Are you loyal to your quilt shop or do you shop online?
 

I have been very loyal to my local quilt shop owner, but now I tend to shop online more than buying from her. I take my quilts to her to have them long armed so I know she knows I buy the fabric elsewhere, but she thinks I go to other shops close by. I feel guilty, but I can save money and I have so many more options in fabric if I shop online. I am now doing about 80% of my shopping online. I notice that my quilt shop doesn't have the latest fabrics. I'm thinking it's because more people are shopping online. I hate for her to go out of business, but she isn't stocking any new fabrics. Are you shopping online or being loyal to the local quilt shops?​

The nearest quilt shop I'll go to is 65 miles north of here. She's pretty much a Hoffman fan and stocks mostly Hoffman florals. The next shop is another 35 miles north. She has a small shop but stocks a nice variety. Then if you go another 35 miles west from there, there's a really nice big shop with a good variety. But that's more than 100 miles one way. So if I'm looking for something specific or an inexpensive backing fabric I generally shop online. But I don't shop all that much anywhere. I have a nice size stash of fabrics that work together and can easily pull enough fabric for a queen size quilt except for possibly the backing.

A group of us (and many others) are not loyal to the quilt shop just minutes from us and she carries beautiful fabric. BUT it is not a friendly shop at all. Instead we travel 1hr and 15 min to another quilt shop where it is just so delightful to visit!! The owner is fabulous. She has her own fabric line - patterns - is in many magazines and she loves people and we all love her! We spend at least 2 hrs in her store each visit as she makes it so fun and she has the latest and greatest. We have never been in her store that we didn't get a "lesson" on something or at least a demonstration. She promotes her whole town - on her web site she encourages shopping at the town stores and eating lunch out at the local eateries. She has been voted Business Woman of the Year several times!! If groups let her know they are coming, they have a full day at the shop! We can't wait to go see all her new findings in January!

I have been loyal for a long time, but owner is not purchasing anything new. It's a catch 22. She has lowered her bills, but there is less draw for me to make a trip. I have started purchasing my focal fabric online and getting blenders from her, but those are getting really picked over. I understand scaling back to fit the traffic, but at some point it is detrimental. You have to spend money sometimes to make it. That being said, I'll try to spend local before going online, but I am shopping around.

In her defense, when I worked there, most customers were retirees on fixed incomes. So I KNOW she has been hit really hard by the economic slowdown. And she has made it abundantly clear that if lack of business forces her to close up, there will be no sales or new ownership. The shop will just close and inventory goes to the compitition.

Where I live, we have a wonderful supportive quilt shop. I say supportive, because he really cares about our guild and helps us in every way he can. We try very hard to be loyal, but when it comes to tight budgets for a rather expensive obsession, you need to do what is best for you, too.

I shop at my LQS about once a month if $ permits it. About once a month I will also take a 2hr drive south and hit the 2 fabric shops in Wenatchee. I don't like to shop for fabric on line, I need to see it and touch it before I buy, but thats just my way of deciding if a piece will work for me. LOL The way things are going I'll be using more stash and less new fabric.

I am loyal to my local quilt shop to a point. I have her do most of my quilting, but am saving at least one quilt back until I can find someone to do the custom work I want done on it. I realize that business is not good for anyone, but I have to spend my $ where I can get the best buy. There are a couple of places I shop on line because I have learned that I will get quality fabric from them. There are 3 quilt shops locally, one is closing, one is staying status quo, and one is expanding.

I live 50 plus miles from any quilt shop so usually it is day of shopping (not just fabric) to warrant going that far. But I also shop at Joann's and Hancock plus order online when there are good sales. Such a sad thing but with economy the way it is, we have to be smart shoppers.

I live in a large Canadian city with many LQS's, but with prices starting at $15 a metre, I shop online a lot, or at Fabricland which has great sales.