My issue of

American Quilt Retailer

arrived yesterday. I had a busy day and I am still working my way through it but I wanted to make two important points here…

ONE:

I firmly believe that American Quilt Retailer is a *MUST HAVE* subcription for ALL Independent Needlework Retailers and Quilt Retailers. An annual subscription is only $40. If you can’t afford it, I would doubt that you can afford to be in business anyway (sorry to be blunt, but we are facing challenging times here and need to take off the gloves!)

American Quilt Retailer offers a broad base of extremely helpful business content, most of which applies to Needlework Retail, as well as Quilting Retail. Its editorial thrust is very different from

Needlework Retailer

I don’t consider them competition for each other in any way and would recommend that all Independent Retailers subscribe to both.

TWO:

Jim Salinas’ column *Just Ask Jim* , on page 8 of the current issue, July 2006, is one of the most important articles that any Quilt Retailer will read in the next year or so…

If you don’t have a subscription to AQR, call Susan at (817) 478–6790 and beg her to start your subscription right now and send you this issue (Vol. 12, Issue 70)!

If you are a Quilt Retailer and you are serious about surviving, Jim has provided the key for you! The statistics he quotes regarding the reality of Quilting Consumers are pretty intimidating. The good news, is that the solution is there and waiting. The chains are handing it to you on a platter. To mix metaphors wildly,…*Reach out and grab it!*

Tink