Claire's Stitching Post in Vermillion....
Well I said I would let everyone know when I went to a cross stitch shop located in Vermillion, Ohio.

I had a doctor's appointment in Cleveland so I was on restricted time to be able to spend time at the shop. Reconfirmed that Claire's opens at 10 a.m. before I left. Took me about 40 minutes to get to Vermillion, find a parking spot down the street where I would have to walk about 1/2 block. It was 10 a.m when I parked the car, so my watch showed 10:08 by the time I got to the store. The store was closed (ie locked door, Open sign not on). So I stood around looking through the front window: lots of threads, patterns, framed cross stitch on the walls; a store filled with cross stitch "stuff". After about 6 minutes or so, I walked to the store next to Claire's (an insurance company) and politely asked the woman working there as to when Claire's would be open.
Woman: "Oh, it'll be a while before she opens the store."
Me: "OK. My understanding from her website is that the store opens at 10 a.m."
Woman (nodding): Yes.
Me: "Do you have an idea what time she will be opening? I'm on a time budget and don't mind waiting
for a half hour if she's running late". (small towns being what they are with a more relaxed
lifestyle.)
Woman: "Well, she'll probably open the store at 12 noon. That the time during the week she has been
opening normally. You aren't the only person who has gotten here at 10 a.m. and was
standing around waiting for her to open and have left because she wasn't open."
Me: "I can't understand that. If her website says her store opens at 10 a.m., you would think she
would open at 10 a.m. But I'll wait another 5-10 minutes in case I get lucky."

I waited another 10 minutes. Store continued to stay closed with no sign of anyone in the store or coming to the store.

Now how's THAT for customer service and satisfaction???
Posted by: Bermuda on 05/04/15
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I was hoping for a much better outcome for you. Since I don't go anywhere these days. I was hoping to live vicariously through you and hear about a wonderful experience in the stitching store. So sorry to hear it didn't live up. How can you run a shop and not have it open.
Posted by: xstitcher522 on 05/04/15
Wow Bermuda, how disappointing for you to have to make arrangements to be there, park, and stand around waiting like that to visit a store that should have opened as advertised . I'm not sure what to think when a certain opening time is posted and the store opens no where close to the posted time except that how this is so inconsiderate to customers. So sorry for your crushed plans and wasted time.
Posted by: lbcatlovr001 on 05/04/15
xstitcher and catlover,

Yes, disappointing and made me wonder, "If this cross stitch shop owner doesn't want to open her store at the time advertised on her website, WHY NOT CHANGE THE HOURS ON THE WEBSITE of the hours she REALLY WILL BE THERE! She's lost me as a customer because of her lack of dependability of store hours.....
Posted by: Bermuda on 05/04/15
Bermuda so sorry that your trip to the Vermillion store did not work out. I just hate it when people do not have the hours they say. Towns keep talking about buying local and then when you try no one is there. Sure reeks of bad business to me. What makes it so bad is you called and made a special effort to shop there. Definitely helps me to decide to use online services more.
Posted by: syagel on 05/04/15
You should post a review on Yelp. Maybe the owner will see that and at least change her published hours. Sorry you were inconvenienced.
Posted by: terryslat on 05/04/15
Well,
if nothing else, it will warn others that her website isn't dependable (as this time) of when her actual store hours are. The woman at the insurance company was empathctic about the situation. I thanked her before I walked back to my car for her assistance. She DID say that there have been a number of people who have shown up like myself and waited unsuccessfully for the store to open.
I agree, it strengthens my commitment to shopping online.
If anything was successful that day it was the doctor's visit that turned out positively and I'll take that any day.
Posted by: Bermuda on 05/04/15
I have to feel sorry for the woman at the Insurance Company.

Glad you had a good report from the doctor.
Posted by: NANCYE G on 05/04/15
Just checked abc stitching and they couldn't pull up such a name in criteria
Posted by: hobbies on 05/05/15
Just checked Clare's website. It says that the store opens at 11:00 AM. Guess she finally changed it. Looks like a fun place. I will probably never make it there.

Hope you found a more customer friendly spot to spend your cross stitch dollars.
Posted by: NANCYE G on 05/05/15
We are back in Jersey and had a wonderful trip south. Met lots of nice folks and took our time.
We were in Myrtle Beach for two days.....not a cloud in the sky.....about 75 degrees. Heaven!
No sign of MERRY LEE....I think that many people scared her away!!

Bermuda: I'm sorry to hear of your experience in Vermillion. Especially since you were so looking
forward to that visit. I had an interesting experience involving Cross Stitching in Naples. The websites lead you to believe you are going to have many choices. Not true!! More than one website refers you back to "Stitching in Paradise" which is primarily needlepoint. (That is really big in Florida.) What I did find out is.....there is a HUGE Michael's Arts & Crafts that is loaded to the gills with everything to do with cross stitch. There is also an A.C. Moore that is well stocked. I told the Manager, "Not that I am complaining about your big selections....but it does seem unusually big to me..." She said many people from the Northeast, and Midwest states come and stay the winter in Naples. Many look for needlework to do since they are there for such a long time! Good enough reason for me.

So, back to the real world! Time to get serious about planting flowers. It is 88 degrees here today.
Hallelujah!!!!!!
Posted by: jerseycrafter on 05/05/15