When a customer purchases at least $50 in merchandise in a single transaction, whether it’s on sale or not, they get entered into a raffle for the ‘Stars Over San Diego’ custom designed quilt I made.”

I could tell he thought lightning, not inspiration, struck when he blurted, “Are you nuts?”

But I could see the wheels turning in his head as his mind raced to catch up and he continued, “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. It’s such a beautiful quilt that reflects the spirit of the run and San Diego, so let’s do it.”

As I started to get up from my chair figuring all was settled, he stopped me and said, “Why stop there? What if we get the people on the run to predict winners and losers in the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments and have prizes for those who made the best predictions?”

I just smiled and walked away … you just can’t cure madness.