What's happening with quilt shows?
 

I drove 3 hours to the Lancaster Quilt show yesterday only to be VERY disappointed! Last years show in Williamsburg left me wanting more also! Yes there were beautiful quilts displayed but the vendor area was dismal! A friend and I have always dreamed of going to Paducah, but if this is what the shows are like these days, we're not sure if we want to make the trip. What has anyone else seen around the country?

ditto what Tartan said. There just aren't as many vendors anymore. I quit buying fabric in 2001, so it might be my fault :) And the bigger vendors who only do mail order...well how many times can you do a show and see their stock over and over?

I'm hoping to go to the Chicago- area Quilt Festival next Saturday. I hope it's not disappointing - I've never been to a big quilt show before. I'll be happy to report!

A vendor once told me for her "It's five thousand out the door"

I went to the April show in Paducah in 2016 with my dear daughter. It was wonderful, so much to see and buy. Plenty of vendors, quilts and quilters. It took us two days to see everything at the Convention Center, then we went to the Rotary building to see the Antique quilts. I even got a chance to shop at Hancocks for fabric. It was a great trip for me and I would go again.

I go to see the quilts, so I am never disappointed.

The Houston Quilt Festival is somewhat smaller than it has been in previous years. There are a lot of online vendors that show there are well as brick and mortar. As far as "seeing their stock over and over" I go to the Houston Show every year and have favorite vendors. I never feel like I see the same stock over and over. After all, there is new fabric coming out every year so there's always something new. And I love the quilts. They are just awesome every year. I always think I don't know how they can top last years, but they always do.

I talked to vendor in grandrapids qshow and she said she wasn`t coming back
with the high price and paying help to man the store plus hotel expenses just not worth it
my husband noticed the sparse vendors after we went the sec time
Gale

I haven't been to Lancaster in a number of years. I have not been to the NJ Quilt Fest in a few years either but did notice the last time I was there the reduced number of vendors.

While the quilts at any show are always spectacular, I think many of attend shows to also see new products; methods; etc.

I imagine the cost for vendors to participate has increased significantly in the last several years. As others have said, with many brick & mortar stores closing and only doing online, this changes the landscape, I'm sure, for show organizers as well. The fewer vendors available, the greater the individual participant cost thus driving down the number of participants. It's a downward spiral waiting to happen, unfortunately.

My observation at the last NJ Quilt Fest I attended...many, many longarm vendors and demonstrators. Very few vendors selling fabric; tools; etc. I'm not in the market for a long arm machine but I can almost always be sucked into a few tools from other vendors.