too many quilt shops closing
 

Well at the beginning of the week the county where I live had three quilt shops, but now all are closing. I really wish I knew how to go about opening one up. The only "quilt" shops are 40 minutes away from my home, other than JoAnns. I really like to quality of the material carried by the shops. I guess I will just have to stock up before they close for good.

Its too bad that the three stores couldn't have merged together . . .

See, that's a perfect example to me of how quilt shop owners may too often be hobbyists rather than business minded people. It really IS too bad they couldn't have gotten together, pooled their resources, created a new business plan and shop, and kept the community supplied.

I don't know your community, admittedly, but betting they were totally independent of each other and rarely encouraged customers to visit the other shops, or shared teachers, or coordinated their fabric buying plans. That's what too many shops do. So sad, so sad.

Jan in VA

[QUOTE=BArnold;5811036]Well at the beginning of the week the county where I live had three quilt shops, but now all are closing. I really wish I knew how to go about opening one up. The only "quilt" shops are 40 minutes away from my home, other than JoAnns. I really like to quality of the material carried by the shops. I guess I will just have to stock up before they close for good.
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where in Missouri?? I am in the Kansas City area

I'm also from Missouri and Borders, Bindings, and More closed last weekend, Blessings in O'Fallon, MO is closing, Patches in St Charles MO is closing and also The Quilted Garden (think that's the correct name) in Edwardville IL is also closing.

Also from MO here too - Lebanon. Yes, the quilt shops have better quality fabric - but if you buy all the fabric that you need for a quilt - front and back and the batting from them, then you cannot afford to buy it. Sad facts.

So sorry to hear of the quilt shops closing. I stopped into mine today! Was able to pick up two pieces of fabric for a quilt back. Both fabrics were priced at the old pricing .. thank goodness! I tell my family & friends that for birthday/holiday gifts, gift certificates from the local quilt shop is what I really appreciate. Have three I'm hanging onto ... waiting for the perfect fabric collection. Happy stocking up!

walmart has the rest of the store departments to fall back on, and they close their fabric department if it is not making enough money for them. joann, hancock's (not of paducah) and others, are able to close stores if they are not profitable enough. there is always another walmart or joann or other chain, but once the lqs is gone, it's gone.

It is sad when a quilt shop closes. But I agree that if you purchase all your fabric from them you'd need to win the lottery to afford to keep enjoying being a quilt maker.

If anyone should be in the Boston area then go to Fabric Place Basement in Natik - about 20 miles west of Boston just off the Interstate an across the street from Neimen Marcus. I had heard that it had reopened but had not been there. They were in the area until about 4 years ago and closed but now reopened. Quilt fabric (all brand names and current lines) are 4.99-6.99 with Batiks at 8.99. I gave a program there last night for a local guild and was amazed at the quantity available and especially the prices.

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?

That's the same problem I have - I see the colors I want first before even looking at a pattern. If I can't find the right colors, it's hard to change a vision - so I don't buy. I like desert southwestern colors mostly.

$5.00/yard
 

There are some of us who are still pricing quality fabric at $5/yard although I am paying more for it wholesale than that in some cases...

It is sad that so many quilt shops are closing. We have a couple within a 200 mile radius that have stopped using the punch card on purchases and lower the cost of the fabric. When we go on a shop hop guess what shops sell the most.

Yes I know you pay a bit more at you local LQS but if you continue to buy at Jo Ann and Walmart what are they to do. They have bills to pay just like we do. I have had a shop in the past but just could not compete.

5 shops in all
 

I was stunned to hear about Blessings closing. BBS was closing due to health problems? Not sure why Patches is closing. The Quilted Garden says she is redirecting her focus to her design business. And Fabric Noshiere is up for sale due to family considerations. That's five shops in the metro area, but they're not all economic reasons.

Wondering what the shop hop will be like. I stopped by the new one east of Manchester & Lindbergh yesterday, Janie Lou, cute but small, very nice owners. Carries French General, other Moda including the solids, and some Free Spirit, some laminates, some precuts - not exactly modern, a little more contemporary.

My favorite one closed in Carthage.....really loved that shop and it really only took me 3 or 4 hours to get there...was a nice day trip!!

I am near St. Louis, but my daughter just bought a house in Overland Park. I LOVE some of the shops near you and when I visit always find the time to check some of them out.

I was also told yesterday that the Hen House was closing but I have not confirmed this yet. Where are you located. I live in St. Peters

The only LQS in my county is closing so the owner can travel. However, when I shopped in there I didn't feel particularly welcome, the fabric style was definitely not my style and when I asked about machine applique I was told that "Real quilters do needle applique!". Obviously I am not going to personally miss it but I'm sure others will.

I think this has been the "perfect storm" , a high cost of fabric, high unemployment, high anxiety over the economy in general. Additionally, the realization amoungst many quilters that they have accumulated years of quilting making supplies. As consumers .. we might have gone on as we had accumulating , but the conditions in the market , that I mentioned earlier, prompted many to apply the breaks on spending. Lets face it for most of us our consumption rate ( fabric purchased) never matched the production rate. When you consider making a bed size quilt can cost $250 or more using top goods... its becomes apparent our loved hobby is an expensive one.
Sad to see local businesses shutter their doors.

I can't say I am surprised with the price of fabric, they are pricing us out of a hobby! Not to mention the people who shop on line because the prices are so good and most of the time shipping is free. Our local quilt shops around here are never busy like they use to be.

In order to open a quilt shop you need about $100K for fabrics, enough to pay rent and salaries for a year. You also have to replace all that fabric as it is sold. Bottom line, you have about $150K invested at any one time.

i dont know where you are in the country, but here in ny the rent is closer to $3,000 a month. and if something goes wrong w/the building i.e. heat, a.c., roof, windows, doors etc. the renter has to pay to get it fixed. so $3,000 is alot of fabric to sell not including utilities and staff payroll.

my above comment was not for catmcclure.
i agree w/lori s. the price of fabric (here its $12) & unemployment. people cant afford to spend money foolishley anymore. not to say quilting is foolish. i believe we use what we have. or think twice about what we are making. its not cheap by any means to make anything. i went yesterday to walmart and yes you can buy fabric cheap. but ladies lets face it, its cheap. i dont want to spend alot of time into something thats goin to fall apart after a few washings or fade out. joanns isnt much better. the price of their fabric has gone up. and there is no more shortage of cotton, as was the story why the price of fabric went up. but you get what you pay for in this world. and cheap is cheap!

Talked to a shop owner at a show in Central Arkansas about opening a shop. She said it took her 5 years until she realized a profit. She said shipping costs were a big factor in her purchasing of fabric. My limited experience buying on line is that it is more competitively priced than in a shop. Wal-Mart and Hancock's, Joann's can offer better pricing because of volume buying and diversification. Private shops have to rely on lessons, promotions, and machines and services beyond fabric to be profitable. I believe, when the economy is depressed, people cut back om non-essentials such as hobbies and antiques. More and more folks are dependent on technology and its convenience which puts a crimp in bricks and mortar retail. Personally, I think it is smart to buy where quality and pricing are beneficial to me.

I hear you. We have lost several in the past 2 years. My friends and I have a day planned this Thursday to visit two local shops and do lunch. I believe it is the competition not only from corporations like Joann's but also the online fabric stores, etc. And I am guilty at shopping at all of them. I wish I could totally support my local shops but sometimes the deals on line are too good and I do a lot of charity quilting. Sad situation.

well all I can say is get the Credit cards out/fill up the gas tanks and go for a road trip as I got some amazing buys when our quilt store closed. They decided to go into Bernina sewing machine business (which they already had) after 40 years and have some fabric but not much.

Very sad. In my area, Fabric Patch was closing but couldn't get out of her lease and has reopened, but Gingers is up for sale. New one opened in San Dimas. Very nice people.

I'm spending this week in Orlando, Florida - can anyone suggest a good lqs here? I have an empty suitcase to fill up!

You know evertime I have a hobby I love, it seems like shops close up. I love ceramics not any opened anymore. No fabric stores hardly anymore. What is going on? I used to love to be in crafts shows and now people aren't into crafts. I don't understand what is going on. I love to receive gifts from what people have made, it means more to me that it seems to come from the heart.