The quilt shop is called Olive Juice Quilts, and it is in Onalaska, WI, which is the city directly north of La Crosse. It used to be called A Stitch In Time, and that shop was OK, nothing special. I was unable to determine if there was a new owner, or if the owner decided to go a different direction... but WOW!!! I seriously want to move to the area just so I can be close to this shop!!
This is my "haul" from Olive Juice Quilts... they have everything! Moda, Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett, Anna Maria Horner, Tina Givens, Valorie Wells, Alexander Henry, Kokka, linen, Civil War, batiks, 30's... it was paradise!! And their classroom... *swoons*... I have never seen a bigger or nicer classroom!! The whole shop is just amazing, and if you are ever on I-90 headed through that area I strongly urge you to get off the road and go to this shop. Heck, I urge you to make a roadtrip just to go to this shop!!
I can't help but think it's a little unfair that a small area like La Crosse gets to have a shop like this... there is nothing that even comes close to it in the entire Chicago Metro area.
We also drove out to Austin, MN for the graduation party of two of my sister's future roomates. No offense to anyone from Minnesota, but I seriously cannot imagine a more boring drive than the one across southern Minnesota on I-90!
The one WAY cool thing was the wind turbine farm... miles and miles of wind turbines spinning in the wind... I didn't have my camera with me, unfortunately. I LOVE those big wind turbines- I think they are so beautiful!! And I love the fact that they are also making electricity without pollution. I will never understand why there is so much opposition to them- I would so much rather see those than the steam from the stacks of the nuclear power plant 40 miles west of me.
My parents live in Minneapolis and I may need to make a detour to this amazing quilt shop next time I visit them!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a shop close to heaven. I much agree with you on the wind turbine matter. the more the merrier
ReplyDeleteIs that the quilt shop kind of by shopko? I've been to one there, but I can't remember the name...wasn't olive juice quilts. Oh, and that drive across mn? I get to do it EVERY time I go back home...only all the way across to Worthington...4 hours (then another hour after that). SOOOO boring! But at least it's easy.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen, I live near Onalaska and shop at Olive Juice Quilts. Your suspicion is correct, the shop is under new ownership. Isn't it beautiful? I love the new classroom.
ReplyDeleteCarole
It's a lovely shop BUT they wouldn't honor the sale showing on their blackboard because "Oh, that was yesterday". However, it read "Today's Special". We'll be shopping at the other local quilt shop or in Sparta from now on.
ReplyDeleteCat
Bummer about that, anonymous. Somebody was sleeping at the switch. That is definitely NOT their MO. Don't give up on Olive Juice.
ReplyDeleteI live in lil' ole West Salem and enjoy shopping at Olive Juice quite frequently.
GrandmaSuz
I just visited that shop last Thursday and thought the shop was great. Only negative was they didn't seem very friendly. But I'll stop back again and give them another try.
ReplyDeleteWOW! Can not imagine that Monica, the former owners' shop, "A Stitch In Time" could be improved on! It was just so wonderful, so I am anxious to see it. Visited quilt Shops in the Appleton area last weekend and there are none like Monicas used to be!! The one huge problem we noticed were that Quilt Shops never seem very friendly! A person can order most anything they need on line so the biggest thing would be the people in the shops! That is what makes me come back!! Love hearing about Quilt shops that others recommend!!......Patti
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shop, but not friendly at all... honestly it felt very snooty, almost like they didn't even care if I was a customer. I can find a number of other area quilt shops to visit that are friendly and make me feel like they want me there. I won't bother to go back to Olive Juice any time soon. - I read that it isn't their "MO", but from my experience and what I have heard from other quilters, it really really is...
ReplyDeleteI am sorry you had this bad experience. I have been there several times and each and every time they have been friendly and helpful!
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