Would shop in this type of store. Go for it!

I looked at the website and there were a couple of items that interested me. I like to go to Hancock Fabrics in Paducah everytime we are in the area and buy off their remnant table. I have found some neat stuff without having to wait in line to have it cut. For all those going to Paducah, look there for some neat stuff.

I'd certainly give this kind of store a try.

In the early 1980's we used to live in a small town in Florida that had exactly that kind of store but the inventory was mill ends from some of the great bedding factories along the East Coast. I was not a quilter at that time, and much of the fabric would not have been suitable for quilts, but it was a fantastic opportunity to get designer fabric for various decorating uses. I'm quite sure the store closed a long time ago because the mills moved to China. So the source of this type of inventory might be pretty difficult to track down, if not impossible. The large fabric stores sell their own bolt ends at a discount, and since that's one of the items that keeps some customers coming into the store, I doubt they'd be willing to off-load their extras on a competitor.

I had a cousin who worked in the mills in that area years ago. She'd buy 50 # bundles of mill ends and send it to my aunts who quilted. She'd get it super cheap. I never knew you could actually buy big pieces of fabric until I got out of high school...because they taught me how to quilt and I'd help them with their work-they sold their quilts locally. All the backs were pieced from the mill ends, they were just as pretty as the tops.

I was at a junk store once that sold fabric like that by the pounds. There was scale set up and you'd bag and weigh your fabric scraps. But you didn't know what the content was and I didn't think they'd appreciate me doing the burn test back in the corner of the store.

I'd be afraid to actually start of business like that myself. But if you already had a business that you could add a corner of fabric to-it would be a fun experiment.

I would be more than happy to shop in a store like this. Quilters like a bargain and can not resist even a sale. You would have to take into consideration of your overhead. Rent, heat, elec and telephone. Small store in a good neighborhood. Allow at least a year before thinking of making a profit.

For me, quality is the big thing. I don't want to put hors &the hours into a project only to have it fall apart in a short time. If the end bolts were if good quality I would be all for it but on the flip side, if the quality was good the price might have to reflect it. I visited a store similar to what your talking of years ago when I would go to a yearly quilt retreat. At first, fabric was really good, prices were too. Each year it seemed like the quality waned but the inventory increased. Last time I went the quality was horrible &the prices were the same as the LQS.