I have a wonderful LQS maybe 8 miles from me. The local WM has junk for material. You can see thru the stuff on the bolt. I believe you could use it for mosquito netting LOL. The closest JoAnns is 45 minutes away. Price of gas these days, I figure it pays for me to go to the LQS and get quality fabric, other than fill the gas tank up...

I love what Becca said. LQS generally have people passionate about quilts and it's reflected in their enthusiasm and helpfulness.
I worry about those shops these days and try to support mine.
I'm not a Walmart shopper and Joann's is only for notions for me. Sometimes I've gotten really sweet people to help me with batting etc. Just depends. Many are not very knowledgeable as others have said but I have found lovely people there who want to help.
I also like to shop online though and haven't had trouble with colors on my monitor, at least not yet :)
I love petting the fabric, a downside of online shopping lol

I now buy 99% of my fabric online either thru Ebay or several favorite sites. I live in an area where there isn't a LQS for over 40 miles! By buying online I am able to get LQS quality at a fraction of the price!

For me personally the quality of fabric from Walmart, Joann's and Hancocks is really poor compared to LQS or online and I never purchase from these stores.

I love to go to the LQS to see and touch all of the fabric. I get ideas from the finished projects on display and actually seeing the fabrics I'm interested in purchasing.

When I visit a LQS I always make it a point to purchase something. If I lived closer to any LQS I would certainly be purchasing more fabric through them.

I realize a lot of ladies are on a very tight budget...but I am too! It takes time and patience to make "bidding" purchases thru Ebay. I just bide my time and purchase only when it is a bargain. I usually won't pay more than $1.70 for a FQ or $5.00 for a yard cut of material. I'm talking about Moda, RJR and Michael Miller for example.

Hope this helps!

LQS have a better selection then chain stores, the fabric quality tends to be better, more knowledgeable then chain store employees, a more "cozy" environment.

Oh yes! I forgot about Ebay!! Some fine sellers there!

1 - if you don't support your LQS they go out of business and
you just don't get the same help and support from JoAnn's,
etc.
2 - I have never, ever bought fabric from a JoAnn's, Walmart,
etc. that was as good a quality as a quilt shop

I agree. I buy LQS quality and pay too much when the project is special. Mostly I do baby quilts and charity stuff, throws for family that will get washed over and over. If it never wears out, I wouldn't need to make any more! So that's why I use "everyday" fabric for these projects. Although, I have found "everyday" quality fabric at the LQS for way too much money for the quality as well. It's just nice to touch it before I buy.

It depends on the quilt first of all as to where I buy my fabric. When I do reproduction then the best place is the local quilt store or Fabric Hut (cheaper than lqs). If it is like a rag quilt that has little chance of making it for a few years; the tag along quilt for a kid then I'll go to Walmarts or JoAnns. I also go to JoAnns if I know they have the same fabric as the LQS and it's usually cheaper and I also got there for cutting items or where I can use coupons. I like supporting the LQS and I love thier classes. You can build a friendship there that you can't get at Walmarts or Joanns and they have more knowledge which I need all of that that I can get.

I work at Joann's and get a discount on everything. Don't go to WalMart for fabric. I like to go to my LQS to look, buy, get help, or just enjoy talking. My Joann's has many quilters/sewers on staff and we enjoy helping our customers, many times we learn something new from them.

I wish all of JoAnns employees had more experience at least from where I live; they don't. There is some material they carry that the LQS carries that are the same but cheaper; like the Kona fabric and it's cheaper. The cutting items are cheaper at JoAnns also. I don't have one place to shop; I know that if I buy the material at Walmarts it's a cheaper quality but there are things that I don't need quality as an issue. I like the LQS for thier knowledge and also for things that I can't get elsewhere and I love thier classes. I want to support them because in these hard times they don't have a large corporate office to see them thru. Keep up the good work and I'm sure the buyers appreciate having someone who knows what they are doing when they come into your shop.