Yesterday I went to the post office to pick up some Priority Mail envelopes and drop off a certified letter. In Laytonsville, population 353 at the last census, the post office is the center of the town activities and full of activity. I always see someone I know. Yesterday it was my dentist. I can meet new people, as I did yesterday when I learned about a local dog trainer. And I can find resources on the bulletin board. I left with two cards and a name of a third repair person I could call about some equipment that needs work.

I remember when I lived other places that there was always a place where locals congregated and you could learn all the news. When I lived in Connecticut, it was Luke’s Donut Shop. At our home in Saint Michaels, my husband would tell you it’s the local YMCA.

What is a “third place”? It’s that place where people gather other than work or home and feel a place of community. I’m sure you can think of places you know of, whether that’s the fictional Cheers of TV fame or the local coffee shop.

According to Ray Oldenburg, an urban sociologist who wrote The Great Good Place and Celebrating the Third Place, all third places have the following eight characteristics: neutral ground, a leveler, conversation is the main activity here, assessable and accommodating, has a the regulars, maintains a low profile, has a playful mood, and home away for home. The idea is that people are free to speak their thoughts and opinions freely.

It is easy to see the coffee shop or the local book store as the “third place.” I think it’s also easy to think about the local quilt or creative arts shop as the “third place,” even though it doesn’t technically meet all the eight characteristics. I think it’s about a sense of belonging, and I think that all creative arts and quilt shops foster that. Think about your experience at the local quilt shop and what made you feel like you were part of a community.

If you own or manage a creative retail shop, what are you doing to create that third place community feeling? Here are some of the ideas from shops I know or frequent.

• Be welcoming. When customers come into your shop, greet them. Ask them what project they are working on. Nothing makes you want to come back like feeling welcome on the first visit.

• Have a space set up where customers can congregate to look at quilting or art books and/or share their projects. I used to love to go to Borders Bookstore when it existed because I could find a chair to sit and look at a book.

• Create special events. Look at other businesses outside the industry to see how they create events that draw customers in and make them feel welcome. We are all looking for an experience, a shared experience, so look for ways to create experiences. Disney is a great example here. Another example: in September I went with my neighborhood book club to an annual book club party hosted by author Lisa Scottoline at her home in Pennsylvania.

• Look for ways to create shared connections. A monthly stash buster club or fabric club is an idea here.

• Consider a monthly show and tell for your customers. This encourages them to engage with others.

• Set up a gallery in your shop and showcase different artists. Have an opening reception with a talk from the artists.

• Serve food. I don’t know a quilter who doesn’t like a beverage and a cookie. In the winter have some hot cider and gingersnaps. In the summer, lemonade and sugar cookies. Some of you may remember a shop called Patchwork and Pies in New York that was owned by Clara Travis. I loved the image of stopping in the quilt shop and picking up a slice of pie.

• Run a book club that focuses on a particular artist’s work or designs.

• Host a monthly “sit and stitch.”

• Think about ways that you can offer your space to other uses in your community, e.g., let the local knitting club meet there, or depending on the size of your town, even an association that needs space for a small meeting. It’s about encouraging community.

I’m sure you can come up with other ideas. Remember that in creating the experiences that lead to your third place, you don’t have to do them for free. I think you can create a sense of community with a bit of exclusivity with a small fee. And, remember that you are never done. Creating your third place is ongoing.

If you are a shop owner, what you are doing to create a “third place”? And, as shoppers, what makes you designate someplace your third place?

Last week I shared some of what I found at Quilt Market. Since the show is so large, I couldn’t possibly cover it all in one newsletter, so I went back through my notes and stacks of literature to share more.

• RJR was recognized for its outstanding booth winning the First Place Best Booth Award in the Multiple Booths category. The booth featured hundreds of beautiful Origami cranes made from the newest RJR collections. Collections included Safari from Jinny Beyer. Safari is designed to bring awareness to the seriousness of animal endangerment. Jinny says she was inspired by the brightly colored garments of the African Maasai tribe and the hues of the Serengeti skies. If you are looking for neutrals, Audrey Wright with Legacy Patterns designed a gray scale collection called Neutral Territory. I saw a few kitchen themed lines and Patrick Lose has designed In the Kitchen featuring designs with oven mitts, forks and spoons, mixers, coffee ups as well as some tone on tone and small scale prints. Also from Patrick is Millefiori, an addition to his Basically Patrick collection.

• BERNINA introduced its Q-matic, its longarm automation system. The Q-matic is designed for the BERNINA Q series machines and features a 23″ all-in-one touch PC mounted to the side of the frame for easy access to designing. The Q-matic comes with more than 200 designs included. Bernina also announced its partnership with American Quilters Society and its iquilt.com initiative of online quilting instruction.

• Moda celebrated 40 years in business at Quilt Market this year. Luke Haynes created his debut line, Dapper, with Moda. It includes 30 woven that have the quirky feel of a well-loved vintage shirt. Also new with Moda is designer Wenche Wolff Hatling of Northern Quilts. Wenche is a Norweigan quilt designer and introduced Jol, a collection of yule-themed graphics in gray and red. I’m a word person, and Sweetwater Designs know for its text prints didn’t disappoint with its Volume II collection.

• On the pattern front, I saw lots of new patterns. Some that stuck with me were the collage patterns from Laura Heine of Fiberworks especially Pinterton, a pink flamingo, and Flaura Vintage Trailer, which is the vintage pink trailer that Laura uses to travel to shoos. I also saw that Joan Hawley had her two new patterns in a number of booths helping to showcase both the pattern and the fabric lines. Patterns included Sweetpea Pods, a small angled bag; and Fabio, a lanyard-style key fob.

• Clover Needlecraft introduced a number of new products that quilters and sewists will enjoy. Added to the Press Perfect by Joan Hawley line is the Hot Ruler, a ruler that can be used with a hot iron. Clover also introduced a wedge iron that easily gets under layers of fabric with its narrow tip. And if you’re interested in adding crochet to your store, I loved the Jumbo Armour Crochet Hooks with the bright handles. Clover also has free project instructions for using fabric scraps with the hooks to make baskets and rugs.

• New from Floriani (RNK Distributing) with Alex Anderson is Quilters Select stabilizers, fusibles and battings. The product line includes cotton and wool batts as well as a machine batt with a water-soluble fusible coating.

• New from Michael Miller is Nature Walk by Tamara Kate. I heard Tamara talk at Schoolhouse where she shared that the inspiration for the designs came from family walks on the weekend. Part of the collection is a panel of the alphabet, each letter featuring something nature inspired. Into the Deep by Patti Sloniger features 27 SKUs shown in two colorways, Laguna and Tropical. Michael Miller also introduced some new flannel and gauze lines.

This was just a partial look at what I saw at Quilt Market. I can’t wait to see some of these fabrics in new quilts and garments. Please share what else you saw that was new.

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Morna McEver is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals where creative arts entrepreneurs craft business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://www.creativeartsprofessional.com.

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If my math is correct, this is my 44th visit to International Quilt Market. I’ve been going since the fall of 1994, mostly with a booth and walking the floor for the last year. I always return invigorated by the sights and activities of Market and Festival. I love reconnecting with the friends in the industry I’ve made over the years. It’s like a family reunion! Here’s just a bit of what I saw that was new this year.

• New from Andover is the Little House on the Prairie collection. Walnut Grove features prints from the era of Laura Ingalls’ childhood, Prairie Flowers is a rainbow of calicos inspired by the TV show, and Scenics and Icons features iconic imagery inspired by the novels. Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson) and Charlotte Stewart (Eva Beadle) made an appearance during the show to promote the line as well as the release of the DVDs of the restored and remastered original series and a recently released documentary. “The attic and the cellar were full of good things once more and Laura and Mary had started to make patchwork quilts.”

• One of the hot patterns on the floor was Pop-Ups from Fat Quarter Gypsy. This 6″-tall collapsible container is created with a fat quarter, and the pattern includes the spring you’ll need to complete the project. A second pattern is available in 8″, 10.5″ and 15″ sizes. The designer, Joanne Hillestad, came up with the design at the Creative Arts Business Summit in 2015. She also teamed up with several designers to show you how to feature their designs in your Pop-Up.

• Springs Creative introduced the Small Wonders fabric collection from Mary Fons. The Small Wonders debut line was curated from Springs vault of vintage art and fabric swatches, The Baxter Mill Archives of antique designs dating back to the 1800s. The line features six country collections each with distinct small prints.

• In general as I walked the floor I looked for color trend and what came back to me again and again was the use of less pure white across the fabric lines and a move to more of a broader neutral palette in the white range. The motifs that stuck with me were elephants and bicycles.

• Mary Ellen’s Products introduced two new scents to its Best Press line of clear starch and sizing alternatives: Winter Magic, an evergreen scent, and Frankincense and Myrrh. The product comes in a spray bottle, so it’s environmentally friendly and you can see how much product is left. Best Press doesn’t flake, clog or leave a white residue on dark fabrics.

• Prym-Dritz introduced its espadrilles program so you can start making your own shoes! They offer everything from the soles and fabrics for lining and tops to the notions needed to sew your shoes. You can get an idea from the short video tutorial “How to Make Espadrilles by Dritz,” on You Tube. Seeing the options that you can make is fun.

I’ll share more from Market next week.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just use it in its entirety and be sure to include the blurb below:

Morna McEver is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals where creative arts entrepreneurs craft business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a FREE subscription at http://www.creativeartsprofessional.com.

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLE LIKE THIS?

See the ICAP blog at http://www.creativeartsprofessionals.com/weblog/

Do you ever look at the Facebook posts of what your “friends” are doing with a tiny bit of envy? They are all successful, fulfilled and live the most exciting lives. They take glamorous trips, enjoy extremely loving relationships, their art garners all kinds of awards, and their dinners look so fabulous. The list just goes on, or so it might seem to you.

Of course, it is likely a bit of embellishment if you really ask, but it still can throw you off. It can make your life look boring and leave you with feelings of lack and loneliness, feelings of not enoughness, and feelings of sadness.

One of my clients made this observation recently and compared her results to those of someone she followed on Facebook. My client felt she had not done enough with the online art class she was offering. She did not have as many signups as someone else. She felt that she had somehow missed the boat and “failed.” In reality, she got more than 50 students in her first online course and the participants loved the program.

Interestingly, the University of Michigan conducted a study a couple years ago and found that the more college-age students used Facebook, the worse they felt.  The study has since been repeated with somewhat similar results, noting feelings of envy. What can you do about it? Here are some thoughts for handling times when you feel overwhelmed by what others are sharing on Facebook.

1. Think realistically about what is posted. Most people post the positive happenings in their lives — the good, not the good, the bad and the ugly. They curate what they share — the happy picture without the back story. Remember not to compare your whole life with what we could really call their highlight reel. I have always said that none of us knows what is going on behind the closed doors of the other houses on our street. That could not be more true with Facebook.

2. When you are touched by something someone had posted, like it or comment about it. Leave it at that and move on. Do not dwell on it or look to compare yourself, your business, your stuff to theirs.

3. Limit your time on Facebook or other social media. Instead make some real-time connections, either on the phone or in person. It has a more positive effect on how you feel.

4. Talk about gratitude on Facebook. Lately I have seen posts where people ask others what they are grateful for today. It is great. It sets you up with a positive feeling. It is hard, perhaps impossible, to feel negative when you are being grateful. I think it stops the “comparisons.” Wouldn’t it be weird to be “one-upping” someone’s gratitude?

Do you ever feel Facebook envy and what do you do to combat it? I would love to hear your thoughts on social media below. Maybe you have had some good experiences. You are also welcome to go to leave a comment on the ICAP Facebook or Google+ pages.

Recently I attended a conference where I had a chance to talk with a number of different business owners, not all in creative fields. One of the topics that came up was the dreaded “F” word — finances. In fact, we heard an entire presentation geared to helping us understand financial terms and creating a dashboard so that we could look at our key indicators. Remember, if you do not measure, you cannot make changes, and that is why we need to track through those indicators.

One of the questions from the group was about paying yourself. When should you pay yourself? Should you just reinvest all the money in the business and not take any out as a salary? Should you wait until the end of the year and then see if anything is left? Should you pay yourself first?

I know we always hear we should do this; yet, how many really do? I know I hear people say, “Wait, I will take extra out at the end of the month.” This is particularly true for those who are just starting their business and who are not relying on their business to support the household. The thought is to wait until you get some experience and cash flowing in.

If you want to do a few small things right, do them yourself. If you want to do great things and make a big impact, learn to delegate. ~ John Maxwell

Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”  Proverbs 11:25

It seems like I have had a trip a month beginning in June. Many of you travel as well, whether that is to teach or vend at shows or to take classes or just to see the sites. And, of course, tipping is required on these trips.

Tipping is an area that used to trip me up. I did not know how much to tip or when. After traveling a great deal, I feel comfortable with tipping. It is easy to remember to tip for your meal in a restaurant, or even the cab driver. It is not so easy to remember all the other people who help you out during your travels. Many of the people who are helping you out are also minimum wage workers. For many of us, a couple of dollars may not make a difference. For those minimum wage workers, it just might, so I like to err on the side of generosity. Spellcaster Maxim reviews.

As I note below, I like to leave a tip for the hotel maid on a daily basis since I do not know if it will be the same maid every day. When I traveled to Hartford, Conn., a few years back, I left a few dollars at the foot of the bed when I went off for the day. When I came back, the note you see on this page was on my bed. I do not know who felt better about this. It was positive feelings all around.

Here are some general guidelines for tipping.

• Cabs: 15-20 percent of the fare, plus $1-2 per bag. For short trips, tip a minimum of $1.

• Airport shuttle drivers:$2 for the first bag; $1 for additional bags.

• Baggage handlers (Skycaps, hotel bellhops, curbside check-in): $2 for the first bag; $1 for additional bags.

• Complimentary hotel shuttle: $1-$2 per person.

• Maid service: $1-$5 a day depending on type of hotel. According to one of our ICAP members who used to manage a hotel housekeeping staff, just leave the cash at the foot of the bed each day.

• Restaurant: 15%-20% of the bill pre-tax, depending on service.

• Take-out: nothing is required. 10% is nice if the order is complicated or extra services are required (delivery)

• Bartender: $1-2 per drink or 15%-20% of the tab.
• Valet: $1-5, tipping on the higher end for extra services (loading bags in your car) or inclement weather. Tip only when the car is returned.

• Tip jars: nothing is required, so it’s your call.

During your stay, you will encounter many instances where someone does something extra to help you out and that requires a tip. In your travels, be sure to keep track of all the tips you give, as they are tax deductible – and carry lots of dollar bills.

How do you handle tipping in your travels? Please share your thoughts below. I would love to hear them. You are also welcome to go to leave a comment on the ICAP Facebook or Google+ pages.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” ~ Steve Jobs