Does the inside of the quilt shop matter to you?
09-23-2013, 05:38 PM
#72
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Anchorage, AK
Posts: 1,414
There is (or was) as small shop in a central Illinois town that had been ticketed by the fire marshall for the way the shop was organized - barely room for one person to walk down the aisle and bolts stacked and shoved almost all the way to the ceiling...the owner was the clerk, and she knew where every bold was and could get it immediately. Fun to go to, but not a place to really shop. I like different looks to a store, but I do want to have enough organization to be able to see what's available.
09-23-2013, 05:43 PM
#73
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 311
I am scared to death...no pun intended, of fire. I've been in a fire, and don't care to be in another one. There is an auction that I LOVE to go to....but, I've changed....everything, everyONE is OLD...the electrical is jerry-rigged, the furniture is dry....the concession stand is at the ONE exit....no more bargains for me.
p.s. I'm curious to see if the Knoxville store gets mentioned!!! Everyone in town knows the ONE!
09-23-2013, 08:22 PM
#74
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 572
I work in a Fabricland store, let me tell you we can not keep up with the mess people make. They pull fabric out and don't put it back or they try to put it back and just push it in front of the rest. I can not believe the mess they make. They have no manners at all. We can not keep up with them.
09-23-2013, 11:32 PM
#76
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: England Alton Towers
Posts: 6,673
I love shops with a warm welcome from staff and layout. Some I have visited have seats drink areas as well as being willing to help. I did go to one shop and although it was clean and organised it was just too claustrophobic for me. I think I said excuse me a million times all customers were in each other's way. Also I had just been travelling over 2 hours and asked about where I could find toilets and drink. Somewhere up the road in an area I didn't know. A link with a local cafe would have been nice. Also I like the staff to be friendly and helpful. The crowded shops tend to have staff who just say good morning if you get that. I also have just remembered a shop I don't go to because the lighting is terrible and as a result can not see colours.
09-24-2013, 02:11 AM
#77
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: South East, PA
Posts: 354
the one nearest to me has a "scent" but it is mostly because they also cater to the local Mennonite community so they sell bulk foods (the scent is mostly herbs and spice, that I do like, although my youngest daughter hated that smell). It is not cluttered, but it is full! they sell precut yardage, bolts and bolts, and various remnants. I try to stay out of there as much as possible, because when I am in there, my willpower vanishes!
09-24-2013, 04:32 AM
#78
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Brick, NJ
Posts: 819
There is a shop like that in Lakewood, NJ. It's a death trap, for sure, but I keep going back! (It's been around forever, so I'm sure it has manged to be 'grandfathered' in as existing business and thus avoids meeting new building codes.) Underneath the madness there is some organization and I have learned enough about it to navigate fairly well. If I want to look at a fabric that is out of reach, I ask for help. Their pricing is good, so I keep going back.
My sister, on the other hand, won't set foot in the store.
The store needs twice as much square footage to truly be organized. However, the crowding and chaos don't seem to affect their business, as I've never been in the store without a crowd of other people shopping.
My sister, on the other hand, won't set foot in the store.
The store needs twice as much square footage to truly be organized. However, the crowding and chaos don't seem to affect their business, as I've never been in the store without a crowd of other people shopping.
I generally am happier in my LQS.
09-24-2013, 06:26 AM
#79
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SW Minnesota
Posts: 1,590
Most of the quilt shops I have visited have been well-lit and easy to shop in. Some have had bolts of fabric out of order, but often had display quilts using that fabric line. Last spring/summer I went on a shop hop and visited all 7 stores advertised in it. One in SW MN is located in one half of a feed store (No --- there's NO odor at all that I could detect). It looks quite small from the outside, but is one of the neatest quilt shops I've ever visited...I don't get that way often enough, or I would shop there more. Another shop on the trip is housed in a former bowling alley, is very roomy and welcoming...again, quite a distance or I'd be haunting it! The outside décor of the shop is as much fun as going inside...decorated with old sewing machines that were no longer serviceable. I only found one shop on the hop that wasn't as nicely maintained as the rest...it was in an older house, not as brightly lit inside, and was a little cluttered. I did find some nice packets of remnant pieces that can be used in scrappy quilts, but since the lighting wasn't as good, couldn't really look for yardage that I would've liked. My favorite quilt shop when I travel is a neat one outside Bozeman, Montana....I only wish I lived closer! Yep...I probably want to be working there!
09-24-2013, 06:34 AM
#80
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Nevada
Posts: 1,103
I have to agree with you. Chaos makes me nervous, and I won't stay in a chaotic store. It makes me feel as if I can't find anything without significant effort. Why should I do that when I can go to my local quilt shop, and everything has a place, and everything is in its place. I've learned where everything is, and I can go straight to it, without any searching. Same as my sewing room!
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