There is something that each and everyone of us get when we step inside a LQS that we do not get at Joanns or Walmart, or even on the internet, and it is has nothing to do with fabric or notions. It is the way we feel. The level of personal service, help, and encouragement cannot be found anywhere else. The store owners and workers become our friends. Our craft would not be the same if we lost them completely. I too, buy from Joann's and the internet, but I prefer the LQS for the quality of fabric and the reasons I mentioned above. The LQS does provide a service to the communitys, especially the small ones. Many of you will say "I can't afford to shop at the LQS" but can we afford to lose them?

You must live pretty far west! I know which shops are closing...you still have plenty of great places to shop.
I know your area and St Louis metro area very well. It s "home" for me.

Sandy

The quilted garden really? Charming shop, been there, bought there. Yikes. Hate to hear that. I can't sew fast enough to keep up with what I got, let alone keep buying more. So sad.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad you feel this way, but this has never been my experience at any of the LQS in my area, particularly the one in my town.

Regarding the comments about shops banding together and owners not being business-minded, I agree. It's a pity the owners couldn't have gotten together, discussed their preferences, created a buying co-op, and made it work. I've gone into shops where the main theme was a style of fabric that didn't appeal to me, and that's fine -- it may be just what someone else loves! I'm thinking of one that was predominantly Civil War fabrics and the like. I'd love it if the stores had themes and I knew which one to go to get what I wanted. Could work for everyone.

I met a young woman who had a tiny fabric store attached to her bicycle renting business in a tourist area. She had a couple hundred bolts maybe, from only maybe two or three companies. She told me the manufacturers had minimum purchases and she couldn't afford to buy from all of them, so she went with her favorites. Made sense to me. Just depends if enough other people also like your favorites :)

Its sad but so true, who can afford to spend $100 every week or even every month to 'help' keep the doors open.. ?!?!?

With so many of us using up our 'stashes' we can only expect more and more to close.. Sad but true..

I for one am happy I have a stash to last me multiple lifetimes- as my nearest LQS is still quite a distance.. I do enjoy walking in to LQS to see the latest and greatest but at $11-13/yrd I just cant see me pay that much. Ouch..

A LQS just opened in my area. It seems to only carry brights and that is not my style so I will not be going there to often. Unfortunally I have found that many LQS specilize in certains colors/styles of fabric so If I do not like that fabric then I do not go to that shop often. I wish more LQS would carry a large variety of fabric to match many stlyes. I have also found that some stores are carring machines and less fabric. I can not see the sense if carrying less fabric since we are not always in the market for machine but always need fabric!!!

Fortunately we have four great ones nearby. The fifth seems to be going more toward machines and sewing and not quilting material. But we all need to support our shops.

It takes a lot of energy to keep a shop profitable. One shop here is Virginia that really makes the effort is WEB Fabrics in Purceville, 30 miles from my home, 60 mile round trip. Carly the owner is in the shop every day, the shop has a WEB presence and sells worldwide, and she takes her shop on the road to all the shows. Even drives the truck alone to Houston. Her staff is always busy with internet orders, or cutting fabric to prepare for the shows. Next show is in Hampton, VA. She is a business woman, and yet personally very helpful to customers that come in to the store.

There is a local one here too. I've gone into it a couple of times. Not the fabric I like to use and I really didn't feel very welcome. I went to a place in Norfolk called the Fabric Hut and the very first time I got all the help I needed. To me they have customer service down pat. If you need help they will take as much time as you need, if you are just looking they don't hover. I figure I am ok here, Fabric Hut is a local business. :)

There may be LQSs closing, but new ones have opened, too....just not as many as in the past. Do you think some of us may have reached the saturation point because we have built up our stashes to the point we now buy only what we need to finish a project?