I cheated on my LQS
08-15-2012, 11:04 AM
#51
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 4,688
I shop at 2 of the 3 LQS near by (7-10 miles). The third is so unfriendly and they really push you buying their sewing machines and give you a cold shoulder if you don't buy a machine.
I also buy online and appreciate the lower prices but my inspiration comes from the LQS. I will say, I shop their sales more often than just drop in, and DH gives me gift certificates for my BD and Christmas from them. I try to save money, but the LQS give me service I can't get anywhere else.
I also buy online and appreciate the lower prices but my inspiration comes from the LQS. I will say, I shop their sales more often than just drop in, and DH gives me gift certificates for my BD and Christmas from them. I try to save money, but the LQS give me service I can't get anywhere else.
08-15-2012, 11:16 AM
#52
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
Posts: 1,547
Shop where it's most convenient and the most helpful for your circumstances. Some people need a lot of help so the LQS would be the place to go, but please buy from them if you expect them to help you out. Yes, I've heard that some of them are not so helpful no matter what, but most of them are quilters and love what they do and are more than willing to help. If you don't need much help, or you live too far, or you can't afford LQS prices, then shop online or discount stores. Just have fun and make some quilts! I have an online shop but I don't sell everything the LQS has. I "specialize" in pre-cuts, and I know not everyone uses them, but that's all I have room for if I want to keep it a home-based business. I send people to my LQS if they need yardage or notions or classes. The LQS sends people to me if the need pre-cuts that they don't have. They also have a website. We are both small businesses so we help each other out.
08-15-2012, 11:36 AM
#53
Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Indiana
Posts: 12
You are so right. Three quilt shops that I used to go to have closed. Now if I want to buy fabric other than at JoAnn's, I have and hour drive. Sure wished they wouldn't have closed as they always had just what I needed including all the help they gave me.
Originally Posted by jcrow
I love my LQS and the owner. We are good friends. I have to drive 45 minutes to her shop and she gives me 15% off. Well, I've been buying online now and again and a few days ago I went into her shop and noticed that her inventory is down quite a bit. She has a building behind her store with lots of long tables for classes and she keeps it open for anyone to come sew anytime they want. The day I went I could hardly find a place to shop because all the gals were sewing in the shop out back. They were having a great time together. Dawn says they do that all the time. I use to only shop from her and her shop was loaded with fabric and kits. Not so anymore. I think many people are shopping online now, getting better prices and more selection, and Dawn's shop is affected. I feel just horrible. I went there to pick up my quilt that her LAer quilted. Well, I bought a layer cake, but I needed a charm pack really, so she cut the layer cake into 5" squares for me while I waited. What a nice human being she is. And I bought more fabric from her that I didn't need but felt that I owed her. I had a king quilt and she squared it up for me for free, as usual. We visited for an hour. One person came in during that time. Not like the old days. I know prices are high at quilt shops, but she isn't trying to rip anyone off. She is making a business.
She goes out of her way for me all the time. I call her whenever I have a problem sewing and need some math and she helps me. She knows I'm not good at picking out fabric, so she makes me kits out of fabric I like. I told her I was in a funk and needed to take a quilt class to get back into quilting and she asked me which teacher I wanted and then showed me a couple of patterns that I could choose from and then she wrote up a class. Just because I needed it. She is the greatest. And I've been cheating on her. If I would have spent my money in her shop, she would have more fabric, I guarantee it. I spend a lot of money on fabric. I think a lot of us are shopping on line now to get better deals and more selection and we are hurting our LQSs.
I am going to stop online shopping for now. I know she doesn't have a lot of fabric I want, but she has the best eye for blending fabrics together. So, I will for now pick out a piece of fabric from her shop and have her make me a kit again. I need to be loyal. You know, she sells me 2" of fabric, if I need only that. She is all about the customer. She is everyone's best friend. She let me pick the teacher and the pattern and made a class just to get me back into sewing again. You can't find that online. She's the one who bound my last quilt because I don't like binding quilts and the gal that does it for her was unavailable. She cut all the 2 1/2" strips and sewed them together. She did it all. And charged me very reasonable. I bought fabric for the backing of a quilt I brought over and she took the backing fabric home and sewed it together...she even threw in a strip of another fabric to jazz it up...all for free. What online shop would even care about that?
I think we all need to think about buying online and at stores that aren't quilt shops. What are we going to do if they all go out of business???? I rely on her so much. She helps me pick out what quilt pattern to use on my quilt. She teaches me the short cuts. She tells me which books to buy and which aren't worth my money. I take my quilt to be quilted to her and she sends it out and when she gets it back, she pays the LAer out of her till and holds on to my quilt until my payday until I can pay her. She ever said I could take my quilt and write a post dated check. What online store would do that?
I say we celebrate our local quilt stores again. They got us quilting. Let's keep them in business!!!! We don't even know who the online store owners are. Could be big companies who don't quilt and maybe not even a woman in sight.
She has my back. And she wants me to succeed. And I want her to succeed. I think we all need to support our local quilt stores and quit complaining about the extra money. She's not getting rich at her shop.
She goes out of her way for me all the time. I call her whenever I have a problem sewing and need some math and she helps me. She knows I'm not good at picking out fabric, so she makes me kits out of fabric I like. I told her I was in a funk and needed to take a quilt class to get back into quilting and she asked me which teacher I wanted and then showed me a couple of patterns that I could choose from and then she wrote up a class. Just because I needed it. She is the greatest. And I've been cheating on her. If I would have spent my money in her shop, she would have more fabric, I guarantee it. I spend a lot of money on fabric. I think a lot of us are shopping on line now to get better deals and more selection and we are hurting our LQSs.
I am going to stop online shopping for now. I know she doesn't have a lot of fabric I want, but she has the best eye for blending fabrics together. So, I will for now pick out a piece of fabric from her shop and have her make me a kit again. I need to be loyal. You know, she sells me 2" of fabric, if I need only that. She is all about the customer. She is everyone's best friend. She let me pick the teacher and the pattern and made a class just to get me back into sewing again. You can't find that online. She's the one who bound my last quilt because I don't like binding quilts and the gal that does it for her was unavailable. She cut all the 2 1/2" strips and sewed them together. She did it all. And charged me very reasonable. I bought fabric for the backing of a quilt I brought over and she took the backing fabric home and sewed it together...she even threw in a strip of another fabric to jazz it up...all for free. What online shop would even care about that?
I think we all need to think about buying online and at stores that aren't quilt shops. What are we going to do if they all go out of business???? I rely on her so much. She helps me pick out what quilt pattern to use on my quilt. She teaches me the short cuts. She tells me which books to buy and which aren't worth my money. I take my quilt to be quilted to her and she sends it out and when she gets it back, she pays the LAer out of her till and holds on to my quilt until my payday until I can pay her. She ever said I could take my quilt and write a post dated check. What online store would do that?
I say we celebrate our local quilt stores again. They got us quilting. Let's keep them in business!!!! We don't even know who the online store owners are. Could be big companies who don't quilt and maybe not even a woman in sight.
She has my back. And she wants me to succeed. And I want her to succeed. I think we all need to support our local quilt stores and quit complaining about the extra money. She's not getting rich at her shop.
08-15-2012, 11:38 AM
#54
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 489
I used to work at a Quilt shop and it was wonderful until they had to close. I now shop at a few other LQS but they are further away and don't always have the fabrics that I care for. {some shops are geared towards batiks and brights some towards primitives and civil war etc.} So...I shop online and get what I want in fabric choices.
08-15-2012, 11:50 AM
#55
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 154
I wish our LQS in Lansing, E-Lansing was friendly, they are so rude. I like going to the Quilt store in Frandor
(Lansing) and love the quilt store in Portland----my husband likes this one also. "Got him trained" lol
Lana
the Quilting Dreamer
Lansing, MI
(Lansing) and love the quilt store in Portland----my husband likes this one also. "Got him trained" lol
Lana
the Quilting Dreamer
Lansing, MI
08-15-2012, 04:15 PM
#56
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Merritt Island, FL
Posts: 672
I don't usually plan to buy large quantities of fabric so shopping online becomes expensive with the shipping. I live 3 miles from Hancock, about 4 from Walmart, 8 from one LQS, 3 1/2 from another and about 9 from another. I buy what I must from Hancock and some of their sale fabrics as well. I buy a little from Walmart but may buy more as they have doubled the size of their fabric area. BUT, I buy the quality fabric from the LQS 8 miles away when I go there once a month for our "Saturday Sampler". With the cost of gas, I feel that I must buy wherever I am closest to when I need to make a purchase. I like using as much as possible from my excessive stash and just fill in with purchases when necessary. (or when I see something that I absolutely cannot live without, lol)
08-15-2012, 04:39 PM
#57
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 3,511
I have no LQS. I must travel a minimum of 45 minutes in any direction, to find a LQS--and never know if they will have what I need. Plus our Canadian prices are always at least 1/3 more than online. The fact that I have a DH who works in the US and is willing to have my orders shipped to his hotel, makes a tremendous difference in mail cost too. Just recently, I purchased some fabric from our Members' sale board. The shipping to my home address was more than DOUBLE than to DH's hotel AND there was no duty, AND it arrived in TWO DAYS!!
When I am travelling, I always check out and support any LQS I come across and, for the most part, have been thrilled with the service and quality of goods. Quantity, I agree, sometimes is lacking but I know how expensive it must be, to maintain such an amount of stock.
When I am travelling, I always check out and support any LQS I come across and, for the most part, have been thrilled with the service and quality of goods. Quantity, I agree, sometimes is lacking but I know how expensive it must be, to maintain such an amount of stock.
08-15-2012, 05:08 PM
#58
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: leland nc
Posts: 443
there are many times when i feel my visit to the lqs doesn't last long enough. a place, like on the porch you mentioned, to sit before and after the sale extends the feeling of appreciation i have for the entire experience.
Originally Posted by auntpiggylpn
I love my LQS! It is about a 25-30 minute drive from my home. There is one that is about 10 minutes from my home where I bought my machine. I have been treated so poorly everytime I go in there that I refuse to give them any of my money. Since I purchased my machine 5 years ago, I can count on one hand the times I have been back to that shop and the amount I have spent in there (minus my machine) is less than $100. My favorite LQS is worth the drive. It is in an old house in the middle of a small town. There is a wrap around front porch with big wooden rocking chairs. Sometimes I just sit in one of them for a little bit before I go into the shop and sometimes when I am done shopping. The selection of fabrics is overwheming! The staff, including the owner, is always friendly and helpful. They greet each customer as they walk in the door and I know that smile on their face is genuine and sincere. We talk about quilting and everything else under the sun. This shop has a sale the first weekend of every month and they cater a free lunch for their customers. They also have email sales so if you are on their email list, you will get a special deal. I have spent more money there in the 2 years they have been open than I care to admit out loud. I do still shop online or here on the QB but it is usually for something the shop doesn't have. The owner has been talking since opening about going online. I hope they do that way I can order what I want and they will have it all cut for me when I go to pick it up. Sometimes, when I am feeling a little stressed and just overwhelmed by life itself, I will make the journey to "just look". As soon as I enter the shop, my mood feels lighter and all my troubles seem to vanish. I don't always buy when I am there but just to be surrounded by such wonderful people and the vast array of beautiful fabrics is the best medicine in the world. You can't get that from an online store, that's for sure!
08-15-2012, 05:20 PM
#59
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: leland nc
Posts: 443
if i feel treated in an unfriendly manner, i would speak to the owner...even if it is the owner. i figure that i may or may not see them in the future. if after a few more visits i feel the same way, i will tell the owner again why i will not come back...and i won't come back! perhaps it might make someone else's visit more pleasant.
Originally Posted by mhansen6
If my local quilt shops did what yours do I would shop only at them also. I went in to buy some batting for a flannel quilt yesterday and the owner just barked at me. I was just asking questions about the batting. There was no one else in the store and she was treating me like she was too busy to help me. This is typical for the stores around here. The closest store that treats me "special" is in Prineville. She is always helpful and really nice.
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