DogHouseMom

Friendly knowledgeable staff that seem genuinely interested in what your doing. I like staff that will come up and look at the scraps I'm holding then offer to help me find something to match - not the staffer that walks by and says "holler if you need me".

Well organized store with new fabrics shown in their "groups" and older fabrics sorted either by color, or type.

Plenty of room to stand back and look at the fabric in good lighting. There is a quilt shop in central Illinois that is SO PACKED with fabric that some aisles you can only go one way - sideways, and it's dark and the last thing I would want to hear while in that shop is the fire alarm!!

Sales!!

I like stash building with fat quarters, so availabilty and sales of these are a bonus.

A good selection of different styles. Went to a shop once that appeared to only sell fabric in the "Thimbleberry" range and well ...I like brights :)

Sue

MarthaT

If you're starting in my area...hire me...I would love to work in a LQS, make sample quilts, hug on everybody's kids while they shop, find out what others are doing and help them with their projects...just like I'd like to be treated if I were shopping there. One quilt shop I was in while visiting Colorado offered me a cup of hot tea to drink as I browsed through their shop that sold fabric and quilting notions as well as finished products and gifts. It was their special tea of the week that they were selling in their gift shop area. It was lovely (and I was very careful not to spill it on the merchandise). If you treat others the way you'd like to be treated, they'll come back.

Our little town is not big enough to support a fabric store. Several have attempted it, but they just haven't been able to invest in enough fabric to attract a lot of customers. When I'd shop, I'd get frustrated with such a small selection and would feel bad that I could not help them keep going. If you can't afford to open a full blown shop in an area that can support you, be careful. I'd hate to see you invest and lose it.

imayo

Hey, don't understand some shoppers - since we sew why can't you make your own bags. I've made my own grocery bags and some for others. I bring them everywhere. Plus I love finding new fabrics for bags.

Frankie

Wow this was a great topic, everyone is participating. Well I have two LQS close to me and the one I use is the one with the knowledgeable staff, and samples of quilts and other projects on the wall and hanging from the ceiling. I agree with one of the other comments that when I see something completed and like it I am more tempted to get the fabric at that point. Just before we headed south this past fall I went into my LQS and it was filled with lots of new projects and fabrics. Another thing I like is that I can see the classes online so if there is something I want I can get in on it. They have a room for classes and there is a nice big quilting machine that the staff use to do commissioned work. But the best part is that when you walk in the shop there are lots of samples of finished projects from classes offered to greet you. When you say to yourself "I love coming here" you know they are doing a good job.

azdesertrat

We have a quilt shop here in town that is open on sunday.the owner said if she ever opened a quilt shop she would be open on sundays,and she is,they are open 7 days a week

campy

That would be great I have a supportative husband and that would entertain him!

Boise Madhatter

Enough employees so that you don't have wait at the cutting table for 20 minute & another 20-30 minutes waiting at the cash register.

Friendly employees who are patient & nonjudgmental when a newbie asks a question. I agree with the younger quilters and the discrimination they are getting. I get the flip-side, with attitudes like "oh gosh you are just now learning to do this? or wow you know you might be to old to learn this at YOUR age"

I try to keep my sense of humor in cases like this but if I am planing on dropping some of my hard earn cash at at store; well why should I do it at a store that makes me feel badly about myself?

Frankie

Thought of something else, when I first started quilting I went into a quilt shop while on a trip and big mistake, I counted on the staff to know what they were doing. I asked them to look at the picture of the quilt and size and asked them to help me figure out how much of the three colors I needed. I bought what they told me I needed from their store and had to make two more trips, an hour each way before I had enough for the quilt but then they didn't have enough left for the border. Big bummer! .......Oh, I so love my EQ7.

campy

Great store

campy