Quantity ... If I am going to travel to a new shop, I want to see stuff I haven't or can't see at the shops close to home.
Staff ... this is almost as important as the quantity (and variety) of fabric to choose from. There is a very large shop close to my house but I avoid it because the staff is pretty deplorable. I like a friendly staff, a working (not busy chatting) staff, a smiling happy staff, and a knowledgable staff. If I ask "do you have ..." I don't want to hear "somewhere over there" - I want them to SHOW ME. If I am at the cutting table or register I don't want to wait because they're too busy chatting with co-workers, if a staffer has a task of doing computer work or stocking shelves and the rest of the staff is busy with customers - stop and HELP CUSTOMERS as they are the ones paying your salary. And at no time do I want rude comments by the staff (I've had staff tell me "these two fabrics don't go well together" when I had NO intention of putting them in the same quilt (gee ... do you REALLY want to sell fabric??)).
Good supply of notions, books, and patterns
Parking
Well laid out, I should see *some* rhyme or reason to the layout of the fabrics. Most that I know of will keep new fabrics in a given line together for a few months or so, then move each to the area where it fits best color wise. Also, batiks are usually segregated from other cottons, as are flannels and home spuns. Some shops I walk into there is no rhyme or reason and it's easy to miss something.
Manueverability/visibility/lighting ... only one shop comes to mind that I could not manuever in or see what was on the shelves because it was so packed with "stuff". Bolts on the shelves, bolts stacked on the floor in front of the shelves. The place was a downright fire hazard. Aside from that though, other shops that I visit might have a problem with accesabilty to wheelchairs manuevering in and out of the bolt stands etc. Stores that have multiple shelves that face each other across a narrow aisle need to be cautious of the lighting - it's difficult to light those areas well enough - sometimes I have to take the bolt to the front window to see the color.