I am so sad, from the sounds of things your Hancocks are like ours used to be. We have two of them in our area. Its so sad, I loved those stores and they had a very wide assortment of fabrics, not only quilting but Batiks, and novelty fabrics. I have been in there recently both stores and they have fell apart. Their cotton assorment is almost nil, in fact all thier fabrics are shrinking. I don't know if they are closing or what, but its a shame. I loved going into thier stores, had a way better selection than JoAnns, but then I haven't been a fan of JoAnns since they had a witchy poo of a manager. I wrote the company and complained, and they didn't even respond. So that sold me off them.

Anyway its sad.

Rita

I usually only lurk here but this thread has grabbed me.

We had a wonderful Hancocks near us. I always bought my quilting fabric and supplies there. Then about 5 of 6 years ago they started selling alot of furniture, baskets, lamps, etc. and less fabric. It started to look a lot like Pier One (nothing bad about Pier One, but I went inside to buy fabric!). They also started selling ALOT of fleece. Their cotton quilting fabrics was dwindling. In a year or so, they went out of business. Now there is no Hancocks anywhere near me. Not even 250 miles away!!

As for Joanns witchy poo manager mentioned here, the Joanns store near my old house had one of those for quite a while. No amount of complaining to corporate helped. Corporate emailed me that a store manager is pretty much the BOSS and can run the store however they want. I have since moved to the other side of the state and the Joanns near me now has a wonderful manager, even accepts others coupons (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.).

But I still miss having a Hancocks to shop in. Shopping online just isn't the same for me.

Just my experience.

They always seem to get the lion's share of my allowance too. :D I also sew clothing and purses, ect., the patterns are on sale a lot there for a buck. I love the ladies in my local store and the cotton quilting fabric is a very nice quality. The only complaint is, I wish they had nicer batiks. Thiers is so ugly!

I am glad you stepped into hancocks and found a better supplier for your hobbies. I love shopping my local quilt stores too. I have about twenty of them within a fourty five minute drive of me. (Oh No!) They have patterns and fabrics you can not find in a chain store. It is like a quilter's dream come true.

One place I have found recently is the Ben Franklin store that I had not gone to in years. They have some nice fabric and crafts in there too. I was surprised. They carry many moda fabrics for less than the quilt shops. Go figure ...

Enjoy your self in your new found place to shop. And show pictures! We love pictures.

not sure where your hancock is located. But the one in my city does not have the stock that JoAnns does. So in my location the better to the two would be JoAnn's.
However I am lucky to have both stores.

I prefer my JoAnn's over Hancock's here. More of a selection at JoAnn's. Also, if you have the little keychain card from Hancock's, they will accept coupon's from other stores.

Bith my local Hancocks and JoAnne's accept each other's coupons. don't know if that is an across the US thing or just local, but it really makes it nice.

fatnsassy, I'm glad your Hancock's is great....mine is ok, but not a great selection in cotton fabric, they've got the fleece and bridal material though- about half the store! And they've increased their 'home decor' dept. The do have notions and some quilting 'gadgets', etc.
Regards,
MaryAnna

The Hancocks near me is not very good. they are the only fabric store in this town and they are going down hill. The customer service is poor and the store looks dirty all the time.

Sounds like we live in the same town! Yes, my Hancocks is pretty dirty, and there's not much help! My other options are the local Wal Mart, and a pricey Quilt shop/Bernina shop. I do make a special trip to NC to shop at Mary Jo's Fabric...it must be the worlds largest fabric shop, miles and miles of bolts of fabric...at really great discounted prices. You have to see it, to believe it. Unless I need a lot of fabric, I won't go as it is about 1.5 hrs away one way. But it is a great experience!
Regards,
MaryAnna

Where in North Carolina is Mary Jo's? I may be heading that way on vacation sometime. I'd also like to see if they have an online site.