All,

It was in the paper here within the last 2 weeks or so that Hancock's was closing. I didn't read the article, heard about it at the fabric part of Walmart. I figured it was our local Hancock's. So people talked about the remodeling they just did and what a shame it was. I was at a quilt shoppe yesterday and the clerk and I were talking about it. She said according to the article it was Hancock's, Inc. and that ALL stores nationwide are closing. Have any of you heard about this??

Melissa

I sure hope you're wrong!!!! Not long ago a clerk in mine said it looked like they would be the only game in town since WM and Hobby Lobby were closing. I'm 70 miles from a quilt shop.

I just let off some steam. A google on the topic led me to a forum post by a quilt shop owner who says it's a shame more of us don't support our local quilt shops!!!!!

The [insert a long stream of really nasty words] NERVE!!!!

Since when did the customer have an obligation to the business? THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is the real reason for fabric prices. Snobbery. I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but such arrogance among the "haves" and contempt for the "have nots" really fries my bacon.

Here's a thought for the elitests: how about they charge a fair price so the rest of us can afford to flock to their shops like pilgrims to Mecca?

I agree. Most of my stash was given to me by lovely people who knew I'd give it a good home and that I made lots of baby quilts for charity. I can't afford to just shop at the high dollar fabric stores. That's not to say I buy junk, but anyone shooping carefully can get good fabric at Joannes and Wal Mart for less than say the "bernina" store in Raleigh that charges 8 or 9 dollars or more for fabric. Just the fine fuse that I use in applique is the equivilent of $8.00 a yd. If I use it, and that is because I don't enjoy needle turn applique, then there won't be a lot of expensive fabric in the quilt. I haven't won the lottery yet!
Even the mail order places charge quite a bit and then there is the ever rising cost of postage besides!

Hancocks had filed bankruptcy and downsized to get a handle on things from what I've been told. Not all Hancock stores are closing that I'm aware of. I might be wrong, but thats what I've heard thru the grapevine.

One across the river closed, but the one closest to me is open still. They are remodeling.

I have a JoAnn's locally, Wal-Mart and two local quilt shops within 10 miles.

The prices at the local quilt shops are comparable to online sites that I've seen so far. Not to say there aren't any deals to be had. Quilting is an expensive hobby no matter what way you cut it, but it's worth the price of addiction. :)

The Hancock store near me had a lot of cars in the parking lot today, but I had errands to run, and didn't stop in. They are usually busier than the Joanne store 12 miles away. I buy fabric wherever I find it. Yard sales, fabric shops, occassionally at the pricey quilt stores. Even the ugliest patterns can usually be transformed with a box of dye.

The Hancock's here just finished a remodeling...but it sounds like they will be closed soon anyway. Found another person today who read the article and they said that Hancock's Inc. can't file the chapter that they wanted to in the first place and all shops will close anywhere from 3-6 months fromnow...we'll see.

Hi Melissa i'm not sure how many Hancock stores are closing the 2 in my area are closing, there is one that will remain open which is about 15minutes from where i live. I live in Okla. city Okla. one of manager at walmart told me if they had known that Hancock was closing most of their stores in different areas all over the U.S they would have kept the Fabric Dept.I also heard on the news that Walmart sales was down, since they hired 2 managers from Target stores.
LOL
Annette

Amen to that. And some quilt guilds are just as bad. Same clientelle. They have lots of money, so everyone should. One I belonged to cost $30 - $40 every meeting to be able to participate in their selected classes. Then you have to buy the stuff to do it with.