As part of our celebration, Mr. Cactus and I spent Saturday investigating some of the small towns East of Phoenix.
There is so much to see and do in Arizona, and as relatively new transplants, we like to drive and wander through this great state.
It was fun to drive at our own leisure and stop when we felt like stopping.
Mr. Cactus even suggested we look for quilt shops along the way.
(What a guy)
Driving through desert small towns the offerings are quite limited, but we were pleasantly surprised to see this wonderful needle and thread icon on top of an old building in the nearly abandoned mining town of Miami, Arizona.
Julie's Sewing Corner was the happening place in the deserted downtown area.
Imagine our curiosity when we walked in and found the store filled with customers, with line ups at the cutting table.
We quilters know how to find each other no matter the location, don't we?
Julie's offers a great selection of cowboy and Southwest fabrics.
They also carry a wide variety of current notions and patterns.
A lot of product, including a long arm and sewing machine repair packed in a small space.
This little hide away even provides a selection of batiks and Australian fabrics.
Who would have guessed that a quilt store would be tucked away in such an obscure place?
Miami began as a gold mining town in the 1870's.
Wikipedia identifies it as a "classic Western copper boom town, although the copper mines are dormant now."
Looking straight out from Julies towards the lone downtown street of Sullivan, a good portion of the buildings were empty and have seen better days.
A few antique stores filled in the limited occupied spots.
We walked the length of the block and back, stopping in to view a few of the wares.
I kid you not: one of the female store owners was packing a big pistol in the hip pocket of her jeans.
The Wild Wild West lives on.
8 comments:
That is so nice that your husband took you to the quilt shop, and hilarious about the lady with the gun on her hip!!!
I rarely see anyone carrying a gun on the hip - but now and then! Neat that the quilt shop is one of the busiest places in town - the ladies are keeping the economy moving.
Karen
Sounds like Arizona small towns! I was shocked when some guys came into a diner somewhere west of Phoenix wearing pistols! My parents live in Queen Creek so I am familiar with some of the places you mention.
Oh, how fun, Nedra!!! Maybe I should start a quilt shop in Weston, Idaho when I move up there!! LOL!!! Sounds like you had a wonderful Father's Day with your sweet hubby!! :-)) So happy for you - what a guy!! Kris
miami . . . it's a nice place to visit, but . . . {you know the rest of the saying!}
What a great find that shop was. I was wondering how the thread and needle would look on top of my house.
Wow - very interesting! Packing a pistol?! The Chicago western suburbs are WAY too tame! lol But loads of quilt shops abound!
Your posts and accompanying photos are always so interesting, Nedra! I loved Arizona when I visited the States 40 years ago, although it was a lot different then, going by your photos! I'm sure Phoenix wasn't THAT big either!
Hey, that quilt shop has some fantastic Aussie Aboriginal fabric! I had a closeup look at your pic; I've never seen some of that here!
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