It is sad the lgs are closing but to be frank I think it is horrible to have to pay $20 a meter here at our lgs (Canada)I don't know many people who can afford that. The one and only time I went to the one here and asked a few questions about beginning to quilt the owner looked down her nose at me and told me if I had any questions I had to take a class before she would help me. Really put me off that store, the store closed down. I have a sneaky suspicion it may have been the lack of customer service more than the price of her fabrics. While i love to support local business it makes it close to impossible for people to keep at a hobby if they have to spend $20 or more a meter. Even on clearance the price for fabric is still $6+ a meter here. So if I want to quilt at all i can only afford most of my fabric from online sources.