O.k. we all have our favorite fabrics, tools, patterns, etc that we search for.
If you could have everything you needed/wanted at one location, in one quilt shop what would it include?
Time to dream shop.
(If you know such a shop feel free to list them.)

I'll go first.

1) Friendly customer service where the employees get to know you and are friendly and helpful to everyone even the first time customer.

What else........

1. friendly owner and employees

(I'm glad you started this thread as I went to a quilt shop last week was about 1 1/2 hours from home on way home from hubby Dr. appt., I was in the store for about 20 minutes, was going to buy a book, but no one in the store ever acknowledge that they had a customer, so I walked out and didn't buy anything)

Next door?

Been there, done that - walked! It's a shame people don't care.

I'm with you guys on the customer service. I love my LQS. I am an extremely shy person but when I visit the salesperson watches me but does not hover. She doesn't make me feel that she thinks I'm going to steal something but she watches to see what I'm looking at then she comes and makes very good suggestions then she fades back into the background. I feel very comfortable when I'm there! The shop is called Seminole Sampler and if you're ever in Maryland, look them up!

Have everything I need in one stop, and plenty of sales! And yes, knowledgeble and friendly sales associates!
Kind Regards,
MaryAnna

Marshall Dry Goods :lol:

I do not want a sales clerk who hovers/stands there watching me as I look at the fabrics. If/when I want suggestions, I will ask.

Sorry that happened Craftybear
You would think in these hard times, owners would love to have customers in and NOT let them leave without trying to sell them something. At least be nice so you would come back another time.
customer service and everything else falls into place. You want to leave a store with a smile on your face and a memoriable experience.

When I went to Nebraska to see my daughter, we went to the LQS in Scottsbluff, NE. I loved that store. Where to start... The women who worked there, and there were several,
were all sooo friendly. We went there several times and every time there was someone new working it seemed, but they were all so friendly and helpful.

I was looking for a certain book that my Mom had and they offered to order it. I went in another day to find out how to glue a piece of fabric to a quilt. (I'd only been quilting about 2 months and had never done it.) They told me to use a heat and bond stuff and sold me just enough to do the little piece I needed it for. My daughter and I went in another day and saw a rag quilt. They told us how to make one, what size seams, etc.

There were also lots of tables in the back half of the store. They knew I was going to be babysitting my grandsons, and told me to bring my sewing machine up and sew and visit with them while the boys were in school. Then, I started to teach my daughter to make a quilt. They told April to come in there and they would give her lessons any evening. She said she couldn't evenings and they told her to just bring her sewing machine in, any day, and there's always someone there who could help her with whatever she wanted to learn.

I'm serious! I wanted to get that store moved to Parsons where I live! They were sooo awesome. Friendly, helpful, interesting to talk to, informative. That is the kind of store that I would love to see here.

Does Marshall Dry Goods sell other quilting needs besides the fabric? All I can find on their online site is the fabric?

I'll continue what I'd like to see

Patterns.
Classes.
Demos.
Fabrics for all seasons, all holidays, all year round.

......

The perfect quilt shop would be five minutes away.

Ditto. Unfortunately we are at least 40 minutes from a quilt shop, but fortunately, the shops that I go to have great employees and usually have everything I am looking for.

Within a 20-30 min drive there are 5 high quality quilt shops, I can find anything I'm looking for. The only problem is that each one specializes in something different. One carries all different battings-no backings. One with backings,only keeps about 2pkg of batting. So I generally end up traveling to 3-4shops in a day to gather what I'm needing,and buying something at each place. Result is more fabrics than I can possibly use. More $$$spent than I had planned to. If one shop had everything, would I spend as much?

My wish list:
Friendly, knowledgeable staff, lots of fabric (like Marshall's), lots of patterns and books, samples hanging around the store, every notion I could ever want/need, and any fabric I want cut into a fat quarter when that is all I need. :D

Exactly how I feel!!!! Only I'll add -- CLOSER!!!! I'll also add that the staff can be knowledgable and helpful but not TOO helpful. I have a LQS where one of the employees keeps trying to force fabric on me. Just because she likes that color combo, doesn't mean I do!!! :x I get really tired of saying "no, not that"...

The perfect quilt shop would allow me to shop for free. :lol:

They would carry the complete fabric lines of fabrics that I like and notions of all sorts. They would offer more classes.

The prices would be moderate - I know a business needs to make a profit in order to survive, but I don't want it to make it all on me.

Example: If the range of prices charged in various shops for a yard of a given fabric was $7.00 to $11.00 - if they charged up to $9.00 I would probably go back. More than that - they could keep their fabric.

I found my perfect store, unfortunately it's in Fl & I'm in Ga. The Quilt Place has 8,000 square feet of EVERYTHING and the people were friendly! Around here the stores are either on the other side of Atlanta, small or unfriendly. How can a quilt store for quilters be unfriendly???? I just don't get it.

My favorite LQS has a punch card to earn free fabric eventually. The discontinued and clearance fabrics are deeply discounted and there are always fun things to look at while waiting to check out.

They call me by name ( shows I'm important to them ) and don't push their ideas on my but are there when I need to ask a question. I have that here. :thumbup:

you're my neighbor???

BEST QUILT SHOP ANYWHERE!

Pamela's Place, Genesee Depot, WI
Pamela Gray Owner-Operator

Thats easy one in my town.

Hi Neighbor, Seminole is a great shop. I belong to Village Quilters, do you?

A place where you could walk in and all the fabric is cordinated for you. I have trouble matching fabrics.

Lots of fabric, books and patterns. That's all I need - I'm pretty self-sufficient if the store has lots of these.

My perfect store would be HUGE!!!!! With everything you would need to quilt, and a ton of 30s repos, LOL!
The owners would be nice, but not pushy, and it would be ALOT closer, lol!

That's what I was going to say!

Seriously though..there is a nice little quilt store about 10 minutes away from me. The owner is really nice. I just can't afford to go there often. And I'm 30 minutes from Mary Jo's. So anything I need is within driving distance.

I love our LQS. We are fortunate to have several close and friendly shops here in Ia. I just got back from a gf's daughters wedding in AZ. Boy what a wonderful place to visit. Found some shops in Phoenix area. They were not only friendly but I didn't want to leave. My suitcase was over flowing with fabric that was not seen in Ia. DH asked if I had a good time, what a silly question

My dream shop is my next door nieghbor. She and her staff all quilt,so needless to say she has everything a quilted needs.Fabric to die for at LLLLLLLLLoooow prices,we live in a rural setting. Books,patterns threads,notions of all kinds. The only thing she did not have was silk thread which I use for my neele turn applique,and silk ribbon for my ribbon embroidery. Not even has that. They all call me Miss Jo and hugs everytime I go in. Thay do this for all their clientele if needed. If someone doesnt like this they dont. It is wonderful.

It irks me to walk into a smaller type store of any kind and be ignored. I worked in retail and I wanted my customers to know I knew they were in there. If they know you are aware of them, a would-be thief is less likely to steal.

I've always wondered why they don't put a quilt shop or craft store next door to a good hardware store (so DH doesn't have to bring a book)!

I have the perfect place - Happiness is Quilting in McKinney Tx -Staff is terrific - well stocked with material and all sorts of tools - very willing to help and order if necessary - Great place to also get work done if classes aren't using the classroom space

That is the same thing I was thinking. And if they would treat you like a worthy customer and not like a stupid guy that should not even be there.

Billy

Great customer service, great advise, great fabrics, quilting supplies, and GREAT SALES and COUPONS. Oh, and within walking distance. I don't have a car. :cry:

My ultimate fantasy quilt shop would have an espresso machine or coffee bar where quilters are encouraged to have a cup of coffee and socialize with each other, or the staff, discussing the great quilts that are on display throughout the store or about the great upcoming classes! :-D

My dream shop would have several spots throughout the store that have a stool and small table where a customer could sit down for a couple minutes and look at bolts next to each other. :thumbup:

It would be not too far from home, would have ample parking, and be roomy, well lit, of course lots of fabric. The staff would ALL be friendly. It would have a great classroom with ample space for each student. It would offer interesting classes, some of which are inexpensive perhaps given by the staff or owner, and some with national-caliber teachers. Of course my fantasy shop would specialize in batiks, having thousands of bolts with new ones arriving weekly! :-D

I would like the employees to be quilters, or at least be really knowledgeable. There is one LQS that I frequent (in Florida) where the employees seem to not know much about quilting.

I did lots of quilting eons ago, and am in the process of making my first quilt in years.

My first experience in this store I was picking out fabric. I like to get the fabric that might work, and when I get home I then take my time and decide which fabrics to use. If I need more and see the way the quilt is going to evolve, I must make another trip to LQS, and likely to another LQS too.

I was picking out fabric with my pregnant daughter in law for a baby quilt. We had one fabric we had decided on, and had another fabric we liked. The clerk didn't think the fabrics would look very good together. So we decided not to buy the second fabric. Doesn't she know quilters ALWAYS BUY EXTRA FABRIC..if not used on this project...GREAT for STASH.

As the quilt evolved, the first fabric wasn't used, but the one we DIDN'T buy would work great. So back to LQS to buy the fabric. As the quilt top was nearing completion, and what I had picked for back wasn't wide enough. So back to couple LQS to find a fabric wide enough. The same fabric I had passed on the first time was wide enough. I was going to buy twice what I needed, as I would be going back north and thought I should buy more in case I needed it. I wouldn't be able to come buy more. The clerk acted shocked that I wanted so much. "Why would I buy the extra, when you only need so much." Doesn't she know quilters ALWAYS BUY EXTRA FABRIC..if not used on this project...GREAT for STASH.

Another time, I had questions about thread, but she couldn't answer it. I like to go into a quilt shop, and ask questions, and have them at least know as much as I might know.

Now I expect in this shop they won't know much. I have no idea if it has even been the same person, or different people. Now I am sure the owner is very knowledgable, and when she is there it would be a much different experience.

This shop has BEAUTIFUL, unique fabrics, and has a GREAT feel with all the beautiful fabrics.

As I still need to pick the binding fabric for the current quilt, I hope it isn't the above fabric that would work best. Because I listened to the clerk, and didn't buy the extra.

I would imagine the owner would be horrified that the clerk(s) would discourage buying extra fabric.

The quilt shop I love is about 1/2 hour away, and they'll always get my business. They give a FREE 45 minute-l hour lesson on different quilting methods/projects the first Saturday of each month. How great is that?!?! All of the employees, and the owner, are very friendly and personable and always willing to answer questions or point you in the right direction. Quilt Expressions gets my thumbs-up for the way a quilt shop should be run!