cindi

Can't stand chaotic stores - it makes my mind manic mush. I don't mind if they do things by color, that's okay. Or by pattern grouping. But when things are all willy-nilly, I can't even think to pick out fabric. I don't like dirty stores, either. The reason I won't go to the local Joann's here. It's the one-two whammy with them - chaotic AND filthy, and the bolts are so tightly packed it's impossible to get them out. Ugh.

tessagin

Sometimes the chaos is due to many shoppers not putting things back where they belong. The one quilt shop I go to also a dealer, expects her clerks to "clean as they go". If she sees them pass a bolt of fabric that is sitting out or in disarray, she will call them on it (not in front of customers) but she will call them and tell them. When I pull a bolt of fabric, I put it back if I decide not to purchase. Many customers almost treat the clerks as servants and can be demeaning. I've seen it. The last time I was in the shop they had an "up all night" sewing/ quilting retreat going on from 3:00 p.m.-3:00a.m. The one clerk was getting ready to leave and stated she would be back later. Even walking out the door she was putting items back where they belong.

Susanna10

Love to dig, so would not stop me if prices were good.

cathyvv

There is a shop like that in Lakewood, NJ. It's a death trap, for sure, but I keep going back! (It's been around forever, so I'm sure it has manged to be 'grandfathered' in as existing business and thus avoids meeting new building codes.) Underneath the madness there is some organization and I have learned enough about it to navigate fairly well. If I want to look at a fabric that is out of reach, I ask for help. Their pricing is good, so I keep going back.

My sister, on the other hand, won't set foot in the store.

The store needs twice as much square footage to truly be organized. However, the crowding and chaos don't seem to affect their business, as I've never been in the store without a crowd of other people shopping.

IrishNY

I know of two shops that are like you describe. One is the shop Peaceandjoy referenced in upstate NY between Binghamton and Albany. The other is just outside of Nashville. I love to visit both but am overwhelmed fairly quickly. I like all the choices of fabric but hate that I can't see some fabric because it's so stacked up. Some I guess I'm torn.

cathyvv

Smell alone would keep me away. If it smells bad, there's a reason.

sweetana3

On a shop hop, we visited a store in a cabin. There were piles of bolts in front of more stuffed shelves. Aisles were only wide enough for one and everyone had to move in the same direction. Dangerous and claustrophobic. I will never go back even though they may have good inventory. Just too chaotic. No place to set anything down or to gather supplies or bolts.

Another store on the shop hop was perfect with one exception. It had a very very long one and one half lane road to get to it and it was way way out in the country. just prayed I did not meet a big vehicle coming down the road. They did have good large windows to get daylight to view fabric with.

AliKat

There is a quilt shop in a double wide trailer [?] in southern AZ. It is crammed full. The owner knows where everything is though. Just too crammed for me. It is a good to place to go if you can't find what you want anywhere else. She even has some interesting out of print fabrics. Otherwise, it isn't worth the trip to me.

IrishNY

I forgot to include Obie's near Lancaster in my listing of overcrowded quilt shops. Don't know how - it would win my prize for most chaotic shop I've visited. Too much stuff, way too little room.

quiltingbuddy

The look of creativity in a shop is what draws me in. That means it can be slightly messy, like if bolts are stacked by the cutting table that haven't been put away etc but dusty or smelly no way. If I don't feel comfortable I don't stay long enough to buy. It's their loss for sure!