Not only did I do tax returns for one store I actually tried to buy another store.

At the time she was the only quilt store for several miles. She worked another job and paid two part time employees to work in the shop. Her *profit* for the year I tried to buy the shop was a little over 6 thousand. Yeah, about 500 bucks a month. But that was over 10 years ago when costs weren't as high. Plus she sold machines and needlework supplies.

I have looked into starting a store from scratch too. Inventory is expensive. Not to mention store fixtures.

Plus, keep in mind you'll have the entire internet as competition now not to mention JoAnn's and Walmart. Walmart and JoAnn's might be able to sell fabric for less than wholesale but a single proprieter store can't.

Just reading this board gives you a real good idea of how many people hold some kind of grudge against the LQS selling fabric at a price that keeps them in business. Everybody's looking for cheap fabric, the cheaper the better. Very few people seem to think 9 to 10 bucks a yard is a fair price for LQS fabric.

See if you can get some type of grant to open a small business. That might help with some of the cost. My ubby always use to say I could open my own store with all the craft stuff I have. lol
I wish you the best of luck in your endever. I hope you make it happen.
Maybe talk with some small quilt owners and get their ideas on some things.
Good Luck
Bev

I lived in a town that didn't have a fabric shop, or a WalMart. There was a gal who sold fabric out of her garage. She had set hours, though if there was an emergency & she was home she was always "open." She seemed to do quite well and because it was out of her home she saved a ton of money on overhead. Would something like this work for you?

I would LOVE to open a fabric store!!! I can picture having "Open Sewing" days, classes for all sorts of quilting levels, a back room that is big enough for my guild to meet in, and a small building off to the side that would house historical quilts and where ladies could put on quilt shows. It would be a sort of museum & art gallery. Unfortunately there are a plethera of fabric stores here in Idaho Falls and another one would be redundant. And since I don't see myself moving anytime soon, I guess I'll just have to enjoy all the shops in the area instead. :wink:

Contact other successful quilt shop owners and talk with them first. Do all your due diligence homework. Take a class from somewhere on starting a small business. Contact someone from a SCORE organization who offers advice and experience in doing this. All the replies in this thread contain valuable information to heed. One thing I have heard is that a small quilt shop cannot survive without offering classes from either local or nationally known teachers. You also must have a website and offer to sell your products on-line. Have a club membership that offers a 15% discount on all purchases and 20% on quarterly club night/day sales for a membership price of say $35 per year. Or offer a free $50 gift card with a $250 cumulative purchase in a certain time period. Go to "market" and purchase the latest fabrics, but keep a nice supply of the tried and true staples. Possibly take several people to market so that you don't end up with just what you like. Make sure to have a full color spectrum. Sell books, patterns, notions, etc. Maybe offer a quilting book club as well. Such as bring in books for discounts on other books to purchase... Find out how many quilters there are within a 20 mile radius and determine how much business could be generated from these customers. Fabric at Walmart was not the same grade of fabric sold in a specialty quilt shop. The fabric in quilt shops generally run between $9 and $12 per yard. There definitely is a difference between the fabrics offered in a quilt shop vs those sold at Walmart. Quilt shop fabric is far superior. Offer pajama parties, sew-inn, retreats, etc... It takes a big variety of activities to attract a lot of customers. Most of all, once you have customers, keep them coming back. Give them a certificate for a free fat quarter on their next visit...offer a drawing for a free something once a quarter...offer a drawing for going green (bring your own bag) Treat customers :D as if you treasure each one of them the most. Give them your undivided attention and offer as much assistance as each one wants. But, most of all, be willing to sacrifice your time, energy, money, family life, etc because running a business will become a 24/7 job with no downtime. You must want it more than anything else .... one more idea: search for and apply for a grant --there are some out there just waiting to be given. Maybe you can get some of the stimulus money to do a startup. 8)

Pam has so many good points, but I'll add one more. Plan to be open when your customers can shop. We have 2 LQSs in my area, but one is not open late on weeknights and the other one only stays open late on Thursdays, both close early on Saturdays, and neither is open on Sundays. I have to plan ahead of time to make it to one or the other on a Saturday. So if your customers are women who work outside the home, and especially if they have to commute to their jobs, plan to stay open extra hours for them.

A friend of mine opened a quilt/machine quilting shop abou 1-1/2 years ago. Our town only has 2200 people. All other quilt shops are at least 1 hour away. Our Wal-Mart no longer sells fabric. Besides handling Moda, she buys, wholesale, many fabrics from Marshall's Dry Goods in Batesville, AR. (about 1 hour from us). Their wholesale department was very helpful to her when she started up. They do have several well-known lines; however, most is some that they produce. It is nice material that she normally sells for about $4.99/yard. They do have a retail shop but the fabric is not as nice as that in the wholesale department. Good luck on your venture.

Jamh - if this is your dream, go for it! Sounds like you have a lot of good advice from some who know about business. :D

Bluphrog - sounds like you live in my area. It can be frustrating to need something, and find the stores closed before I can get there. :-(

QuiltMom, Nope, I live north of Houston and work downtown. I ride a bus everyday (I'm not crazy enough to drive it!) and don't get back to the bus lot until 5:45 p.m. or later. And of course, the LQS closes at 5:30. I'm sure there are many of us who can tell the same story.

What hours should a quilt shop be open?

Be specific.