Quilt Shops Closing
 

I live near St. Louis, Missouri. Since the beginning of the year I know of five quilt shops that are either in the process of closing or just closed. That is just here in my area. Has anyone else noticed this happening in other areas? Plus, we lost one shop last April. Just wondering what is happening nationwide in the quilting industry.

We've had one here that downsized. The owners just wanted to have more personal time. There is a new one opened in the last year in another town close by.

Yes I have noticed this in my area. Just received notice that another is closing here in my area. So sad!!!!!!!!!!!

Just received notice that Shared Stitches in Cameron Park is closing. I am so sorry - very nice ladies.

Quilt shops come and go. Since I started quilting 14 years ago there have been 14 shops in this area. 6 of them opened and closed. 8 of them opened and are still open. The reasons they close are as individual as the shops (retirement, burnout, life changes, etc) but one of the biggest reasons they don't just change hands is it's extremely expensive to buy a going quilt shop. If you are going to open a quilt shop it's cheaper to start from scratch. Several of the shops that closed around here tried to sell the shop but nobody had the kind of money it would have taken to just buy the shops.

We've lost 2 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. There has been one that has opened, so at least we do have one here plus a Hancocks. Omaha, Nebraska is just across the Missouri River, so we have a lot of choices there.

The other thing to consider ... online purchasing has detrimental effects to a LQS business and its survival.

I do most of my fabric purchases IRL ... though I will admit I seldom purchase a pattern any longer.
Either use from my pattern stash or the wonders of the many free patterns online or my own creativity.

I live in where we have 2 that are going strong. Another just opened. I went to check it out the other day. They had not advertised I just heard about it. I got there at 10:30. They didn't open until 11:00. I looked in the window and didn't see much. I think they will have to have better hours. The area I live in is small and there are no Joann's or Hobby Lobby's within 45 miles. We have a Walmart, but the last couple of times I have been in there I think their fabric is getting bad. I try to shop both LQS so they stay in business.

Town I am in now is to small for a quilt shop to probably make any money. But I just moved up here from INland Empire of SO CA...big yuppy/middle class kind of location...Starbucks on every corner and a shopping mall on every intersection kind of place..and not a single quilt shop there! JOann's and Michaels is all!
But I am not really surprised to hear them closing...I see online the fabrics are $10 a yard and more! If you quilt alot for personal hobby...unless you are making big bucks on your job..who can afford $10 a yard? I know I can't! I look online and there are tons of fabrics...I was just "eyeball shopping" this morning...WONDERFUL fabrics, but for $10 a yard or more, it is just window shopping for me. I can't afford that. I was wondering why places like Joann's doesn't carry more of the wonderful prints like you can get online, but I guess store space is the issue but still....I think it is the price. Odds are if it is $10 a yard online it is probably $12 or more in a store. And i just think people can't afford to spend that much for fabric. Maybe a little here and there or for aspeciality quilt or something like that, but just for every quilt you make...it is just to expensive. I don't understand why it is so expensive...I know quality and all that, but still...if is isn't selling at $10 a yard...why not lower the price and keep your out sourcings open?

It's kind of like scrapbooking stores...back 5 years ago for about the 5 prior to that...SB stores all over the place, but I looked and again...really expensive stuff in there! I'd go an look for ideas etc, but seldom bought to much. Just couldnt afford it. Then Joann's nad Michael's put in SB departments and things were alot cheaper (now...REALLY cheap!) and the SB stores started closing. I don't know of a single one anymore and there were quite a few around 5 years ago.