Independent stores in past decades
 

I remember back in the 70s and 80s there were many more fabric stores compared to now - I remember two different stores within a half a mile of each other and at least two fabric stores at the mall that I went to - but the stores that I am remembering were chain stores. Were there a lot of independent fabric or quilting stores back then (or earlier)?

I'd be interested in what people remember about fabric stores back in the olden days. Please post your memories!

I don't remember going to independent stores (although I'm sure we did) but I remember shopping for thread and fabric at Sky City with my mother when I was young. I remember helping her dig thru bins looking for the colors she was after. She sewed on a late 70s Kenmore in a cabinet that had the cams for different stitches and this large complicated looking thingie for sewing buttonholes.

I remember when big department stores like Penny's and Wards had large fabric departments, patterns, thread, etc.. That's where my mother and I shopped for fabric for clothing.

I remember going to an independent fabric store in Scranton, Pa(Scranton Fabric Center) in the early ‘60s. They had loads of everything, including wool. Great store. Then we’d go across the street to “The Golden Arches” for lunch. Wonderful memories!

Our little town had a “dry goods” store. We would order a pattern from a book, they did not have them on hand. I think it arrived in a week. The fabric selection was limited but I guess it was adequate. Once in a Blue Moon we went to “the city” and shopped Penney’s fabric dept. Mom and Grandma seldom bought their dresses, they were homemade, as most of my clothes.

I remember two stores from the late 60's early 70's. Each was less than a mile from my house in opposite directions. One was definitely a LQS that had bolts and bolts of beautiful fabric, none of which I could afford, but it didn't cost to look. The other place was, I think, Minnesota Fabrics. Not quite sure of my memory! They were an anchor store in a mall, and I bought all my fabrics, notions and patterns from them in high school and beyond. There was also a place called Federated that I remember going to with my mom (late 50's) where she bought everything to make most of our clothes.

Hancock Fabrics in Tupelo, MS was the only fabric store I remember. It was huge and had two levels. What I remember most is crying when you entered the store from the sizing in the fabrics. It made eyes burn. And that they didn't have a telephone. Which later made perfect sense, after all when someone wanted to know if they had a certain fabric, how on earth could they ever find it.

I remember MN fabrics (before they became Hancocks). Always loved going there. I also remember there was a local fabric store, about 25% quilting and the rest clothing type fabric. I wasn't into quilting then, but remember the quilting fabric was usually some of the more expensive stuff in the store -like over $5 a yard. I remember thinking it was way too rich for my blood.

I learned to sew by buying calico prints at the Franklin 5 and dime, for 39 cents per yard in 1966. When i got skilled, I bought fabric at JC pennys who had a small fabric department. When Fabric World came to Lynchburg VA (as big as a Grocery chain, like half of a walmart) I though I died and went to heaven. I would babysit every Fri and Sat night at 50 cents per hour so I would have enough fabric to make a dress or skirt. My family had moved from NJ where I wore uniforms to school and now I had to wear street clothes to my new school and Mom and Dad had no money for any clothes. I learned to sew real fast from a neighbor for my first 3 dresses and then I was on my own because she did not like the pins that fell in her deep carpeting. I never saw a real cozy fabric store like we are use to.

I remember shopping for fabric at Woolworth’s, aka the five and dime.

There were a lot of independent fabric stores here thru the mid-80's. Then Joann and Hancock's started dominating the market and their quality slowly went down after the competition was gone. I miss those independent stores. I found some of the best fabrics there.

I lived in NE Ohio as a kid and remember going with my mom to the basement of Newberry's Department Store in Painesville for fabric she used for our Easter outfit and school dresses. As a teenager, we went to a place in Ashtabula, large independent store whose name currently right on the tip of my tongue..ah yes...Brunner's. We would wander in there for hours. Again..school clothes. And upholstery fabric. And by then - grandkids clothes for my nieces and nephews! I remember buttons..Lots of buttons! They had little plastic bags and you picked out single buttons for shirts and skirts and coats...a couple cents each! Oh the good old days! What fond memories of my mom.

My very first job was at Woolworth's in the fabric department. I was sixteen years old... and earned 25 cents an hour! I got a raise and was told not to tell anyone because they (the other employees) would be jealous. My pay went up to 27 cents an hour! Wow!! Needless to say, it was a hundred years ago. :)

When I was growing up there was Ben Franklin's 5 and Dime, Woolworths, Newberry's, TG&Y, J.C. Penney, K-Mart when it first opened, House of Fabrics, and Hancock Fabrics. I believe Sears also sold fabric but we never went there because my dad didn't like Sears. I don't remember smaller stores, but that might be because my mom never drove and my dad was not one to go to fabric stores unless my mom wanted to go somewhere. I do remember once we went up to Vancouver B.C. in 1969 and there was a fabric department where I found some of the most wonderful wool fabric. Can't remember the store we were in but I always wanted to return.

I don't remember any independent fabric stores, except the Singer Store. They sold fabric there, but for some reason we never shopped there. In the same shopping center, there was a Penny's, A Morris Store (that might have been a local chain), and a W.T. Grant store. They all sold fabric, but I generally shopped at Penny's. They had a good selection of fabric, reasonable prices and all the major brands of patterns, McCalls, Simplicity, Butterick and Vogue if I remember correctly.

I, too, babysat for 50 cents per hour for money to spend on fabric. Then, when I was about 14, I got a summer job babysitting with the neighbor's kids. I cleaned the house, watched the kids and made their lunch. All they ever wanted was Macaroni and cheese. I think they paid me $30.00 a week. I had lots of money that summer. I was rich!

I learned to sew by making doll clothes when I still played with dolls. My mother had a black Singer 15-91 that I learned to sew on. (I have that machine still.) I made a good percentage of my clothes in both jr. high and high school.

That was a long time ago. Lots of things changed. Now all I sew are quilts and make a few repairs.

bkay

House of Fabrics and Fabricland are what I remember as a child from the 70's. The choices were polyester, calico, and some of what I call "utility" fabrics such as muslin, twill, denim, etc.

My mom would take me and I must have quilting and sewing in my blood, because it was the only store that I did not get bored in. I loved to roam the aisles and pet all the fabrics.

I don't remember any independent stores, My mother did buy at what we call a dime store and at Woolworths. She used to crochet and those were the stores she went to. I remember going to the feed store and choosing two bags of the same fabric so she could make a dress for us. When I was a teen mid 60s I remember a man selling fabric from the trunk of his car. I remember to this day the fabrics that my dad bought for me to make Easter dress for my sisters and mother. Thinking back we were poor but I didn't know it then...until I got to high school and saw the other kids clothes. We had school clothes, shoes and home clothes, shoes.

Every mall had a Singer store that sold fabric and every department store had a large fabric department. I shopped at Piece Goods Shops for years -- they had great sales.

I'm a total blank as to where I got my fabrics for that border print skirt, apron, and shirtwaist dress that we had to make in Home Ec class. Or the camel wool for that coat with the scalloped placket down the front for the buttons. There's an amnesia until the late 70's when I started quilting. It's sad to see the independent shops go.

In my area there are about the same number of independent fabric shops now as in the past. The specific shops have changed but the total number is just about the same. What is more to the point....my mom and grandma and I would go to the department stores in town and purchase fabrics. These stores are all gone. I recall yearning to touch all of the pretty colors and to the lay the bolt on the big table. But the best, the very best was measuring the fabric with a strange little unit with a clock like devise that measured the fabric as it passed over the salvage edge. Then ka-chink! A metal handle was pushed and a cut was made in the fabric. Then rip and your fabric was folded neatly and you went home. I so wanted to grow up and use that machine. (I did work in a fabric shop for a couple of years but we did not have one of those old school measuring tool. :()

I remember the fabric store being for fabric for garments. Patterns were affordable and we could make our clothes cheaper than buy them. Quilts were made from the scraps. May have purchased something large enough for a back but that seems iffy, too. The idea of buying yardage to make a quilt would have seemed extravagant. Well, maybe it still is if we consider that a quilt is intended for warmth and a person can buy a blanket a lot cheaper! We are no longer a frugal generation. Those of us raised post-war knew what it was like to make do with what we had and didn't throw away much. I remember my eyes burning at one independent fabric store and thought it was amazing the amount of fabric there. Do you remember that gizmo that some shops had?--attached to the countertop and the fabric was pulled through it to determine how much there was, it clipped the edge and then the fabric was torn. The one I remember was at JC Penny, back when that store was for the everyday consumer.

I didn't sew when I was younger and no one in my family did . I started a little sewing in my twenties I liked it.
But working and raising my son , and didn't have the money. Well now I'm making up for lost time . I do remember JC Penny seeing fabric in there.

In the 1950’s-1960’s, I bought good cotton for my dresses at J.J. Newberry’s and Ben Franklin. Bought it 3 yards for $1.00. Later we had a great fabric store where I bought polyester for dresses and pants. No chains, just independently owned.

We had Fabricland. Mill End Fabrics. Calico Corners. Two Sisters. My friend worked at Calico Corners but I didn’t quilt then! She also took me to see a long arm in action. I was so bored. Wish I could go back!!!! Joann’s used to be called something different??? We had The Merc, Penney’s, The Bazaar that all sold patterns and fabric. The Merc had that funny little machine that you rolled the fabric through to measure and then ripped it! You also carried bolt up to check out, they cut it and checked you out. Same line for cut and pay and even if you were buying shirt or shoes! One line did it all!!! Now you stand in one line to cut and another line to pay. (Joann’s). One of my LQS has their last day this Saturday. They had a fire and lost the building, which was also their home. Rebuilding the home but insurance won’t cover the shop any more. They decided to retire and spend time with the grandkids. Heartbreaking!

I don't remember any quilt shops until the late 80's. There were fabric stores and department stores that sold fabric that was mostly for clothes sewing. Most home sewers then didn't want all cotton for making clothes as it would be wrinkly when washed and dried. What cotton fabric I remember was calico fabric and muslin.

When I started sewing in the 70's there was a long established store in my area called Fisher's. It was there for decades and only closed a few years ago. Then I started shopping at Joann when I moved. It was a lot nicer than it is now. Either that or I wasn't as knowledgeable as I am now about fabrics. Also a chain (I think) called Mila. Then I started quilting and hit the quilt shops. Now I buy almost all my fabric online.

We had a dime store in my large town called Milam's. The back section was Fabrics, patterns, and notions. At the first threat of snow we'd head to Milams to get projects to sew just in case schools were closed. Being from middle Georgia just getting an inch of snow would bring our town to a standstill!

Thanks for the walk down memory lane!

I'm 61 and starting sewing in 4-H when I was 9 so that would have been the 60s! We had always lived in one town - Roseville CA. We had a House of Fabrics and my Mom thought they were too expensive. They enlarged in the early 90s and then went out of business. In the basement of our JCPenney's , they carried fabric and notions. A bit later Hancock's came into play and then Hart's Fabric. Except for Penney's which no longer sells fabric, the others are out of business. Joann's started small and now they have a pretty good sized store.

So for us, there were no independent fabric stores. It is kind of sad to see the changes and closers but I guess change is here to stay!

I just remembered another- So-Fro

I grew up in a very rural area; the only store ( general ) we had did have a very limited fabric selection. I remember Mom ordering fabric from the catalogs...Sears, Montgomery Ward and Aldens; My Mom made all my school clothes and scraps were saved for quilts. I still have a Sunbonnet girl quilt she made in mid 50's. All the dresses were made with my dress fabrics...

I am enjoying this thread. I remember my mom sewing only when we were very small. I guess with 5 kids and working she was too busy to sew. We all got hand-me-downs. Recently however I found at a sale, a 1/2 bolt of gold 200 thread cotton fabric from Sears. I absolutely love the color, and was trying to research how old it was because only vaguely remembered the department stores selling fabric. This thread jogs my memory a bit, and I enjoy hearing everyone else's memories. I started a quilt with this gold fabric a couple of years ago and still haven't finished it. I will try to attach it. It may turn out sideways...

I still have my mom's Kenmore with the cams! 'Back in the day' you could not only go to the small fabric stores, but you also had fabric sold in Woolworths and Newburys (these were west coast, I'm sure there were the same or similar regional stores). Then they stopped the fabric and small fabric shops opened (biggest were Hancocks, Cloth World and similar). There are still fabric shops available, but most are either specialty stores (Mood Fabrics) or small shops in fabric districts in the large cities. Because most folks could buy clothing for much less than it cost to purchase fabric from the specialty shops, sewing started to decline (apparel clothing - quilters always quilt!). Then the large companies (such as Joanns) who are able to import vast amounts of fabric at reasonable prices, were able to start buying out the other fabric shops. With the massive explosion of online fabric companies and the improved computer pictures of fabric, you will probably not see more fabric shops open. It is simply a matter of the costs. People can not spend $15 + for fabric anymore.

my mom still has hers! she does 90% of her quilting by hand now and some of her piecing by hand too but she still has her Kenmore! My sweet MIL still has and uses her Kenmore too, hers is slightly newer or maybe just a fancier but it doesn't use cams. Those 70s-80s Kenmores are bulletproof lol.

I grew up in SW FL and cannot remember where we used to shop for fabric. I remember the measuring meter though and was fascinated while watching the clerk measure out our purchases. Several years ago we stopped at an old building out in the middle of nowhere for a yard sale. The old building was being sold and had at one time been a ladies store. Bins of buttons, zippers, the measuring meter attached to a long cutting table and three sided positional mirrors outside dressing rooms for the ready to wear clothing. Lots of wooden paneling on the walls and shelves/drawers for lingerie items. Like a walk down memory lane and such an enjoyable visit.
I also owned an old Kenmore with the cams for the decorative stitches. It was in a cabinet where the big top lifted as one piece and dropped down the back of the unit. Wish I still had it. Made a lot of clothing on that machine.

In our little town, we had an independent fabric store that sold all kinds of fabric. I didn't quilt then, but did sew a lot of my own clothes, including all my prom dresses. I spent a lot of pleasurable after-school time in there picking out chiffon, sequins, feather boas, satin, velvet, lace, for several years of formal dresses. My formals were always one-of-a-kind, you can be sure. I know they had quilting goods there, too, as I used calicos and prints for some of my dresses. This was in the mid 60s. And yes, the formaldehyde smell was overpowering. I think when the two elderly ladies who ran it passed away, it closed down.

Years ago I bought clothing fabric for my DDs at “Sprouse-Reitz”. I am not sure if it was a chain store or what. I also used to buy fabric from “Payless Drug Stores” before it became “Payless Shoe Source”.

Growing up on Long Island we went to malls all the time. We had a Singer Sewing Center there which is where I learned to sew at the age of 12. They had a respectable fabric selection and machines. I also bought fabric in McCrory's (sort of like a Woolworth's.) Still have the first dress project I made in that class and the fabric is right on trend-1970!

Penney's had a great fabric department, I was really sorry when they took them out.

So Fro was my favorite fabric store.

I grew up in W. MI & did work at a small indi shop in Breton mall. Later I worked at Fields Fabrics. They are still around & have expanded in the last 20 yrs. You can get it all there; bridal, drapery, upholstery, clothing & quilting. When I go back to MI to visit I always stop in to at least 1 of their shops. They will also be at the AQS show in Aug.