Lori S

I was pretty dedicated to the LQS , believing I was supporting the local economy and if you donlt support it .. it will dissappear. I have a pretty good spending habit of about $150 per month. Some more some less.
About a year and a half ago i really starting to feel like I was just a "wallet" , being pressured into the newest book ,or gismo. I had been taking my quilts their as well for LA services. Well lets just say I was not treated fairly when it came to price and service. I had gotten confirmation as to when my quilts ( 3 of them) would be quilted .. that day came and went and I would stop by weekly to see when they would be done. The promised date came and went by weeks , and everythime more quilts were being put infront of mine. When asked I would keep getting the same response "yours are next". Well one had very specific instructions as to the density of the computer quilting... and I was charged double the normal cost. I mentioned when I picked it up ithe quilting looked more sparse than I expected ... I was told" OH no that is almost twice the density.. as you wanted" Come to find out , as I had one from earlier in the year , same quilting pattern , the density was exaclty the same. So did I feel "taken" ...yep ... and at that moment my LQS lost its integrity . My Dad had a expression it only takes "one oh SH.T to wipe out a whole bunch of atta boys". In my case I gave it my best ... I don't think the LQS gave me their best in return.
I frequent board members shops.

decky

I probably have one of the best quilt shops around, staff is great, fabric is wonderful and suits anyones taste. It is about 45 minutes from where I live, but do buy from her when I need something. I don't buy online. She is moving her shop to the city that I live in because she needs more room and these days that is not the norm.

Nanaquilts44

I shop both locally and online. I buy most of my backing fabrics online in good sales.

QuiltnLady1

I have 3 shops pretty close. One is very unfriendly and always pushing me to buy more -- and there are some other issues as well. The other two are nice, friendly shops and they carry different fabrics. I do shop online when I want to buy something the shops don't carry (like Michael Miller fabric -- it seems there are major ongoing issues with the stores getting their order in a timely manner). I also buy notions online since the shops only carry a limited assortment. That said, I am trying to use my stash for most of my work right now.

I do ask for gift certificates for Christmas .

MOBRIDGE MOM

I live 100 miles or more from any kind of quilt shop so I do most of my shopping on line. That being said I find I can't pick a fabric here and another one from over there and hope they will work together, have to shop a collection of fabrics. I've bought fabric that I loved on line and then when I got it -- was disappointed.

cat65321

I went to my local store today. She is not always very friendly especially if you don't buy strictly from her. I took a scrappy quilt (most of my scraps came from fabric I purchased from her) in to match thread to start quilting it over the holidays and she would barely give me the time of day. The store was not busy and the clerk that helped me said people are not buying the fabric because it is expensive. I want to take a class from her, but not sure I want to spend the money. The class is Radiant Star by Eleanor Burns. I have purchased online and have been quite pleased with the fabric.

SouthPStitches

I'd like to be able to purchase more from my LQS but to be perfectly honest, have never been real crazy about their fabric choices. Venture to say more than 75% of their inventory is blatantly floral. Plus, very rare for there to be a sale of any kind. Still, I'm grateful to have them so close by and supplement from them when I can. Most of my purchasing is on line lately because of the sales. Nothing beats going into a quilt store and actually looking at and feeling the fabric.

ghostrider

It was me that posted those stats, and they are actually a bit low. It's closer to 68 cents on the dollar that stays local going for payroll, taxes, advertising, fuel suppliers and other local independent small businesses. 'Community' is a broader word than just one neighborhood or town. You do have a vested interest in people buying online, and I accept that, but please check into the stats before you dismiss them as false.

knlsmith

I love going to pretty much all the LQS in my area. Hickory Stick is about 70 miles, the Clothesline in Avon is about 40 miles, Ma"s Got a Notion in Havana is 30, and Peace n Appliques in Rochester is 70. My hubby goes with mosy of the time and we always have fun at all of them. We don't do much else other than hunting and fshing so it makes for a nice day out. And I always get lunch and a margarita.

Jim

We don't have a local Fabric store so I can't be loyal to something that doesn't exists. I consider myself a Faithful customer though....I faithfully buy too much fabric from several fabric stores...all chains...nothing local