I TRY to support my LQSs, I really do. I want them to be there when I need something fast and in a pinch! Problem being, *I* think my money looks so much better in my pocket than it does in theirs!

I went to a LQS/Sewing store to check on a FMQ foot for my Janome. $79.95! I don't have that kind of money...so I came home and looked online. I found both the closed and the open toe feet for less that $30 with shipping! I was totally amazed...what makes for that kind of difference in pricing?

I know the stores have overhead, and expenses to pay, but sheese...

Whatever the market will bear. This is why many LQS go out of business. I try to support the locals, but I live on a limited budget and often times the chains have equally good fabrics, etc. at less expensive prices. You may not get the same service, but....

Maybe it's a case of no overhead. No rent, employee salaries, etc. I know what you mean about the money looking good in your pocket. These days we're all trying to save wherever we can.

i may be off-base, but i've more-or-less come to the conclusion that all but the huge LQS are out of touch with the times. they seem content to cater to women who don't need to work outside the home to make ends meet.

first clue? their hours. the nearest shop to me is only open 4-1/2 days a week! it opens late and closes early. by the time i'm done work, it's too late to go. that means if i want to shop there, i have to arrange my whole saturday to their convenience. none seem to be open on sundays.

it's a bit of a shame, really. although her prices are higher than most of the places i shop online, they are (1) lower than a great many of the hoity-toity online shops; and (2) often "low" enough to compete when i need something special and want to buy in-person.

i guess my money isn't green enough to count. :lol:

I know exactly what you mean...our LQS is owned by a lovely person, but her opening hours are a little odd and as the shopping centre the store is in is a little out of the way....so often I give it a miss and make a list for when I go to our next regional centre about 30 mins away. There are 2 large chains, plus a quite large LQS there so usually I can find what I need between the three.

I try and support our LQS, but fabrics are limited and far more expensive than the larger stores, so mostly I buy thread or small bits and pieces. Reality is, most of us don't have large amounts of money to splash out just to keep the little guys going....sad, but true of our times.

My LQS seldom has more than 2 other people shopping in it whenever I have stopped in. They have to pay their 2 worker's whether they only have a couple of shoppers or a store full...they could drop their prices and could more than make up for it by sales volume.
Their yardage averages $9 up and one does have a wall of $5 fabric, but most has been sitting there for the last 6 months....truly what no one wants...

I understand what you are saying. I have an LQS that I love and do often buy fabric there, but would never consider buying backing fabric or muslin there. I especially would never think of buying a notion there that I could find at Joanns or Hobby Lobby with a coupon for much less.
But they are very helpful, free FQ with every purchase (no matter how small), good classes and good fabric selelction and reasonable hours.
But I usually find myself buying my books at Amazon and my notions with a coupon.
They are usually busy enough, but still find time to help you and ask about any projects.

I think that with the economy being the way it is...we all have to tighten our belts to some extent, and they need to realize with chain stores around the corner they are sending us there when a lot of us would rather keep our money local and support the smaller business people. But I only have so much to spend each month and have to go where the prices fit MY budget.

[quote=PatriceJ]i may be off-base, but i've more-or-less come to the conclusion that all but the huge LQS are out of touch with the times. they seem content to cater to women who don't need to work outside the home to make ends meet.

first clue? their hours.

Patrice I think you are absolutely correct based on an experience I had about six years ago. I wanted a Bernina machine so I decided to try one out before spending that kind of money (it wasn't a top of the line model). I went to the only quilt shop in my area that sells them and asked if I could try one. As I was sewing, the bobbin thread kept tangling on the back of the practice piece. I jokingly said, why is that happening is it me? And the lady said "it must be". I was a bit put off by that. Then I asked about additional feet and the cost. I thought they were quite expensive, I asked her if I could use the snap-on feet that I already have and her response was "why would you want to". I got up and walked out of the shop, but I was so embarrassed. Let me just say that I would handle the situation very differently today. :twisted:

Sorry, I can never get the quote thing right. Grrrrrrr!!!

I do agree that their prices tend to be much higher than on-line and their hours are horrible for working people. On the other hand, I think that something has to be said about the fact that your LQS gives you the advantage of picking up an item that you need right away. Isn't it wonderful to need something and go there pick it up and having it right now rather than days or even weeks later?

Also keep in mind that after you pay shipping the price will be higher than listed. I prefer to pay a little more and be able to touch my fabrics and get the true colors rather than guessing from printed pictures. If you get a defective item you can exchange right away instead of waiting for weeks for a box to put it in and then mail it and wait for a replacement or even worse, you having to pay for the shipping on the return.

When I put all this things into perspective, I have to love my LQS even if it charges me more.

With that being said, I keep an eye open to make sure they don't over do it with the charges and I wish they had better hours. I have had to rush from work to make sure I am in before closing time, but sometimes if I call and let them know I am coming they wait for me.

Maria

the first time i saw LQS prices i nearly fainted. i swore then and there that i would NEVER take my business to an LQS.

since then, i've gained more experience shopping for quilting fabrics and supplies. i've learned to compare LQS to online prices by adding in the cost of shipping before i do the next-level math. (of course, since my nearest LQS is an hour away, i also have to factor in my time, gas, and the inevitable who-can-go-to-savannah-and-NOT-stop-for-lunch? expenses.)

the LQS nearest me usually has a very nice selection of fabs on sale. her regular prices average $1 less per yard than other LQS i've seen in person and online. in fact, at least half of the yardage in the joann's down the road are priced higher and none of them are nearly as nice. her notions are priced competitively when compared to almost any other source. they're very nice people. i could go on. suffice it to say that i could write a nice long list of compliments.

my intent is not to "slam" this LQS or others. i enthusiastically recommend it often to others i know like to shop in LQS.

still, as an individual, i remain stuck on two key points which seem to apply to LQS in general. all but the sale fabs are priced higher than i normally pay online - shipping included. and i have to rearrange my life to shop there.

if LQS are content (and can stay in business) catering to a narrow slice of the market, and if their customers are content to cater to the convenience of the LQS, i say "more power" to all involved. freedom of choice and all that.

it simply does not work for me. and i won't "work for them." :roll: :lol:

Maybe part of the price difference in the feet was brand name at the LQS vs. generic online?

I have to agree with Maride, I much prefer shopping locally. I have several wonderful quilt shops within an hour's drive and seldom buy fabric online anymore. I was often so disappointed with the colors, textures, and quality when I did that I wound up spending more to "correct" the situation than I would have if I'd just stayed local. :roll:

Several shops here are open at least one evening a week, all are open six days a week for at least seven hours. One is open seven days, nine hours a day, eight on Sunday. I have never, ever had any complaints with customer service at any of them and have written more than once to thank them for exceptional service. I know how very lucky I am to have them so close and will do my part to keep them here. :oops:

No, I don't have money to burn, but I'd much rather spend what I have to benefit neighbors than send it all over the country to strangers. If someone here keeps their job because of that, so much the better! :D

I know what you mean. I'd love to shop more at my LQS because I want to support the local shops, but not to the tune of paying double for fabric that I can get at the big chain store in the city or online. Luckily, my LQS sells really good batting at a very reasonable price, so I buy my batting, and the occasional FQ at my LQS, and most of my fabric and notions either online of from the big chains.

Jan

I won't support a LQS that has snobitude. Just because the store is local doesn't mean a thing to me.

I have one shop about 20 miles away that I LOVE! Go in, and the owner is chipper, glad to see me, and ever-so-willing to help. I try to buy at least one or two things from her every time I go, because I want her to succeed. I'm willing to pay a bit more for those few items.

The shop in the town where I live however...my sis in law, Peggy (candella59) went in there one day without me. Peggy is a brand new sewer/quilter....in the past two months, she's done just two projects, and they are her first. She's also quite shy and embarrasses easily. She wanted a solid for a border for her first quilting project, a set of placemats. The old snag in this shop informed her that "this is a REAL quilt shop, and REAL quilt shops don't carry solids." :shock: Peggy asked if that was something then, that she would have to pick up somewhere like Joanne's. OMG! You'd have thought she'd asked the woman if she was wearing panties that day! She had a sarcastic remark for Peggy, who left the shop nearly in tears... we don't go back there at all....

The shop where I saw the presser foot for my machine? Beautiful big store...and the folks are friendly when they pay attention to you...but way over priced in my opinion. Considering that I'm a beginner, I can't see paying $120 for the fabric to make a quilt top that I know is going to turn out less than perfect at this point. I'm still "practicing"... so the LQSs aren't going to be making much profit from me for awhile until I get more confident. I just can't afford to pay $80 for ONE foot when I can get two for less than $30...as much as I would love to have them stay in business and be there for me when I need them, I can't do it...
~sigh~

OK, don't hit me -- but I LOVE my LQS!! Their prices are very reasonable -- most fabric is $5.95 yd. They have lots of patterns and "gadgets". Their hours are reasonable and the only thing I don't like is they're closed on Wednesdays....They have great classes at reasonable prices (most are $20/$25). And the service? Well, it just can't be beat!! I took my blue/yellow blocks from the swap and said, "help me". Well, they picked out a beautiful green that coordinates with other greens in the blocks as well as brings out the pretty blues and yellows. (I have the fabric cut to finish the top and it's next on the list so hopefully I can show it soon.) They also have a "card" system -- each time you spend any money, they punch your card and when it's full ($200), you get $20 off. (They also round "up" the amount so you don't actually spend $200 before your card is full...)

I just don't know what I'd do without them.... :D :D

i think the luvable LQSs far outnumber the SnobShops. thank goodness!

sewjoyce, i don't want to hit you for loving that shop. i might want to smack you around a little, though, if you didn't appreciate such a jewel. my only complaint is that it's too far away to shop there myself! :cry:

i'm tempted, sometimes, to exploit an LQS for research and then buy elsewhere. i might do it, too, if they treated me badly enough. for the mostpart, though, i'd want to show my [secret] appreciation for the chance to preview my purchases in person. if they had what i wanted but i truly couldn't pay their prices, i'd hunt around until i found something i could afford and buy it. fair is fair and, after all, they provided a valuable service - whether they knew it or not. :wink:

LQS lightbulb for my sewing machine $30.00
Online $15.99
Why would I want to support the LQS? I could'nt believe the difference.

The LQS near me is way overpriced, and the people there are just mean. The couple times I've gone in there, they looked at me like I was a freak (yes, I'm younger than the average quilter, but come on), and they ignored me when I tried to get help. So I just don't go there anymore.

I'm lucky in that there's a fabric outlet not too far from my house -- last year's designer fabrics for between $2.98 and $5.98, and the place is HUGE. They also have cheaper fabric for $1.89, which has been a real godsend for me as I'm practicing my machine quilting. The newer stuff in the front of the store is $8.98, but I avoid that stuff, because I'm cheap ;)

I had a real good laugh a few weeks back -- they had this nice looking green fabric with gold stars selling for $1.89, which I grabbed a couple of yards of for some Christmas projects. Went to Joann's later that day, and they had the same exact fabric selling for $8.99!

was that the darning foot? it has a spring on the shaft. i have two of them and dont' remember them being that much money. but i have a Janome MC4800.

Yeppers....that would be the one...

I believe each LQS has it's own personality. The one that was CLOSEST to me was the worst - she was so busy with her classes or her own projects that she never had the time of day for any casual customer. One that went out of business (due to not enough business) was run by an older couple who just wanted to provide a place for ladies to come in and spend their time there... so sweet. The one I usually go to - I feel like Norm walking in to Cheers!! :) I took my stepdaughters in to choose their fabrics - they got a big kick out of it!! Then there's THE one - too far to go often but when I walked in after not having been there in almost a year - they REMEMBERED me!!! I was shocked...

I am one of those 'women who don't work outside the home' but still have a schedule to keep and don't always get to go during open hours either but if I really want to quilt with their fabric or buy whatever - I just work my schedule around theirs!!!

I paid $39.99, here in Canada, from the shop where I bought my Janome.

I know my LQS owner from my quilt guild. She really takes a personal interest in all of her customers and treats them well. I can't get down to her shop as often as I'd like. I shop sales and the clearance racks. I buy books there, but not often, because I like the immediate gratification. Her fabric is good quality and that's important.

I also shop another place that's closer to my work when I need something right away. They don't have a lot of fabric, but I can usually find something that works.

I also shop at a store in Shipshewana in Indiana Amish country that has good fabric and good prices. The staff are very helpful.

I guess I like shopping in person. I haven't seen prices that are that good on the internet once you figure in the shipping and I don't always want to spend a big chunk of money ($50 or more) to get free shipping. Plus I don't trust color matching online.

I like supporting my LQS's because of the "extras" they provide in service and accessibility.

That was long. Sorry.

I have to add something, too. There's a Husqvarna dealer in the JoAnn's. They don't carry bobbins to fit my #1+ in the store because it is too old. I have to go online to buy them because that's the only place I can find them. So much for being close to a dealer. Two Husqvarna dealers have gone out of business in my town for different reasons, so I'm kind of stuck.

i agree with everyone i have left many quilt shops in my area to go somewhere that was not as exspensive a lady that works at one shop told me it was because of the quality of the things they sell is why they cost more ??? i dont understand that part because a ruler, thread or most anything else is the same brand everywhere

The local Mennonite shops are $2-3 less than the non-Menonite LQS. The quality is the same. Today, I stopped at one with my m-i-l--they have LOTS more than fabric than the last time I was there. I hadn't been to this one in years... I selected three bolts of black and white fabric for $5.98 a yard. There was a red dot on the bolt--which meant it was $2.98 a yard! I didn't know it until the young lass was ripping my yard off. :lol: They will be having red dot bolts from Nov-March since business is usually slow.

But--I did spend $130 several weeks ago at a LQS for flannel I couldn't find elsewhere--killed me to pay the price but it was for a Christmas gift. Usually I stick to their sale items only--$5 a yard.

Quilt in a Day website has awesome fabric--I paid $5 a yard with shipping! but--I prefer to see the colors in person.

Here's another LQS story... My sister and mother were quilting before I started and we had gone into the quilt shop a couple times together. They had so much beautiful fabric, room after room of it. A couple of years ago, when I first knew that I wanted to start to quilt, I went to the same quilt shop. I had decided to buy a kit. I knew that I would probably have to spend $150 or so, but I figured that way I would have everything I needed. the fabric would match, etc. So I went to the shop and couldn't get any help at all. I took my money and went to the Walmart store. I picked out a quilt pattern from the McCall's Quilting magazine that they had there and all the fabric to make the quilt for $35.00 and not the cheapest fabric that they had either. The quilt turned out beautifully, if fact..it's on the bed now. I went back a couple of other times and got treated the same way. Now there is another LQS in the same town. I go to the new one all the time. The woman who owns it and the women who work there are all great. Helpful. I have taken a couple of classes there too. The only time now that I go to the old store is when they are doing a shop hop. I might buy a fat quarter or charm pack there but that's all.
I try to visit other LQS when I go to other towns, some are good, some are bad. But I love the new one that I go to all the time.

[quote=ctquilter]Had just about the same thing at our fancy Bernina shop. No customers, also no help, not even a greeting when I went in ..... or left. Had the same thing at a fancy long arm dealer, sales clerks were busy chatting. And I didn't wear my overalls, really was dressed neatly. :D Lets just say that I've been to those shops twice.....the first time and the last time. Spent my hard earned $$ on a Janome & love it. :lol:

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: