Lori S

One word of caution ... be careful what you take as a much loved hobby and turn it into a business.

Dina

Our local university has a class on starting and running a small business. They also offer support to folks just thinking about it or already into it. It is run by the business department. Perhaps that could be something useful to you?

There is a wonderful old building for sell in my town and I would love to start a quilt shop there...but I am retired and don't want to do that. It is just fun thinking about it.

...As for the question you actually asked....I don't go to either of our two remaining LQS here in town. (One just went out of business...) The reason is that I feel obligated to buy something. The stores are always empty and the sales staff is eager to help. I do better if I can just browse, undisturbed, and even when I tell them I just want to browse or look around, they still seem to hover. It is particularly hard if I am carrying a piece of fabric to match. I do better in the stores where no one cares if I am there or not. Just me...

Good luck with whatever you decide. You have lots of good advice here, and you will know what is right for you. Researching like you are is certainly a good start.

Dina

Skyangel

This thread is very timely for me. I retired last summer and just started working 1day a week at a local shop that carries high-end machines and a small selection of fabric and notions. I've been a customer for years but thought this would be fun. The owner and other longtime employee are garment sewers. My perspective as a quilter may help them increase that trade. I'm a little nervous about making suggestions and having it not be successful. They are already suggesting that I teach some quilting classes. I'd like to try that but not sure what. I'll be watching this thread too.

DOTTYMO

I would stock fabric I want to own and make quilts with essential notions and good quality thread.
i would also find a group of quilters who could do classes for me in part of the shop using fabric from my shop. To begin with get quilters to make bags to carry cutting board and 24 inch ruler. They could do classes during the week or weekend. Need two kinds of classes newbies and established quilters with more difficult projects.
also see if you could get some dealer to loan new sewing machines with the aim to sell them. Also try to find a sewing machine repair man whom you can send machines from your customers.
Make a club where people can come if you have room to sandwich a quilt. Space at home usually a problem
last a person who can make the shelving, ike a good, and who will support in all ways

lastly plenty of quilts bags etc on show to show what you do.

AZ Jane

Just want to throw out there. I am fortunate to have several alternatives for purchasing quilt supplies living in Phoenix. There is one LQS I will not go back to because they bad mouth the competition instead of selling themselves. Tell me why I should go to your shop, not why the others are bad.

lclang

Unless you want to work 24/7 and not make much money I would not open a quilt shop. There are too many really good places to buy reasonably priced fabrics on line and all the good notions are available too. Fabric prices have risen over the last few years and you cannot compete with the big sellers who can do business on line and not pay rent, hire a lot of extra people, and perhaps pay taxes on a building (if you buy one). If you don't have a lot of money to invest I wouldn't do it. There is a really good quilt shop 50 miles from us in an area where there is lots of retirees and travelers and it has been for sale for years but no one wants to buy it because they are not making enough money to make it practical. The local quilt shop owner is hanging in there because she and Walmart are the only fabric sellers for many miles and I think they still depend largely on his income from his outside job. Also it is more than a full time job and you don't get any time to quilt for yourself. You would need to supplement with classes and perhaps online business in order to make it work.

romanojg

You first of all need to see if there is a need in your area for a quilt store. You also do need to research because some things in order to sell a line cost alot. One of the reasons you don't see Aurifil in a lot of stores because the initial set up is very costly. Can you find people to do classes that will help bring customers in to learn and also to buy. A couple of stores here (very successfull) will give you a discount on your materials for your class, inticing you to buy it there instead of somewhere else. This same store also keeps track of your purchases and when you get to 250 you get a 25 gift card (sale items don't count toward the 250). If you open, put up a list for suggestions for classes, supplies, etc so that people feel they have a choice in what they can get at your store. We have lots of quilts stores here but only one store, and I live in a large area that offers quilting and clothing, upholstering and even wedding materials. Look around your area and see what's there and you need to offer that and more to make them want to come to your store. My biggest complaint around here is most stores offer their classes all during the day, well that sucks for the people who have to work, find out what time frames people would want for classes.

paoberle

Before I would open any shop, I would get a job in a similar shop to learn the business. Also, be careful, once a hobby becomes a job, it can lose its fun, especially if you are trying to make ends meet.

peppermint31

I like to be able to go online to see what the shop has so I can decide if it is the style of fabric I like. I hate civil war (too drab) and the 30's fabric.

lindaschipper

Actually I would open a resale shop for items (material, patterns, rulers, sewing machines, etc.) that quilters such as myself have over-bought or have realized "why did I buy THAT'? There are resale shops for books, clothing, furniture and more...why not material???