SAMPLES! SAMPLES! SAMPLES!

as someone else said, be careful about scents, those of us with allergies won't or can't come back...

for the kids, i would only make a small design wall...use batting & make shapes out of flannel, like we all had in sunday school... they can't get hurt which will make your insurance agent happy & kids will be entertained for a little while. put it where either your clerk or there parents can keep them in plain view, but not by the front door

i traveled about 55 miles round trip on wed nites for a open class where you could work on anything you wanted & the instructor was available to help you..made a lot of friends that way

make sure you find out about local shop hops & get in on that.. (that's how i found the shop i went to on wed nite!

you may want to sponser a quilt retreat. i'd love to go on one, but don't care much for the quilt police at the local guild... if i could find something like that, i would surely go.

good luck!!

Lots of samples and rotate them. I'm sure customers would love to have their handiwork on display.

First of all, congrats on realizing what most of us here can only dream of---yes, headaches and all of being the owner of our own quilt shop.

Along with all these other great suggestions, I'd offer these thoughts.

First and foremost, the leader of the pack, friendly, knowlegdeable clerks. Period, end of story.

It was mentioned, but don't overlook the importance of a clean restroom. I know it's not one of the most glamorous duties to keep it clean, but what an impact in the world of women. :wink: Shame on those who misuse it and leave it for the next visitor. :evil:

Store size, floor space, etc., will dictate how many extras you can incorporate. Personalize the shop to reflect you and your love of quilting, but also, involve your customers. Ask their opinions, just as you did here. It will give them the sense even more that you as an owner do care and value their business as well as their thoughts. What do they want to see at a place they spend their money.

Favorite Fabrics likes to treat us with pics of new lines coming out. Can that be something you share in your store? When I think of that I think of Blockbuster Video, the "Coming Soon" board. Show a variety. Some stores I've been to will feature one fabric, but there are so many to show. Maybe offer a 10% discount for pre-orders (paid in full first) to get the customer excited.

If you don't have a sample, how about a project sheet for those new fabs? Or free project sheets to hand out at check out, near displays, etc.? Everyone likes a "freebie" and it's inspiration!

I'm 50/50 on the kids area for all different kinds of reasons. Little unattended hands can make a mess but if Mom comes, they come.

If your shop has the room, definitely a sitting area of sorts for those tired feet, bored husbands who have the wallet ;) , no drinks, only water.

A shop I've visited opens their classroom every Tuesday for open sewing for anyone who shows up, free.

I'm a huge scrap bin person tho' the majority of the shops around me don't do it. It's a good way to make your dollar stretch that bolt.

FQ cuts off every bolt.

Sorry, I keep thinking, so I'll stop. Wishing you much success. (If you're on the web, we here can order from you---hint, hint!) :mrgreen:

I find that sometimes the LQS or JoAnn's have an attitude that you are interrupting them, especially if you are waiting to have material cut or are waiting at the register to check out and nobody is around. When they do come they seem to sail on over in slow speed and have an attitude.
I would enjoy going into a shop that has comfortable music and is welcoming as though you were going into their home. I would stay away from coffee etc because it would be as though you were entertaining them and then the spills and the left anywhere coffee cups.
I think a welcoming atmosphere, soft music, and personel that really enjoy people and their work would be a good start and of course periodic sales so we feel that we feel we are savy shoppers.

It would be nice to have some room to walk between the aisles of fabric. One shop I go to regularly is so crowded that it is easy to push bolts off just by walking by.
Have the patterns available to the samples you display.
When fabric is cut, please be a little generous. When the sales person cuts right on the yard line, it doesn't give me any room for shrinkage. On occasion, my cuts have been short by a bit on one side too.
I like music to be understated, smooth jazz or something like that.
A clean bathroom area with paper towels and soap.
Coffee is nice, but in a separate area.

For me music is not necessary, smells (due to allergies) are taboo. My biggest request is to have ALL COLORS AVAILABLE. We HAD a lqs that had what I consider just New England drab available. I work with all colors (not in the same project :D ), depending on the project. Easily accessible fat quarters are nice too.

I know this is going to sound crazy, but I have been in quilt shops that didn't feel right to me. I have also been in ones that just feel like home. the owner is friendly, and not over-bearing, and the shop has an almost cluttered look to it. One of the shops in town is so much fun to go to. She lets you go behind her counter where she has tons of kits and odds and ends, and into her back room where she keeps her over-flow. She is and isn't organized, and I guess I fit in with clutter and mess, but I love going to her shop. I probably didn't word this correctily, but a shop needs to have a certain feel to it, for me. My personality leans towards closed in places, and the way they display stuff-it might be called the country look. Anyway, this is my 2 cents worth.

[quote=JS]But I am talking about sense of smell. You did mention that and I will tell you why I think it is important too. I worked in a nursery center that had an indoor home accent dept.. The smell that became so familiar and comforting without even thinking about it as you entered the store was the candles etc. that were displayed in that dept. I experienced the same thing whenever I entered my LQS. It was a Ben Franklins and it was a fabric/ craft store. Whenever you walked in there a certain smell hit your senses (not only sight) but smell from all the different products from the craft inventory etc. The fragrance that hit your nose the minute you opened the door in both stores became associated with relaxing enjoyment.Even now when I think of those smells it makes me smile."

Yes, I remember that Ben Franklin "scent" - made me sneeze and sometimes almost gag and I always left with a sore throat and watery eyes. Leave the scents to the craft stores that sell potpourri and candles.

I would say stick to quilts and quilting - there are stores that end up selling anything just to make an extra buck. There are so few specialty shops out there any more what with the big box stores that try to monopolize the market.

If I could live in a quilt store, I would!

When you are listing classes, please make sure to indicate a skill level required. I've been in classes of 6-10 and have stopped to show another student how to do a step while the teacher was busy with the rest - even how to use a cutter and ruler!

Offer a discount for purchases made for class students -I've run out of thread or wanted a FQ of a different color during class.

Have a demo day occasionally, how to use different tools, techniques, etc. I'm sure you could recruit some of your skilled customers to man a demo table for a token gift certificate (I've done it)!

One shop I was in had samples done in two or three different fab lines so you could see how the pattern would look with your favorite type of fab (maybe a batik, shabby, and Amy Butler, etc.)

Wishing you the best of luck and I'm jealous!