Originally Posted by tjradj
I go to the one LQS because I absolutely love her shop and she's a gem. She has the most amazing quilts on display too.
I go to another one a bit further away because it's a destination store. You go there just to go there. Even the dog greets you. The store is in an antique home and every nook and cranny has fabric and notions. It's an amazing experience and "Shirley" is an encyclopedia of quilting knowledge. We go with a group for a road trip and then go out for lunch :) which is always fun!
The third shop I do attend often is an hour's drive away but she has the cutest fabrics, I always find something new there.
My local fabric chain store does however get most of my fabric purchases just because of their prices. And their sales. I can count on a good sale every month - so that's when I stock up.
I've only started using online stores, the prices are good, but I'm always nervous about the quality of the fabric because I don't get to 'pet' it first.
I think I know the 'destination store' you mean... is it in Shakespeare, Ontario by any chance? If that's the one, then everyone there is absolutely great! I come in once every year when I come to Canada to visit my family, and the shop people get my quilt tops ready for hand quilting by some of the women in the area. The results are breath-taking.
In the part of the world where I live, there aren't any quilting shops, so I order online, or wait until I can go to visit my family. I can spend hours and hours in a quilt shop when I do find one, petting fabric, dreaming, catching up on new styles, leafing through the myriad books and magazines...
Those of you who live with a LQS nearby are so, so lucky!