Primitive Gatherings Shop Profile (2024)

A Place to Gather

For me, it’s all about connecting with like-minded souls,” says Lisa Hoefler Bongean, quilting superstar and owner of Wisconsin’s Primitive Gatherings. “I grew up with all brothers, and I have all sons and grandsons. My world is filled with men. To find a common thread with women who become my quilting sisters is special.”

Inspired by those threads of connection, in 2020 Lisa decided to upgrade her longtime quilt shop in Menasha, Wisconsin (near Appleton)—which included a stand-alone retail space, a couple of nearby houses used as a retreat center, and not-as-near rented warehouse space—to a complex of striking modern farmhouse-style buildings on 10 acres in rural Larsen, population 300. There, all of Primitive Gatherings’ endeavors—including a wool-dying kitchen, kitting department, and print shop—reside under the same roof as a 4,000-square-foot retail space, a Bernina showroom, and a long-arm machine space.

“Our shop is over-the-top awesome,” Lisa says proudly. “People stand with their mouths hanging open when they walk in.” She’s not exaggerating. Samples in the two-story space seem to pop off the deep gray walls.

A plethora of quilting fabrics (many designed by Lisa for Moda Fabrics), wools, kits, and projects large and small fill the store shelves and displays. While visitors are stunned by the shop’s size and inventory, Lisa says it also feels “inspiring, inviting, and peaceful—like you’ve come home.”

The large spaces behind and adjacent to the retail space are home to the shop’s supporting players. “I would call it a working warehouse,” Lisa says. “It is customer service where people call in, and it is where online orders are printed, picked, checked, and shipped.” It is also inventory storage and a carpenter’s workshop where the frames, hangers, and mounting boards are built. Altogether, what at first glance might seem like a quilt shop could more accurately be described as a full-service entrepreneurial enterprise.

“I always tell people that it’s not fair to compare us to your local shop,” Lisa says. “And when people buy a package to stay at our retreat space, they get a behind-the-scenes tour of everything in our facility.”

The invitation to stay comes to roost next door at The Gathering, a retreat space that is part boutique hotel and restaurant, part workspace fully equipped for as many as 75 guests. Here a stay can be a day, a weekend, or more.

“We offer classes on appliqué, wool, knitting, crocheting, and cross-stitching,” Lisa says. “And we have a club for everything—including rug hookers and Featherweight owners—that meet monthly. Two days each month we also have general sit-and-stitch opportunities, where you can do scrapbooking or whatever you want, and we feed you.”

The Gathering packages are three or six nights and include that behind-the-scenes tour, swag, and gift cards to use in the shop. “There’s so much value in the packages,” Lisa says, “and I do everything to make our guests feel special.”

One special part of being a Gathering guest is the meals prepared in the on-site commercial kitchen. “Everything is unique and from-scratch,” Lisa says. “We provide our guests a continental breakfast, two meals, and snacks each day.”

Another way guests are made to feel special is the 10 hotel-style rooms, each with a private bathroom and beds topped with—what else?—quilts. “There’s nothing nicer than sleeping under an antique quilt,” Lisa says.

While she’s focused on ensuring guests feel at home, she’s also fulfilling her dream of providing space for happy stitchers to create what’s in their hearts. “If you’re really into quilting, it’s a way of life,” Lisa says. “You’re doing it every day. We don’t know what people who don’t quilt do! I love people and want to give them the abilityto make things, but more importantly, the ability tomakenew friends and deepen the friendships they already have. That’s why I do it.”

Lisa's Tips for Hosting an Event to Remember

Lisa Hoefler Bongean’s goal with every retreat is to provide the best experience possible. “I don’t care what they like to do—quilting, rug hooking, punch needle, knitting and crocheting, cross-stitching, or wool appliqué—I just want to inspire my guests to create,” she says. Here are some of her best retreat-hosting tips.

Design, Outline, Prepare
Put in the work in advance to make sure everything is planned down to last detail.

Make it Memorable
Give great swag each day, go on a field trip, and have lots of good food and snacks.

Join In
Make sure your guests feel welcome, stitch with them, and spend time with them, all while teaching them whatever you can.

Plan a reunion
Give your guests a reason to return. “When you make friends, you keep coming back,” Lisa says. “It’s all about the people and the friendships. That’s really why I built The Gathering.”