Welcome to the board :D:D:D
You are a VERY wise man LMBO

I agree with those who say it's all about how it is displayed. If things are crammed in, willy-nilly, it's hard to feel like you've really seen what there is. Organization makes a world of difference.

Yes, I have been in a shop in Franklin Ten a couple of years ago that had so much fabric in not enough space that you couldn't see half of what was there. It was piled on the floor 2 and 3 bolts deep, you could never see what was in the back. I looked around but didn't like how cramped it was. I only bought a couple yards of fabric but it was overwhelming.

Now I have been in a couple of huge, huge places where most of the fabrics were displayed nicely and you could actually see what was there. It was nice, but I am used to the friendly atmosphere I get at my LQS.

Seen The light??!?!?! I feel like I've crossed over into the darkness..... lmbo

I know very well how to cook... breakfast and more,, have grilled with 18" of snow on the ground, roasts, hams, buffalo chicken wings,,, you name it. We had sausage and eggs for supper. Our door is always open..

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Welcome to the board from Southern California!!!!

never. More the better!!!

Yes...where are you? Our guild has a dinner meeting there every September.

Really? How do you fit in there for dinner? I am outside of Binghamton but am up your way fairly often for work.

We have a LQS that I just love but I really can't shop there. They have lots of antiques and tables and such. Example: one table will have some bolts underneath it and then on top will be a few patterns, charm packs, layer cakes, etc. arranged all pretty. Looks beautiful but impossible to find anything!!

Tootsie questions...
"Others are large with hundreds, or thousands, of bolts and I just stand frozen to the spot! I almost feel dizzy! Anyone else experience this?"

I call these experiences 'fabric seizures' :lol:

Hancocks in Paducah - almost made me cry. Ten rows of BATIKS - I told my DH when we pulled up in the parking lot that he had to promise to be patient - there was some seating in the front for the husband's, etc - if he needed to, he could go out to the car - but he was not to bother me in the store. Way too much fabric - and they would not cut anything under a yard - so no fat quarters anywhere - I would have bought 1/2 yard pieces but they would not cut them. DH was shocked when I did not take very long there!

I didn't know they had one yard minimums!

Madquilter, I'm with you! Just think what space we could save in our grocery stores if we only had 50-60 kinds of cereal instead of 200+!! Add to that all the detergents, soda pop, cookies...it never stops!
One quilt shop in my area has tens of thousands of bolts (seriously!) She has them 3 shelves high, with two rows on the floor & bolts stacked up horizontally on top of the front row. You have to see it to believe it. It's a large pole barn, so the rows are really long --- but my concern is fire safety. With the bolts two deep on the floor of both sides, the aisle is so narrow only one person can walk thro. It's SO MUCH fun to back up 50 feet to let someone 'out'!! As someone else said, unless you know exactly what you're looking for, do your sanity a favor & stay home! lol Who needs that kind of stress?? Quilting (& the shopping for it) is supposed to be fun & relaxing in my book.
Oh well... to each is own I guess. But I still wonder about the fire issue... how does she pass state inspection? does she know the fire marshall? are they related?...hmmm...

The Fabric Depot in Portland Oregon used to be a Sears store, I believe and it filled with everything a sewer could want and I would spend a Saturday there every week.
Naincie from Wy

There is a quilt shop like that not far from me. I think it just needs some oranization, but I don't mind spending the extra time focusing on what I am looking for, in fact I think it is fun. I always end up buying more than I went looking for.

Sometimes when I walk into a store and there is so much fabric I have to just stand at the entrance and look around and then decide which way to start so I don't miss anything. I just take my time and walk up and down the aisles. I too travel and the differences in quilt stores is very extreme....good, but extreme!!!

You are one nice hubby! Mine has never even been in a fabric store with me. I do remember once he helped me locate a store and waited in the car while I ran in and picked up the fabric I needed which I had purchased in another store and they did not have any more. sss

I read about that study; it was fascinating. I sent a copy of the WSJ article to my son and daughter-in-law - my 6 yr old GS has every toy that's on the market.

Several years ago I was lucky enough to attend the Paducah show. A big disappointment was Hancock's Fabrics -- there was so much I couldn't find anything I wanted. Felt it was confusing. When I went outside my husband said "go back in there and buy something!" so I went back and eventually got the latest (at that time) rotary cutter. I've sinced ordered from them on-line and it's a whole different -- and very good -- experience.

That's my experience at Keepsake Quilting in NH

Nope! A store can NEVER have enough fabric for me.

Yes Ive felt that way. I found a new quilt shop and when I got there an went into the front door, at first I went, Wow Fabric Heaven, then after walking around there was soo much in all colors I actually forgot what I was looking for and I didnt buy a thing.

The one I like is in nw Ohio. The Door Mouse. I don't think anyone has more fabric that this lady.

NEVER!! :lol: :lol: The more the better i say

If you live nearby one of these huge stores it's a different feeling than having to drive a fairly good distance to get to it. I once took a road trip from where I live in N. Calif to Sisters, Ore for the big quilt show. My friends and I stopped at a total of 39 shops and after a while all shops looked alike and it was difficult finding something to really get excited about. But I think stopping at Fabric Depot was a favorite. Yes it was a huge store but we really took our time to see everything and we all went home with lots and lots of good stuff. I think it's all in your mood, how much time you have to look and how much money you're willing to spend. The less money you have, the pickier you're going to be because you want to get the best and most you can for your dollars.

I had the same experience just a few weeks ago. I was visiting a quilt shop that was new to me in a town a few miles away. There was so much fabric that my "eyes got full" right away. Furthermore, they were playing the most ghastly music (musicals) with the volume so loud it was terribly distracting. Now, I'm not dissing musicals, but it's not the kind of music I want to listen to when I'm shopping. I had some of those songs stuck in my head for days.

I've noticed that the flow in some stores isn't good. I like it when I can walk through and there seems to be a main path to follow so that I can see everything to my right and left without back tracking or getting lost.

My husband and I call this the "cough syrup syndrome." It goes like this: you have a cough and a cold. So you go to the drug store for some over-the-counter cough medicine. There are so many kinds! Do I need an expectorant? What about a decongestant? Does anything have both? Hm. And how does this stuff taste? Will it burn my esophagus as I swallow it? I can't tell you how many times I've gone in for some cough syrup and come out with nothing. The same goes for fabric. I get overwhelmed by my choices.

I was at Mary Jos this week end too. My daughter lives in Mooresville NC, and I finally talked her into going. ( she has just started quilting) We just stopped at the door for a moment to soak it all in and took off our seperate ways. LOL We both spent way to much. But she said she had to go back the next day because she just wanted one more yard of one of the fabrics she got. Yeal right... we both came back loaded again. But oh what fun we had!!!!

I was there ONCE last summer.
You are right. Lots of wonderful stuff. Very crowded/crammed.
The people working there were very busy but nice and helpful.

Yes, I think a store can have too much fabric and not because I don't like a lot of fabric to choose from but if it makes it crowded and hard to navigate through the aisles, I then feel uncomfortable. I like to take my cart through the aisles and have it at least wide enough for another customer to pass through. Joannes recently remodeled their store to hold more fabric but they have the aisles so close together it makes it difficult to get around.

Ditto! Those stores are really bad for my bank account though!

Too much fabric in a store has never been a problem for me. I've found how they organize it makes all the difference between ability to pull and group fabrics vs. can't find anything. Also easier if aisles are wide open and there's good lighting. I prefer having lots to choose from. Some days I have difficulty choosing based on my can't decide mood and not that there is too much fabric.

Oh....that must be Maw & Paws in Altona

Mary Jo's in the Charlotte N.C.area

You are good man.

You trained him right. My husband REFUSES to take me.

Hancock's of Paducah is a different outfit from Hancock Fabrics. The stuff I order from H of P is much nicer quality fabric than anything that Hancock Fabrics carries. I wish one of them would change their name and eliminate the confusion!

We have a store like that near here, well, 45 minutes away. Good thing or I'd be there all the time, I feel so 'connected'
It's a 2 story shop in an old barn called The Door Mouse

Yes! There is one quilt shop that I goto. When you walk in it is a small place, and you are really slapped in the face with all the fabric! I love it all, but it really is hard to shop there. If THAT makes any sense.

While staying in Lake Lure last week, a friend and I drove down to Mary Jo's. She had been there before; I had not. She said the trip was worth it just to see the expression on my face when I walked in. We stayed for a couple of hours and I just walked around taking it all in. Bought one project and suggested we leave for lunch, then come back and REALLY shop. When we went back to the store, I knew exactly where to go to find what I wanted. Had an awesome day and would do it again in a New York minute.