I moved to LA County area of So. Cal. 5 years ago. I have probably been in our LQS 6 times. They are so rude and have been really mean and rude to my friend who is a new quilter. I order a lot of my fabric online. I get all of my notions at Jo Anns, with coupons. I have found another shop about 30 min. away that I do business with. They have over 10,000 bolts of fabric and 1600 batiks, but I definitely get overwhelmed when I am there. I am also trying to take a day trip once a month and check out other shops that are within 1 hour. I have just had really good luck online.

It is so nice to go to the LQS and admire all the fabrics....

I was away on vacation to South Jersey and went into a LQS. I purchased fabric for a wall hanging, 36"x36". It cost me in excess of $30.00 for the top.......no batting or binding.. It is beautiful fabric but I do have other in my stash that I could have used which is just as nice.......

The shop was very busy and one didn't get much help..it was pick your own and get it cut.

That was a one time vacation trip to that shop so I really can't complain.

Has anyone noticed that some of Joann's fabric is getting quite pricey? I picked up a piece of Christmas fabric the other day and it was $11.99 a yard. Of course, there's always the coupon offers !!!!!!!!!

Have a good day.while quilting>>>> MaryJane

Charlee wrote I had a similar experience at the LQS near my house. I was getting to ready to buy a new machine and stopped in to see if they could share some general knowledge with me about Brothers. I also wanted to see their notions and fabric set. I was immeidately assisted by an older man and when I told him that I only wanted to spend $200 he looked aghast and in a VERY rude tone said "OH. Well those are cheap machines and we don't carry that. If you buy a machine at a big chain store you'll get a cheap machine. I've got that one for $199." He then pointed at the entry level Singer machine that sells at Walmart for $79.99.

He made me feel inferior and unwelcome. I will never return there.

I love quilting but I do find that there is a certain segment of snobs that look down upon the economy quilter like myself. I quilt for fun and pleasure - I don't need to know that my quilt top was made of high end artist designed brand name fabric and batting made from sheep sheared a mountain in the himalayas. :)

So, if they're not a real quilt shop, does this mean they are a fake quilt shop?

I was kind of wondering if the quilts that have solids in them are actually NOT quilts? :wink: :lol:

I think perhaps the problem might be in the way many of the LQS owners you all describe think of their shops. By the sound of the issues many of you have with them, these owners do not treat their shops as a business. They do not apply sound business principles...convenient hours, friendly service, competitive prices, that kind of thing. In a good business model, the customers come first and the owner strives to keep them coming back by meeting their needs and offering new ideas and services.

I'm betting many of your shops opened up because the owner wanted to hang out with her quilting friends in a place where she could buy what she wanted to buy, offer classes she wanted to offer and be open the hours she wanted to be open all while making a salary and claiming the costs as business expenses. It's understandable, but it's not professional. That's not a business, it's a club and as a non-member, no wonder you feel like you don't belong!

You're right, that's exactly how I felt, like I didn't belong.

Excellent point!

If they're not treating their shops as a business then I can pretty much guarantee they're not making a profit and not even making enough money to draw a salary.

I'm a tax lady and I've done taxes for one of my LQSs. She had almost 70K in sales and "only" lost a little more than a thousand. She didn't take a cent in salary.

And this year sales have dropped so much that she's taken a second job and her son is running the shop one day a week.

I would love to shop at the LQS's around here, but I work 40-50 hrs a week. None of the shops that I know of are open in the evenings or Sundays. That leaves only Saturday for me to see what's there and I have alot of other things I have to do on Saturdays. I'd also love to take some classes, but they are all during the week during the day, so once again, it leaves me out in the cold. The Joanne's in town has raised their prices so much over the past year that I will only buy there if they are having a sale. So, I end up buying my fabric online, which I hate to do 'cause I'm one of those tactile people who really wants/needs to see and touch in person. :cry: