Patchwork Times Retreat

There was enough interest that I did some checking on the retreat location here in Brownwood.  The scary part about taking on such a project is that I have to sign a contract saying we’ll rent at least “x” number of rooms so now’s the time to say if you’re seriously going to do this.  I need real commitments — and I understand that if you say “yes, I’ll be there” and something comes up, you’re not coming but I need for you to really think about this and don’t say yes unless at this point, you’re 100% sure, short of something serious happening, that you’ll be here.

Please understand that there is no one date that is going to work for everyone.  The dates we’ve chosen are February 16 – 19, 2012, which is a Thursday – Sunday.  The big sewing room would be available for us Thursday after lunch, all day Friday, all day Saturday and until noon on Sunday. You could check into the hotel any time you’d like and leave any time you’d like.

The room rate they’ve given us is $69 plus tax per room, per night if we rent at least 20 rooms per night.  This price is for 2 adults per room.  More adults is an additional charge.  This is for 2 double beds or if your spouse is coming and you’d like a king bed, we can get that too.

I checked out the rooms.

This is an older hotel that had been closed up for a while and recently re-opened so I was a bit concerned about the rooms.  The beds – mattresses, bedding – everything is brand new!  At this point, most of these rooms have never been slept in.  There’s tile floor because it’s a water front (or some day will be) property.  There’s a little fridge and microwave in every room.  After seeing the rooms, I’m completely confident that they’re clean enough and safe enough for us.  I love that they have tile floors.  Carpet rates right up there with the TV in my book . . wish I never had to see either of them again.

A continental breakfast is provided.  It’s a good ways . . probably 15+ miles to town so if you don’t like a continental breakfast, you might want to figure out something else to do so you’re not spending a lot of time back and forth on the highway.

They have two meeting rooms.  One is smaller and on the main level.

This is the smaller room and I am concerned about the number of electric plugs in this room.  I think we could comfortably seat 24 people (2 per table), along with several cutting stations and several ironing stations.  I don’t have a lot of confidence that we can have 24 sewing machines, most with an extra light and 5 or 6 irons going in this room due to electrical constraints.

The larger room has plenty of electric plugs and the manager assured me they can handle breaker issues.  I’m going to trust him.

I think this room could easily accommodate 40 sewing machines.  I didn’t count the electrical plugs but there were way more in this room.   There are stairs and I know that’s an issue for some of us older folks.  The stairs from the lobby are nice, wide and carpeted.  There’s an outside door that has concrete steps and because of the lay of the land, there’s only 4 or 5 steps.  The area outside this door is not a finished area (so you’re walking through a few weeds) right now but the manager said they should have it finished by February.  There are restrooms up near this room but if you absolutely cannot get up and down stairs, you’re not going to be able to sew in this room.  Some of us will be available to help get machines and supplies up for those not confident going up the stairs with a load.

There’s normally a charge of $200 per day for this meeting room.  I’m waiting to hear if they will waive this charge.  If not, it’s going to be about a $10/day additional charge . . or whatever it takes to equal $200/day.  I’m not looking to make a dime from you . . I’d just like to cover the expenses.

All room reservations will be made directly through the hotel.  When you call, you will tell them you’re with the Patchwork Times Retreat in order to get the negotiated rate.  They will require a credit card, which the manager assured me will not be charged until you check out of the hotel.  If you cancel at least 24 hours prior to the arrival date, no charge will be made to your card.

There will be a $25 non-refundable charge, which will be sent to me . . not to the hotel.  This will be your reservation for the sewing room.  That will cover bottled water, soda, chips, snacks, cold cuts, bread, etc. if we decide to go that route.  If we have to pay an additional amount to rent the room, that will be in addition to the $25.

There is a chance that we will have more interested in coming than we can accommodate and if that happens, it will be first come/first served.   The reservations for the sewing room ($25 fee mentioned above) will be made in the order they are received.

There are several decent restaurants (one Mexican, one general everything type restaurant) within a mile or two of the hotel.  There are plenty of restaurants in Brownwood.  I was thinking  what we might want to do is have the continental breakfast, then go to town about 1 or so for a late lunch, then I could get cold cuts, chips, soda, water, etc. and we could stay in and sew all evening without leaving for dinner but this will be a retreat where you can do whatever you want to do . . no questions asked!  And, what happens in Brownwood stays in Brownwood! 

If you’re planning to come, here’s what I need for you to do:

1. I’m not trying to be rude but I don’t need to hear from you unless you’re ready to commit.
2. If you already have a roomie, please tell me.  Say Suzie is coming and she knows her roomie will be Jane . . please tell me “I am coming.  Jane is my roomie and we will need 1 room.”  Mostly, I need to be sure we’re going to rent the minimum 20 rooms.
3. If you are coming with your spouse and he/she will not be sewing, please let me know that too so I can plan how many folks will be sewing in the meeting room.

I will leave this open through Sunday, October 23.  By Sunday, if we have not received commitments for at least 20 rooms, we’ll drop this idea.  If we do have enough room commitments, we’ll go from there and tackle the next step.