"5"^^ . "6"^^ . . . "2009-10-01T00:00:00"^^ . "I will resist the urge to make a joke about the adorable little name, because the staff is just too dang nice and the selection of fabrics too gosh-darn good to say anything bad about the QR.\nMy first trip here was to accompany my mother while she bought a new sewing machine (this is a Bernina store as well). While she played with the machines, I perused the fabrics since I was getting ready to start a beginner's quilting project.\nFirst, I would like to give 10 stars for their fabric selection. Jo-Ann's is a joke if you're in need of contemporary colors, prints or a good selection of simple cotton blends. Yes, QR has set-ups of goofy cowboy-themed fabrics draped over an Old West display, and grandma-esque Halloween prints so you can make seasonal throw pillows, but they an equal number of popular (that is, popular outside the quilters' world) prints and colors that fall into the category of modern visual art - perfect prints for projects that you could envision in Urban Outfitter's home department or offered by modcloth. \nThe fact that they take the time to pre-arrange these fabrics in complementary prints/colors displays to give you ideas and let you see the possibilities is my next favorite thing about QR. My main fault in being crafty is that I am in no way a visionary. It's hard for me to see the potential in one fabric or print or color. It's just incredibly helpful if you're not an art major or design student and just want to have fun.\nMy third favorite part is the staff. These women are passionate about sewing and want you to be excited too. They have worked with every kind of material and done every kind of quilt pattern. Yet, they were patient with a total newbie and walked me through the long process of selecting fabrics for my project. They are quick with tips and advice and opinions, if you want them (and trust me, you want them - learning from your mistakes is expensive and frustrating). They were incredibly supportive when I felt overwhelmed with my project and helped me figure out how to wrap it up and make it look amazing - they were never ageist or craft-snobby toward me at all (not to single you out again Jo-Ann's, but...yeah). \nMy mother was also very happy with her experience buying a machine from this store, they spent a long time with her, showing her all the new features (a lot has changed since my mom bought her last machine in 1975!) and let her actually use each display model to get a feel for them.\nThey also offer classes on site, and given my interaction so far with the staff, I wouldn't hesitate to sign up for one - these ladies rock!"^^ . "14"^^ . "4"^^ . .