I live in N.J. and all of the Rag shop stores are closing, totally going out of business, aarrrrrgggghhhh ;-( and the walmarts are so limited. I have a Fabric land 15 minutes away but my favorite shop Quilting possibilities is over 75 minutes away from me.

Sure hope they are not closing. I am 17 miles from any quilt shop and also from a Hancock store.

Louise,
My MIL bought a ton of fabric when their Hancock's closed. Her basement is stuffed with bolts of fabric. My FIL hopefully will never see her credit card bill or we will be saying RIP hahaha. But what made my husband very nervous was she kept stating that she was willing me all her fabric if something happened to her. I honestly believe he prays every night for her good health. Needless to say, she has won the most fabric contest in the family.

Does anyone have a close contact with anyone who has a quilt store. I would really like to know how much the markup really is. I know they have to make a profit but I can't afford to bankroll a get rich quick scheme. If joanns and walmart close here, I will have to quit. I have enough for about 10 quilts.

Ruth,

The markups, as with most any retail merchandise, is subject to corporate decision makers. The bolts are bought for "X" amount and the markup that follows will be based on quantity ordered, saleability of product, trends, the manufacturer, and things of this nature, all basically put into a mathematical formula that computes the markup value per product. Some margins are bigger than others.

Generally, the smaller specialty shops have a higher markup because it cost them more to buy the bolt. Factor in all the expenses of running a shop, rent, insurance, payroll, supplies, theft, wasted merchandise, advertising, utilities, well, you get the picture, it adds up to a tidy little sum, which we as consumers feel in our pockets and can't justify.

Hope that helps, at least some.

Have been reading your posts about stores closing. I've shopped online some, but it's way more fun to wander aisles of fabric and touch it to get the feel of it. I love just standing and looking around at all the colors and textures.