Pages

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Eight Shops in Two Days !! - CHAPTER 8

Why is it that you can tell you're near water? No, I'm not talking the Ohio River (ugh!). I'm talking large bodies of water, like the Atlantic, the Pacific, or the Great Lakes. I had that sensation the whole ride to Vermilion, and once we got there, I knew why. Riverbend Stitchery used to be located right in the middle of this delightful lakeside community, but that left Linda with no expansion space, and the shop is now located a little ways back from the lake, on OH 60, behind the Holiday Inn.



Ann was minding the store when we arrived, and she is just a peach. Very attentive and helpful, right down to a hand-drawn map of places to eat.



After finding a few gems in the bargain bins that she kindly brought out from the backroom, we headed downtown. Well, nothing thrilled me more than discovering that Main St. dead-ended AT THE BEACH ! Now, I could live here....

We had a great lunch at the Soda Grill, and then headed back to the shop. And this is where I found my favorite chart of the whole trip! Who knew there was an Oberlin chart called Clambake!


I also admired a stitched model of Kitty Kats' Rocky Shores (#2 in her Birdhouse Row series), and Ann helped me find the seagull and flag buttons that the model stitcher had added. I also picked up Water's Edge By the Sea, Sekas' Watercolor Seashells, as well as a CEC freebie Life is a Beach, with the flip flop buttons for it.

We each got a first-time shopper's discount, and a complimentary tote bag, and we agreed, as we headed south on 60, toward I-71 and home, that Riverbend Stitchery was a wonderful last stop on our marathon shop hop through NE Ohio. We had been in some great shops, and ones that were mediocre at best, but here's a few thoughts (completely random and in no particular order) that we had on the way home:

1. We like a warm, friendly greeting when we walk in a shop.
2. We like to chat, but feel excluded if left out.
3. Fresh NEW models on the wall are a treat.
4. If there's a model on the wall, the pattern should be available for sale.
5. We can't do the math to figure out our fabric, so we assume the cutter does.
6. A business card and/or newsletter on the counter, or included in our bag, is very thoughtful.
7. Recommendations for places to eat in the area make us very happy!

This was a trip we will remember for a long time. Thank you to all my faithful readers who have kept up with my ramblings. And, yes, I have been stitching since we got back, so will have some pics in my next entry.

5 comments:

  1. Oohhh...I will definitely have to check out this shop!! Love the clambake pattern!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your trip sounds awesome. Now you need to come to Maryland and do a shop hop--we have a great shop right on the boardwalk in Ocean City.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a nice ending to such a fun trip :o) I LOVE that pattern that you picked up Pam. I don't even know that designer. Can't wait to see what you have been stitching!

    ReplyDelete
  4. what a great trip you had! I sure wish there were that many LNS's around me to drive to. Thanks for sharing the trip .. I really enjoyed it :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I really enjoyed reading about your trip and all the fantastic shops you visited. Thanks for sharing your experience.
    Barb in TX (from MSCSG)

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are important to us. We do hope you will at least indicate you stopped by. Happy Stitching!