Page 27 - IA Shop Hop 2021

ALL IOWA SHOP HOP 27
By 2016, the AISH was fully integrated with Social Media through the efforts of Jill Reicks. Jill believed that it was import- ant that “customers shared their victories, their finds, their celebrations and com- munications via Social Media; these posts are a constant reminder for everyone of the goodness in Iowa. Social Media stirs participation and commerce which makes the participating quilt shops want to de- liver even more creativity to customers.”
It is hard to imagine the AISH today without Social Media’s ability to quickly share information with participants.
Fast forward to 2020: the AISH is thriving, but COVID is now in the mix. Koleene Herlocker, the Executive Director of the AISH, put safety first:
“The pandemic certainly kept me busy trying to make sure we could offer both stores, their employees, and our partici- pants a fun, safe shop hop during a time of so much fear and uncertainty. The way everyone rose to the occasion to make the 2020 AISH one of the biggest and most successful to date is a testament to their love of their craft!”
One of the big reasons the 2020 AISH was so successful hinged on Koleene’s idea to permanently expand the event from one month to two months. Every- one had more time and more room to shop and the event became less hurried and more fun.
Another reason the AISH has endured for so many years is the variety of quilt
shops that Iowa has to offer. Kelli Wolfe, a frequent AISH participant, said it this way:
“I always love going into different quilt shops because each shop is unique and reflects the aesthetics of the owner. Early on in my quilting career, I did not think there could be that much difference from store to store. But as I ventured out, I learned how very wrong I was: each store had a personality!”
So now it is onward to the next 10 years. What new theme will Koleene think up next to entice all of us to get into our cars, fill them with friends, and drive all over in search of our next fabulous fabric find? Spread the magic to other states, of course:
“The most exciting change to the AISH will be offering the same Shop Hop program across the United States. We just signed a deal to bring the ‘All State Shop Hop’ to the Carolinas in the fall of 2021, and are already reaching out to even more states for the 2022 season.”
Joyce, you created a monster!
Each of the people below are mentioned in this article: Joyce Franklin, owner of Piece Works Quilt Shop in Winterset; Jill Reicks, owner of Inspired to Sew in Cedar Rapids; Kevin Carpenter & Leland Turner, owners of Helios Stitches N Stuff in Mount Vernon; Deanna Roberts of To The Letter Type & Design in Marion; Koleene Herlocker, Executive Director of the AISH, and Kelli Wolfe of Wolfe Quilting in Mount Vernon.
Kevin Carpenter is a past editor of the AISH magazine and an Associate Professor of English at Kirkwood Community College.