Originally Posted by
puma
If you haven't heard already, the Hancock Fabrics chain, with more than 250 stores in 39 American states, is
closing.
That's a pretty large chunk of American fabric stores to lose all at once. I had never been to a Hancock's -- they weren't in NY -- and I imagine it as something akin to a JoAnn Fabric, with lots of quilting cotton, fleece, and craft kits and not much focus on garment sewing, but it's still sad news to me. makes you wonder where the quilting/sewing industry is headed. look at the price of fabrics now. recently cost me over $400 to make a batik queen sized quilt and sent it out.
My local Hancocks provided a variety of fabrics, including garment materials as well as upholstery weight. Their quilting cottons were kind of in the minority there, so I never saw them as in competition with quilt shops. I read a lot of posts where people who want to make quilts are going to the thrift stores or garage sales to keep the cost manageable.