jigsymom

We have a few fabric shops here. Seems like we don't call them by the shop name but buy the owner . I guess its because its alot more friendly and we feel at home when we go in for fabric or a class.

Our Hancocks seems to be getting in less fabrics and not the good quality they used to carry. I am getting where I spend more time (and money) in the little shops.

Paintbrushbrown

BTW...One of those shops isn't a good place to shop. I know many who do shop there, but the workers are rude. They are only helpful if you walk in dressed to kill and if you know exactly what you want and what you are doing.

Don't these shop owners know that word of mouth can make them or kill them? I used to run an art studio and I know that what people say about you is far more valuable than anything that they say to you.

quiltmom04

My husband I made a trip through New England last year - me with my quilt shop quide in hand. Most shops were very friendly, but there was a shop in NH that didn't even look up when I came in. It was a small shop, so I know they saw me. I bought at least $50 at each shop - but they didn't get a cent. And they had some interesting fabrics that I could have easliy purchased. As far as I'm concerned attitude is everything!

jigsymom

We have one small shop that is out in the country. Its a womans house and she always has great fabrics and great prices. We usually get a group of us to go out every couple months to spend our money at her shop. We will take a lunch with us and after we show we sit out in her yard at a picnic table to eat. Then we head home with all our new purchases and full tummys lol

Esqmommy

there are three shops close to me. One I frequent quite a bit - they get about 90% of my business. I know most everyone there, and the entire staff is awesome. Friendly, chatty, knowledgable, etc. I love it so much I tell them I'm going to work there one day! The other ones I like too, and if I put out the effort to make conversation, they respond. No one has ever ignored me or been rude, just don't have that same family feel I get from my main LQS. What's hysterical is to get the LQS ladies to talk about the other shops...serious competition, and they say the same things you guys are saying "why go in there...I always feel like I'm interrupting their private conversations" and things like that! It's a very very competitive business where I am (apparently, lol!!) and they all love their valued customers. Given what I have spent there...I'd say they think I'm valuable! LOL

pamsmpk

I am lucky enough to be close to two great LQS. One of them has a saleslady that follows you around so that she can "fix" the bolts of fabric if you dare to pull them out. If I am pulling fabrics for a quilt, I feel like I have to beat her off of them because she is wanting to put them back on the shelf. Maybe she has some OCD and can't stand to have anything out of place but it gets on my nerves and I won't ever let HER cut my fabric or help me! :lol:

sassyquilter

I hate to purchase fabric from shops and they tear the yardage instead of cutting.
Am I the only one who dislikes this ? The chain fabric stores I do go to always cut the fabric...
Am I just being to picky ? Makes me not want to purchase from the individual shops.

yourstrulyquilts

Awesome!! Very well done.

Zoe

Another interesting topic of discussion, and one of the reasons I so like the Quilting Board. My story has to do with the Tour de Quilt (as they call it here in Virginia). Four of us get together, driving to as many of the shops on the tour as possible. A few years ago, our main driver was ill and had to drop out, so I drove for that trip. We had very pleasant experiences in the shops, except for the last one that happened to be our local quilt shop that we had kept for last. At the time, we thought everything was okay. We walked in, showed our passport, got the free pattern, and made some purchases.

The next day our friend had recovered enough to visit our local quilt shop, so she wouldn't feel left out of all the fun. When she entered the shop, the owner was talking about the three strange women who had been there late yesterday. After a few minutes, our friend realized we were the strange folks they were talking about! She gave them an earful, reminding this shop owner (who is now out of business thankfully) that the quilting village is a small one and that she should keep her critical comments about her customers to herself.

My friend was so angry that she called me to let me know what had happened. To this day, she and I have never told the other two ladies about this, but I started an unofficial boycott of that small quilt shop that was instrumental in its closing. One lady kept asking me to take her there, but I would always demur and instead drive an hour away to the friendly quilt shop located in Madison, Virginia.

To quote another writer on this board: "attitude and discretion is everything!" :lol:

marilyn y

I've had a few bad QS experiences but I had a great one at a small shop last summer. Three friends and I were headed to the big outdoor quilt show in Sisters, Oregon. After getting slightly lost (which was a lot of fun) we headed in to a small farming town just over the Oregon/Califronia border. It was 4:45 and we wanted to see the local quilt store. We figured we needed to hustle so that the shop owner and her staff could go home as they closed at 5. So we tried to hurry, they told us to take our time, asked if we were going to the show, told us where the sale stuff was, and were very heplful over all. When I mentioned that that it was getting late and we didn't want to keep them, the store owned told us that they'd be happy to stay as long as we wanted. They were so nice that on the way back we stopped again. As soon as we walked in the door, they asked us if we had fun at the show. Naturally we all bought more.