I hope Paducah LOSES the quilt show... (real estate market, 2009)

[BLS2753]

I'll admit I have little interest or knowledge in the quilt show. I know it didn't exist when I left the area in 1974, and was a big deal when I returned in 1996.

The present size of the show seems disportionate for city size.

City planning based on a show that last, whatever number of days in April, seems foolish.

The show will probably leave Paducah in the future.

[jdavis69]

Originally Posted by kentuckydad95

I know I am grumpy, but that doesn't have anything to do with the topic at hand.

First off, Paducah and the surrounding area were around LONG before the quilt show and will remain long after. The issue is, how can the city FORCE the closure of the Executive Inn? If it is closed, torn-down, and a 150-room hotel (which is the number being proposed) put in it's place, the quilt show will be put even further behind the 8-ball. It will be alot LESS rooms then before. And as for towns outside of Paducah gaining from the show, I agree. It is the hotels, gas stations, and restaurants that get the most. Paducah is not adequate in size to host such an event. The quilt show execs can see this and they realize that 40,000 who visit the quilt show in Paducah could very well become 100,000 or more if they moved the show to a "real" city with more to offer. Hell, it sure would be less politics to deal with.

I really do feel sorry for Paducah. The city had the chance to buy the Executive Inn when it was for sale. They thought they could strong-arm Bhupinder Singh and put him in their political pocket like they do with everyone else in the city. He played coy at first and now HE has the city by the balls. If he sells, it will be for a massive amount of profit. The city has to try and bank on a small 150-room hotel to be built in hopes of keeping the quilt show, all the while the quilt show threatens to leave EVERY year. Now what does the city do? Do they try and buy out Singh for an insane amount of money? Do they build a new hotel and let the Executive Inn sit there and rot? What if they build the hotel and the quilt show decides to pack up and leave? On top of this, Paducah is losing population, stores are leaving (ie: World Market), Target has turned down the city citing population numbers as the reason why they aren't coming, they have the highest income tax in the Jackson Purchase (I think), crime remains high for such a small city, etc etc. I could go on and on. Paducah is in real trouble folks.

The investor that has been pushing hardest to buy the Executive and tear it down wants to rebuild a 220 room hotel there, the one that they are wanting to build next to the Carson center would be 150 to 200 rooms. Thing is Bhupinder Singh has stated that his remodeling plans for the Executive call for cutting it into three sections, a 260 luxury room hotel, a 130 room extended stay hotel and 73 apartments. There are going to be fewer hotel rooms downtown either way but then the only time you need that many rooms downtown currently is during the quilt show anyway. In the last year there were two more hotels built in the Mall area and Harrahs in Metropolis recently built a 258 room hotel too, the Paducah area isn't short on hotel rooms anytime except the quilt show. A 150 to 200 room hotel on the riverfront would save the quilt show due to the quality being so much better.

As far as the quilt show growing, they already have several quilt shows a year in much larger cities(there are around 25 quilt shows a year the Paducah show isn't even the oldest one, yes I was very surprised by that too). The Paducah quilt show isn't "the" quilt convention it's just one of many. It is a popular show for the very reason that it does have a small town feel(unlike shows in places like Houston or Chicago). They aren't threatening to move the show because Paducah is too small they are threatening to move because the Executive Inn is so nasty; heck the very same people that hold this show also hold shows in Nashville and Des Moines in the fall.

As far as the city dying or being in trouble, Paducah has lost about 1000 people in the last decade but a significant portion of that has been people moving to surrounding counties not out of the area entirely, it's not that big of a swing. We aren't big enough to get a Target store but that doesn't mean that the area is in trouble, as far as World Market goes, well they aren't doing so well as a company right now(they closed 18 stores nationwide). Paducah might not be a boom town but it's not quite time for the gloom and doom yet either.

[jdavis69]

Originally Posted by BLS2753

I'll admit I have little interest or knowledge in the quilt show. I know it didn't exist when I left the area in 1974, and was a big deal when I returned in 1996.

The present size of the show seems disportionate for city size.

City planning based on a show that last, whatever number of days in April, seems foolish.

The show will probably leave Paducah in the future.

mod cut: text of article removed

Quilt Show Co-Founder Talks About Future - NewsChannel 6 WPSD

[kentuckydad95]

The key is, is Singh going to actually DO any of the renovations he proposes? So far, the answer is easy to figure out.

As far as the Paducah economy, if you know what keeps rising almost everyday like it has been, Paducah will not stay the regional shopping hub that it is. The national trend is not in malls anymore, but several strip-type malls and Paducah seems to be building alot of them. The problem is, who is going to go into those new buildings? If places like Murray, Mayfield, Paris TN, etc keep building new strip-malls, Paducah will become even smaller. I remember when Paducah used to be the ONLY town in the area with big box stores. That is no longer the case. Hell, Murray has opened two new restaurants in the past three weeks. How many did Paducah open?

I guess I just hijacked my own thread.

[windyhills_ky]

kentuckydad95...what a hateful little person you are. There are a LOT of us women, young and old, who LOVE the Paducah Quilt Show; and for you to say you hope we lose it is very small minded of you. You should move away from the area if you can't talk about your town better than that. Shame on you.

[Digger57]

My ex wife is a well known quilter that has made quite a name for herself in the quilt community. Too bad she wasn't worth a dang UNDER one!

Dig~

[missymomof3]

Originally Posted by Digger57

My ex wife is a well known quilter that has made quite a name for herself in the quilt community. Too bad she wasn't worth a dang UNDER one!

Dig~

Oh my!

[Digger57]

Originally Posted by missymomof3

Oh my!

C'mon, missy! That was funny....I know you smiled...

Dig~

[kentuckydad95]

Originally Posted by windyhills_ky

kentuckydad95...what a hateful little person you are. There are a LOT of us women, young and old, who LOVE the Paducah Quilt Show; and for you to say you hope we lose it is very small minded of you. You should move away from the area if you can't talk about your town better than that. Shame on you.

Ouch...what a zinger!!!

My opinions are my own. If people don't like them...skip over them. BTW, I don't live in Paducah. Cesspools are hard a hard place to live.

[kygman]

Originally Posted by Digger57

My ex wife is a well known quilter that has made quite a name for herself in the quilt community. Too bad she wasn't worth a dang UNDER one!

Dig~

I won't laugh, Digger. You might think of another one! lol