THE QUILTERS ARE BACK...YES, IT'S BEEN A WHILE

For those of you who have not read about the quilters
 or who need a refresher, 
click the 'We're Still Kicking Quilters' in the side column
 for previous meetings.

MEETING TEN AT ANNA MAE'S HOME

A little information is needed before the meeting. I, along with Elsie Jean, Ida Rose and Daniel did go and check out both the old bank building and the old school building on Route 9 and to our utter dismay, neither was acceptable.

The old school building had so many problems from carpenter ants, to water damage to...well, you just name it and it was there. To be fair, the building had stood empty for several years and it showed. All of us were a little sad, but to be honest, I was the least sad because I thought that a building in town would be better all around.

Unfortunately, the bank building appeared to have way too many problems also. The basement had been flooded and the smell was rank and mold was developing. Daniel wasn't too sure that we would be able to get rid of it without a thorough gut job...in the basement!!! And that would leave little money, if any, to remodel the upstairs.

The four of us, sat at the Ye Old Diner drinking coffee, looking like the world had come to an end. Poor Daniel, he felt the worse because he didn't want to dampen our dreams, especially those of his wife, Ida Rose; but, as he said, both would have been money pits into which we would sink all our funds with little gain.

While we were sitting there, the owner of the diner who also cooked and waited on folks stopped by to refill our coffee cups. She asked why we were looking like we had lost our best friend and we told her about the buildings.

She stopped us quickly and said that she knew of a place that was up for sale and that it just might fit the bill. There was a problem, though...

“Hi, Anna Mae”, I said as I stepped onto the front porch. “Let's meet out here, the smell from the flowers is wonderful and the sun is warming up the place.”

“I was planning on doing just that.” Anna Mae replied as she brought out a tray with a very large pitcher of sun tea and several glasses. “I thought a bit of tea would quench everyone's thirst.” she said as she set the tray down on one of the many wicker tables gracing her porch. “So, how did the trip to the buildings go? Which one are the four of you recommending?”

“I hate to say this, but neither.”

“What? We need one of those buildings to open a store in, Gert.”

“Not if they cost us an arm and a leg to get ready to use.”

“Were they in that bad of shape?”

“Worse...”

“What's worse?” Wanda Kay asked as she stepped onto the porch.

“Well,” I said, “it looks like both buildings were in much worse shape than any of us thought. Daniel said that it would cost way too much to bring either up to code.”

Wanda Kay sat down with a thud. “Geez, I never even considered that neither of the buildings were useable for us. Granted, I didn't hold out much hope for the old school building, but I thought the bank was perfect.” She let out a loud sigh. “What are we going to do?”

“Well, not all is lost. There is a solution, but one which may present a problem.” I answered.

“Problem? Problem? What problem? Martha Kerine asked as she too stepped onto the porch and took a seat on the swing.

“Well, Martha Kerine, it seems like we have no place for a store.” Wanda Kay answered.

“That's not exactly true,” I said. “There is a solution but one which all of us need to hear about and make our decision.”

Ida Rose and Elsie Jean talking between themselves ambled up the walkway to the porch.

“Hi everyone” Ida Rose said. She then looked at me and asked. “Have you told them yet?”

“Well,” I said, “I told them that both the bank and the old school house were out of the running but I haven't said anything about the other option.”

“You may as well let them know what we are thinking.” Elsie Jean remarked. “”They need to be in on the decision and need to know what the problem is.”

“This isn't sounding too good.” Anna Mae interjected.

“It's not really bad, Anna Mae. At least in some respect. But it could present a problem, I guess.” Elsie Jean replied.

“Okay, okay, I'm going to go crazy if you don't let us in on the problem. My dreams are looking pretty faded right now and I'm worried especially since Anna Mae and I just purchased the entire inventory of the shop that was going out of business.” Wanda Kay said loudly. “I'm sorry, I just...well, it's just that...”

“That's okay Wanda Kay. We all understand your concern. So, Gert, spill the beans...now.” Anna Mae said somewhat softly.

“Okay,” I said. “It happened like this. The four of us, Elsie Jean, Ida Rose, myself and Daniel, were having coffee in the Ye Old Diner when Becky stopped off at our table asking what was wrong. We told her about the problems with both the buildings. She informed us that there was another place for sale which might fit the bill but that it did come with a problem. When she told us what it was, the four of us went to check out the building with the realtor first to see if it was viable alternative. It was...is...but...but again, there was that problem.”

“What problem are you talking about, Gert?” Wanda Kay pleaded.

“It's the Franklin House.” I said and everyone suddenly became very quiet.

“The Franklin House?” Martha Kerine squeaked out. “But that's where...”

“Yep.” I said. “That's where the murder and suicide of Johnathan and Edward took place back in the 1990's.”

“But no one has lived in it since then. Certainly the house can't be in any better shape than the old school house or the bank.” Anna Mae suggested.

“Well,” Ida Rose responded. “The four of us plus the realtor checked out the house and it was in pretty good shape. Apparently, the maintenance on the house continued even after all that awful business. It needs a good cleaning and some electrical upgrades and maybe a bit of painting. But, all-in-all, it is in great shape.”

Everyone sat quietly each trying to come to terms with the idea of a quilt shop in the Franklin House.

“Do you think anyone will come to the store if it's in the Franklin House?” Elsie Jean asked.

“I truly don't know.” Wanda Kay replied.

“Well, it has been a couple decades since the tragic events,” Anna Mae suggested. “And many folks will not know about it and those that do may not even remember everything.”

“You know,” Ida Rose blurted out, “We could use it to our advantage.”

“What?” Wanda Kay exclaimed. “What advantage?”

“Well, let's face it, folks like a good mystery. And no one's really solved the question of why? Since we are going to carry mystery books, maybe we could advertise something like 'Get your mystery books in the mystery house' or something like that...

“You do remember, Ida Rose, that this is a quilt store with a book nook added...not a mystery book story with a quilting nook!” Wanda Kay inquired.

“She may be on to something, Wanda Kay.” I said. “We could use it to our advantage, in a respectful way.”

“How, is what I would like to know?” Wanda Kay said quietly.

“Tell you what, let's think about it while we have some sun tea and munchies.” Anna Mae said as she got up. “Help me bring out the munchies, Gert.”

And so the six of us sat quietly, drinking the sun tea and eating our way through all the munchies that Anna Mae brought out. You really could hear a pin drop.

Finally, Wanda Kay spoke up...

“Well, I think that everyone has had the time to digest the idea of our store in the Franklin House. I have to admit, the house is a beautiful, old, stately manor with many advantages. And apparently we can afford not only to purchase it but fix it up properly for a store. Even with the tragic history, I think we should make a decision now. Should we purchase it and go ahead with the store or not? Since we will all be owners, and since it's a really big decision, I think we should decide unanimously. What do all of you think?”

Everyone shook their head yes...it should be unanimous.

“So, let's take a vote with a show of hands. Everyone in favor of purchasing the Franklin House and setting up shop raise their hand.” Wanda Kay quietly said.

There wasn't a hand down...

As they said in the movie theaters, stay tuned...
Thanks for stopping by...
Talk with you tomorrow...