Fabricland
 

As a teenager I worked for Fabricland (I think only in Canada for brick and mortar). It was my first job and so I have a soft spot for them. Having said that I purchase 0% of my quilting supplies there.

Their selection of quilt fabric is dismal. They stock very little in the way of newer fabric from the top quilt fabric mfgs. Their pricing policy is to jack up the regular prices sky high so they can have frequent 50% off sales. When I started quilting I purchased a small roll of Warm and Natural batting at 50% off. Imagine my annoyance when a week later I discovered the Sew Sisters site and their regular price was less than I paid. Recently when I was in the city I popped in for fabric for outdoor cushion covers and checked out the quilt cotton. Fabric that is $17m at my LQS is $24m at Fabricland. Solids? $19m compared to $9m for Northcott solids at a LQS nearby. A large national chain should not be pricier than a small independent quilt shop. Even with the loyalty card discount.....which you pay for......they do not compete.

Are all the stores the same? What is your experience with Fabricland?

We used to have two Fabriclands in Windsor. The nearest one closed and so now it is across the city and on the x-way to get there. I really only buy flannel there to back my chemo quilts and I only do that when it is on 'sale'. Still way too expensive. And I rarely even look at their cottons, again, way too costly. But I did go in after Christmas and stock up on those fabrics for next year.

I haven't been into a Fabricland for years, but with quite a few of the quilt shops around me closing, that may have to change.
Here is another recent posting related to Fabricland
https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...p-t305502.html

JoAnn's Fabrics does that. Their 40% off price of Warm and White batting was more than my local LQS regular price.

Your complaints about Fabricland are the same as many have about Joanns in the states. I send lots of time in both places and have always thought they seem to employ the same strategies. I'm not impressed with either.

I have to be absolutely desperate to shop at Fabricland and I don’t buy fabric or quilting supplies there as they are extremely overpriced. Who can afford to shop there? I had to use a gift certificate and only bought gray and beige thread for piecing and it was on sale 40% off.

Sounds just like Joann's here in the USA. So irritating that they jack prices up like that. Gets people in the door with their coupons, but pricing is still higher than other places. I found this out the hard way after years of buying W&N batting with my great coupons. Guess I should have looked elsewhere before, but I assumed (you know what they say!) that with a 40 - 60% off coupon, I was getting a bargain. Nope, not so much.

Bang on for your assessment, Cattitude!

It seems their quality has gone down down down .... while their prices have gone up up up.

Totally a customer turn-off!

Well, the way they are closing stores, you may not have to worry about them for long. Another is announced this week closing in Stratford.

I mostly shop there for notions etc when they have their 50% off sales but it is nice to know they are around when I'm stuck for something. They may not be around much longer at this rate.

Watson

I don't shop there so much for quilting unless it's the spring sale - got bit a few years ago on a fabric that basically disintegrated over time. Didn't wear at all - except out!
But for sewing fabrics... I don't know where else to go. If you want service - the clerks are pretty knowledgeable - I chose Fabricland over Len's Mill Stores every time.
But I felt I made out pretty well for the batting packages. The quilting fabrics aren't marked down much at all - and the batiks aren't marked down at all. So far that is.

Is Fabricland the same chain as Fabricville? I love the Fabricville in Fredericton, NB. I have been to the one in Moncton on their Black Friday sale day when everything was 50% off!

True!!

..... another Len's tip .... if you see several bolts of the same fabric, same or different colours ....
... Do Not assume they are all the same price.

It's all based on when it arrives into the store and what price they paid.
I have seen the same fabric with a huge price differential.
I'm talking Northcotts, Fairy Frost and other better quality fabrics.

I used to be the nice guy and take the bolt with the least amount on it ...
.... until one day I made this big discovery!
Yikes!! Now, I haul them all off the shelf and check! :)

Sad to hear that; but I've always suspected that most stores will 'jack up' the regular price to have a sale on it, so that it appears to we unsuspecting consumers that we're getting a great deal when instead of say 50 percent off it's probably only 10-25 percent and the store might not get as much profit but they sure aren't giving a real 50 percent off the price before they jacked it up. I usually just shop at my LQS but have so much I can shop in my own stash - as probably many of us can - unless I need something specific. And if i need it quickly, I'll go to Amazon cause my LQS it like 60 miles away; and I don't go that way very often, so is totally out of my way. Our 'hobby' is expensive enough without people adding to it by overpricing their items when they have a sale so they think they can 'fool' us that we're getting this great deal (not).

What happens if one of us sends you fabric from the US? are there high taxes on the Canadian side?

Lady Diana ... Sometimes it can get hit with customs $. Same as when we send to the USA.
Worse, to me, shipping/mailing $ pretty much nixes the delight in any lower purchase price.

I live in a city with population over 100 000 and for some reason we can’t keep an LQS in business. Several have tried. Fabricland is the only show in town. I will travel to smaller communities in our area before I will shop at Fabricland. It puzzles me why there are several viable quilt shops all over the province but we can’t have even one in a city our size.

I used to order fabric from the US fairly often and never once paid a customs fee. A friend from US sent me some fabric last month. She put ‘gift’ on the customs form and it came through with no customs charge.

Sew Sisters in Toronto has reasonable prices and will ship orders over $100 with free shipping so that works best for me.

You are absolutely spot on with your assessment of Fabricland, Cattitude! I've noticed a number of things that were "on sale" but cost more than the regular price at an LQS.

The only time I go there these days is for any notions that I haven't been able to find at the quilt shops.

I will occasionally order online, trying first to find what I want with any Canadian retailers and then American ones.

Sometimes paying American prices, I pay less than Canadian even after the exchange rate and shipping costs are factored in. I have yet to pay duty for anything coming from the U.S. - fingers crossed that my luck continues!

I haven't been to a Fabricland in maybe 20 years. I haven't been across the boarder to Windsor in that long either. I only shop any more at Joann if I have a coupon that makes the difference. Last week I purchased 45 yards of 108" unbleached muslin because there was a coupon for 60% off regular price plus a 20% of entire purchase. I couldn't match it in the LQS. I called before making the trip to the LQS since JAF is so much closer. Fabricland was nice back when I was there last only because the rate of exchange was better so I got more bang for my USA dollars.

The thing that bothers me about Fabricland is that a membership is needed to shop. I used to have a membership and shopped there quite a bit, but the local store moved to a new location which is very inconvenient and an extra 20-minute drive. I don't even know right now if I have a membership or not. Fabricland has a good selection of fleece which I use to make bow socks. As for their quilting fabric, I've haven't been too impressed with the quality of the house brand.