So… even though the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX may be way larger and more profitable, and even though the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA may be closer and way easier to get to from our home in NC, the Quilt Show that’s always been our favorite is the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah, KY!
Why is that, you might ask?
It’s because we’ve never been to any other show where we have felt more welcomed & appreciated!
From the local volunteers all decked out in red jackets, to the restaurant operators & wait staff, to the local TV stations who are constantly highlighting the show at every opportunity, the whole town seems delighted we are there & bends over backward to let us know it!
It’s still our favorite place to vend!
But this year’s show started out a bit different & a little concerning!
You see, Quilt Shows have a typical rhythm… the first two days have the highest sales & attendance, almost without fail. The third day’s sales & attendance Is generally down a good deal, with the fourth day being VERY quiet!
But this year, our sales on our 1st day were actually 50% LESS than last year’s 1st day, with the first two hours being inconceivably… our WORST two hours. And what’s even MORE weird, is that this was true for other vendors as well! It was SO weird, & inexplicable!
But on Thursday, our 2nd day, we made a HUGE recovery, & following an average Friday, our Saturday, the 4th day of the show, was an even more unbelievably SUPER last day, which added up to an overall FABULOUS show, virtually equal to last year!
So in closing, here’s a shot of MY view of this year’s show, (which is from the INSIDE of our booth), and I’m so excited to report that a final tally shows that AQS Paducah’24 was close to equal monetarily to last year’s show, & we’re pretty relieved about that. But we also enjoyed catching up with our customers, both our regulars & those that are new to us!
And of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention our favorite vendors, especially those who “live” in our little corner of the Expo Center!
-Ryan of Havel’sSewing & Luke & Lisa of Cork & Cloth who’ve been on either side of us for 3 years running now. And this year, we had some new “across-the-aisle neighbors, Jill Finley & her sister Margaret of Jillily Studio. Gosh, we had fun laughing & trading stories with them! (Funny how some folks make you feel like you’ve known them your whole life, right?!)
So goodbye Paducah… until next year!
Do you have any comments or questions you like to share or ask about Paducah, or this show? If so, please feel free to leave either or both in the space provided below.
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