Changes in LQS inventory
 

I met the owner of the LQS at the grocery store yesterday, and in the course of our conversation she mentioned because the higher end fabrics are getting so expensive (partially due to the super-high shipping to and from the distributors) a lot of her regular customers have decided to stop buying them. In response, she said they feel that they are being forced to take on some new, less expensive lines in the hopes of retaining their old customers. I hope this strategy works out for her as she has always offered such beautiful lines of fabric and is a stickler for quality control, often returning fabrics that didn't meet her standards. Guess it is just a sign of the times.

One of my go-to quilt shops where I used to live has never carried the new lines of fabric. Instead the owner buys from a source that sells "leftovers" from older lines. As a result the shop can sell high quality (but slightly outdated) fabrics for much less. I don't typically look for the latest designs, and I don't try to buy several fabrics from the same line - and I like a bargain - so this approach appeals to me. Buying lesser quality fabrics, however, would not appeal to me.

sighhhh.... I would utilize my local quilt shop more if they would just offer more classes, but they just want to sell fabric.

I won't buy $12.99 a yard fabric on whim because I like it. Less expensive fabric I will buy just because I like it. I always shop the sales at the quilt shops. One here offers 75% off end of bolt sales once year to make room for new fabric. I stock up at sales. An employee at the shop is a friend of mine. She says the shop still makes a profit even at 75% off. The fabrics on sale are the ones with the highest profit margin.

I think this is a smart strategy. One of my pet peeves is all the shops in my area carry all the same lines and manufacturers! Wouldn't you think it smart to carry something that no one else in the area has?

It's a smart strategy. I have switched to "off brands" for blenders and solids. I just don't see myself paying 12.00 a yard for a blender fabric. No the quality is not the same. The feel is not the same. But, at some point, it doesn't matter.

Having been a manager at a quilt shop, I know that selling good quality fabric at 75% off would not make a profit. We would just break even at 50% off. Unless someone is really getting a great deal on a clearance fabric, then jacking the price above normal retail.