I owned a quilt shop in central Illinois for 5 years. I closed because the economy in the area just couldn't support the shop. Also, I closed just a couple of months before the Big Financial Crash in 2008. Good timing, huh?
If I had it to do again, I would sell online right from the beginning in addition to walk-in business. I tried to start online selling a few years into the business but for multiple reasons, it didn't work out.
I was closed on Sundays and took most Tuesdays off. I had a customer 'suggest' that I be open on Sundays, maybe from noon til 4 or 5 PM so she could stop in after church to browse. I felt like saying, 'Sure. If you want to pay my employee, part of the utility bill and chip in on some of my rent. Sure.'
I now live in Southern California and there is a LQS closing right near me because she wants to retire. She tried to find a buyer but no luck. The other LQS near me prices their fabric at $13-15/yd and I can understand why; I'm sure their rent is astronomical. They have quite a mark-up on pretty much all their inventory for the same reason.
They also do LA quilting and while I haven't gotten any quotes from them, I'll bet it's really pricey too.
It's a very tough sometimes thankless business. I had customers and even employees try to take advantage of me.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 02-20-2018 at 02:04 PM.
Reason: remove shouting/all caps