Virtual Shop Hop: Phat Quarters, Galena, Ill.
Awesome name, disappointing quilt shop. I really don’t like to hate on quilt shops. Without them we’d never get the opportunity to feel the hand of the fabric we’re considering for our next quilt, stack bolts on top of each other and see if they’ll go together for our next project and get inspired for projects we didn’t even know we wanted to complete just because we saw fabric that spoke to us.
But when I visited Phat Quarters in Galena, Ill., it was the first time I walked into a quilt shop and walked out without buying a thing. That’s right. I didn’t even buy a fat quarter at Phat Quarters.
If you’re in the market for a Bernina, and would like to test drive one, then Phat Quarters is for you. The front half of the shop is basically a Bernina showroom. You can test out several different models to see which one if right for you. The back half of the shop, and it is tiny, is where you can find fabrics, buttons and other notions. There were prints and I was tempted by some bright flannels, but overall the selection was fairly limited.
The good news is there is a lot more to do in Galena than visit Phat Quarters. There’s an awesome yarn shop right across the street. At Fiber Wild! there’s an extensive selection of yarn, books, knitwear and pretty much anything you could image from a yarn shop. Plus the staff is very helpful.
A tourist town in a historic district, you can spend hours walking down Main Street, visiting the shops, sampling the food and specialty treats, taking historic tours and there are plenty of bed and breakfasts available to stay at. My husband and I stayed at the Hellman Guest House Bed & Breakfast. It was quite the trek up a massive staircase to get to and from downtown, but it was a good way to work off the ice cream we ate an an old fashioned malt shop.
Phat Quarters is located at 315 S. Main St., Galena, Illinois. Click here to visit the shop’s website. For more information about visiting Galena, Ill., click here.