Shopping in Lancaster County
For quilters in the Mid-Atlantic area, the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania area is a quilting destination! Last week I had a chance to make one of my treks down to do a little shopping (and eating). For those that haven’t been before, or haven’t been in a while, I thought it might be helpful to let you know about a few of the different stores and eateries. So without further ado here we go!
First up is the Old Country Store in Intercourse, PA. (In case you were wondering, there is parking in the back.) I love coming here because of the sheer variety that they have packed into the store. You can find a fantastic range of batiks, a lot of solids and tons of tools and patterns. Even better, they have items that will appeal to both modern and traditional quilters. I always recommend going in and just walking around the store when you first get there because there is so much to take in. However if there is something in particular you are looking for definitely ask the store staff they are very helpful. Old Country Store also has a large online presence and is very prompt with shipping. They also have a selection of Amish-made quilts for sale, as well as handmade toys, cookbooks, and more. Old Country Store also has a large online presence and is very prompt with shipping, so if you forget anything or need a little more (we’ve all been there) you can order online.
Of course after all of the shopping it’s definitely time to take a break, and just around the corner there is a great little coffee house and a few different cafes, but for those that have a sweet tooth a Taylor Chip location just went in! This is only their second location and they bake on site with a regular selection of cookies, as well as a daily special. The day I was there the daily special was a lemon-lavender cookie and it was spectacular. I definitely recommend stopping by.
Second stop for me is typically Log Cabin Quilt Shop in Bird in Hand, PA. (Here there is parking in the front but if you turn the corner you can get into the side lot which I think is a lot safer for parking.) This store is my favorite place to pick up flat folds and backings. They typically have a wide selection available and even have precut queen size backings available (I know it’s not the most popular size but getting these large backs is great if you make this size quilt). Log Cabin Quilts also has a wonderful selection of precuts and panels, perfect for practicing your free motion quilting.
Third stop is a lovely drive through the cornfields out to Leola, PA for Mook Fabrics. Now this one is always a little confusing, because Mook Fabrics is a wholesaler based in Canada, but with a warehouse in the USA as well. The US warehouse also has a retail location associated with it, and that everyone can visit; this is the Mook Fabrics in Leola. Mook Fabrics has a massive selection on two floors and has a huge range of fabric for both quilting, bag making, clothes and more. Most of the quilting cottons are on the first floor and include a large range of wide backs and some unique prints that you won’t see elsewhere. In the downstairs, however, are some of my favorite finds, including a wide back flannel! This is definitely a shop to take your time poking around and checking out all the different materials.
With all of this shopping you are bound to end up hungry (or at least I always do), you can drive just a little further and head to Shady Maple. There are actually two establishments that make up this stop; the first is the Shady Maple Farm Market, where I love to do bulk food shopping (especially when prepping for holiday baking), but there is also a snack stand which has good sandwich-style meals at a great price. Or if you want to really chow down you can head up the parking lot to the Shady Maple Smorgasbord (buffet) which does breakfast, lunch and dinner. Now I am not much of a breakfast person but the breakfast here is fantastic and definitely worth getting up for, with all of your usual breakfast buffet items plus specialty pancakes made to order, eggs made to order and more. If however you prefer your big meal later in the day you can opt for lunch or dinner, where there are always specialty items (Amish and American) like my favorite ham balls (meatballs made with ham) being made, meats cooking on the grill and all kinds of desserts. And best of all, the prices are very reasonable!
I have only listed several of my favorite places here- there are SO many more! Keep in mind when planning your trip that while all of this can be done in a day it’s usually easier to split into two days since the fabric stores all close by 5pm. In addition, all of the places I have mentioned are closed on Sunday, so if you want two days of shopping plan accordingly. Have fun shopping!
Until next time,
Siobhan
