Hamilton Missouri – The Quilting Capital of the World!

Travel

Our commute was a reasonable 185 miles south on I-29 to St Joseph Mo, and then east on US-36 to the small hamlet of Hamilton, Missouri – the quilting capital of the world! The interstate had some rough patches and construction, but US-36 was not bad to travel. Years ago, Pat’s parents (Ray & Pat), actually took US-36 from Indiana to Colorado in their truck and 5th wheel camper. It was cool to think that we were retracing a portion of their journey.

Hamilton, Mo

Hamilton has a population was 1,809 and is at 988 feet of elevation. It is known as the hometown of James Cash Penney, who built a large apparel-related business, J. C. Penney, and the hometown of Jenny Doan, who has built a large quilting-related business, Missouri Star Quilt Co. The town is now the quilting mecca of the world!

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We stayed at a new RV park on the edge of town, A Country Charm RV Park. A very nice park that the owner is super involved to continue making upgrades. Would stay there again!

Quilting Shops

Missouri Star Quilt Company was founded by the Doan siblings in support of their mother Jenny Doan’s dream, and in tribute to her talent as a quilter on YouTube. It has grown into a $20,000,000 per year business that owns 26 buildings in Hamilton and is part owner of three restaurants. The business brings as many as 8,000 quilters to Hamilton in a month. Incredible!

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We walked along the sidewalks on a couple of very hot and humid days and ducked into each of the 13 quilt shops to explore and cool off. Their main shop is a sampler of all the vast quilting products and then they have individual shops that are specialized. They even hold conventions for quilters with seminars, meals, and lodging.

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Pat is not a quilter, but we were both curious about all of the quilting supplies and tools. I would actually like to give quilting a try one of these days. Maybe a very small project like a wall hanging or table runner. Another on the to-do list. Not sure how I ever got anything done when working!

They even have a building that serves as a man cave (called the Man’s Land) for guys to hang out. They have lounge chairs, large TVs, pool table, and a snack bar. What a great concept.

JC Penney Museum

This was a quick walkthrough museum that includes many momentos, photos, and objects from this businessman’s life and career. From the rough beginning as the lower level store sales clerk who struggled to make sales to the head of a large corporation. During his entire career he held a high integrity and Christian values. Here are a few fun facts.

1. After gaining some retail experience, in 1898 Penney moved to Wyoming to run a Golden Rule store.
2. In 1902, he opened his own store.
3. By 1912, he had 34 stores in the Rocky Mtn states.
4. In 1913, changed the company name to JCPenney and moved headquarters to NY.
5. In 1940, a young Sam Walton worked for Penney.
6. 1971, Penney died at the age of 95
7. By 1973, the number of stores peaked at over 2,000.
8. 2011 announced closing all catalog sales and stores with some rebranding and many years of decline
9. Today, they still have 865 stores, but have reported losses in 2019.
10. How much longer will the Penney stores survive?

Wrap Up

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We are currently in Indiana to see family and friends. Take care and God Bless.