She has slipped into Creative Escapes, an oasis not far from her St. Joseph home. Her toddler is not clinging to her legs. She can't throw in a load of laundry or hear her phone ring.

Creative Escapes owner Charlotte Lee is among the local entrepreneurs who have found a business opportunity in creating spaces for scrapbookers, quilters and other hobbyists. They can spread out their supplies, talk with friends and leave with a legacy for their family or friends.

"They come and have something to show for it," Lee said. "It's like a man when he comes home from fishing or hunting."

Lee and her husband converted an apartment connected to their home into a day retreat center last spring.

Sue Poser, owner of Gruber's Quilt Shop near Crossroads Center, opened an overnight retreat center two years ago for her customers after they asked for more than her daylong retreats.

"They always wanted to stay here," Poser said.

Lee plans to expand the business into a bed-and-breakfast retreat center in the next five years.

Gaining popularity

The demand for these hobby havens also has seeped into area camps that once only entertained guests in the summer. The market provides camp coordinators with another way to boost revenue.

Poser hosts at least three large retreats a year at area camps or centers. About 12 years ago, she said, her retreats started to fill up before she advertised them. She will host a quilting retreat this weekend for about 55 women at Camp Friendship near Annandale.

Camp Lebanon in Upsala has retreats planned through December and gives about 1,200 women a year long-awaited getaways.

Business has picked up for most of the area retreat centers and will continue to gain speed until Christmas.

Creating space

The atmosphere each retreat coordinator creates brings back guests again and again.

During quilting club meetings, Rosie Nodo of Sartell would listen to members rave about Gruber's retreats.

She experienced it for herself last fall.

"I just had to go find out myself and everything they said was as good, if not better," she said.

Handmade quilts adorn each of the 16 beds in Gruber's retreat center. Chatter drowns out the buzz of sewing machines in the center's two sewing rooms.

Nodo returns on a regular basis for the conversation, camaraderie and quilting.

"The people there make you feel like you are a part of their family," she said.

A Gruber's staff member remains on call through the night to open the store if the women need material or supplies.

"No one has called yet," Poser said. "But they can."

Each person pays about $132 for two nights and three days in Gruber's retreat center.

A sanctuary

Creative Escapes also offers independent consultants for Creative Memories another place to conduct workshops and pamper their clients.

Schreifels, a consultant since 2004, first stepped into Lee's retreat center this summer for that reason.

"I remember thinking, 'Wow, this is perfect,'" she said. "Char provides wonderful service and really makes us all feel well taken care of."

Lee carries supplies from SUVs to the retreat center as her guests relax on her deck and sip lemonade.

"Besides being a scrapbooking retreat, I wanted to be a true retreat," she said. "… I tell them up front there is no tidying allowed."

She sets up the stations, and guests slip down into a contemporary retreat center. They may slide into slippers, flip through idea books or head straight into one of the two hobby rooms.

"Everybody I have brought there has fallen in love with that place," Schreifels said.

In the most popular room, clients sink into padded chairs surrounded by bright orange walls, gerbera daisies and artwork inspired by scrapbook embellishments.

"We wanted a space that says come, create and this is for you," Lee said.

Schreifels had hosted her events in her home's basement, but she has found Lee's getaway to be more convenient. She does not have to worry about cleaning, preparing food or shoving her husband and toddler out the door for the day.

"Some of my customers feel more comfortable going to a neutral location rather than coming into my home," she said.

Creative Escapes costs up to $20 a person and accommodates up to eight people.

Some craft stores offer free space in the St. Cloud area and the Twin Cities.

Many consultants reserve space at area churches for a quieter setting.

Statewide appeal

The local retreat centers have attracted scrapbookers, beaders and quilters from throughout the state.

Julie McVay of Richfield heads north for Gruber's retreats twice a year.

"I really cannot say enough about it," she said. "It's the most fun I have that I do just for myself."

McVay started to attend retreats about 10 years ago after a friend and fellow quilter saw a flyer from Gruber's.

On the weekend getaways, she made her three children quilts for high school graduation.

"It was just fun to get away from all the usual stuff and be with friends and all do what we enjoy doing and not have any interruptions from family," she said.