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Susan Berry and Joyce Conrad, docents for the exhibit, review some of the historic quilts on display at Johnson Center for the Arts. The âJust How I Pictured It In My Mindâ exhibit includes a variety of African-American quilts on loan from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art. Susan Berry and Joyce Conrad sat transfixed before a wall of colorful quilts and marveled at the stories that unfolded before them. Berry and Conrad are among the docents who will lead tours of the âJust How I Pictured It in My Mindâ quilt exhibition at the Johnson Center for the Arts in Troy through March 27. Stories are wrapped in the colors and patterns of each of the 16 African American quilts chosen for this exhibit and the stories are as fascinating and as endearing as the quilts themselves, said Wiley White, development director of Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center.

The National Sleep Foundation says a good mattress lasts nine to 10 years, but a recent study by Oklahoma State University showed that most people who buy a new bed every five years sleep better and experience less back pain. Consumer Reports recommends buying a new mattress “if you wake up tired or achy, you tend to sleep better at hotels than at home, your mattress looks saggy or lumpy, you’re over age 40, or your mattress is five to seven years old. The luxury mattress market has stepped up in recent years to entice sleep-deprived customers with brands such as Tempur-Pedic ($1,200 to $6,000 for queen), which touts a foam core that conforms to your body, and Select Comfort, whose Sleep Number beds ($1,000 to $4,700 for queen) have adjustable firmness. A good mattress can last nine or 10 years, but people who trade theirs out every five years sleep better and experience less back pain, according to a study from Oklahoma State University.

By a stitch of good luck, Quilterâs Outpost has decided to stay open after eight years of business. But at Tuesdayâs Business Buzz luncheon, owner Barbara Wolf, 65, announced the shop would stay open and continue to offer quality fabrics and customer service. Wolf, who lives in the Valley and is a grandmother of seven, said she has tried to sell the shop for years to someone who would take it over and make it into a thriving business. To make the Outpost more manageable for Wolf, the shop size has been downsized a third and no longer carries sewing machines or yarn. Wolf, who has quilted for the last 24 years, started the Quilterâs Outpost five years ago.