Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Posts: 1,836Is there a conspiracy against crafters and sewers? In recent months major fabric stores over here are dropping like flies. Walmart has decided to no longer have a crafting department with fabrics in all stores (they're going with "party supplies" instead)...and new Walmarts will not carry at all. Hancock fabrics (one I'm not as familiar with) filed bankruptcy and closed retail stores, Ragshop (is 3 minutes from me & where I grab thread and little things all the time) is shutting down all of it's stores as of this week...and according to the manager at my shop JoAnn's is announcing the same in mere days/weeks . Can't confirm that online anywhere, but she seemed pretty sure of it.
-ugh-
With crafting, sewing, quilting, knitting, etc on the rise what is going on? I shop online for lots of stuff....but never for fabrics or yarns. I need to see and feel those things prior to buying. I need to see the print and true colors up close (not just a little photo of a print next to a shiny quarter for size relation)
Luckily we have one smaller mom and pop sew shop and a reputable quilt shop within 15-20 minutes, and I do prefer them for fabric.... but I'm still sad to see my Ragshop go.....(no more around the corner for last minute thread needs)....and I'm so sad to see this sudden shut down of supply shops in general. 
:hug:
~Chrissi
Matilda Huggington-beareChrissi I couldnt agree with you more. I only have spotlight for last minute grab of eyes and joints if I have run out or the sizes arent quite what I need. I Went there the other day and found that some crummy craft business now has the monopoly on craft supplies that Spotlight carry. No longer can I buy a bag of100 disks. It is all in sets and the quality is quite disappointing. The eyes are badly made as well. AND that was all the bear supplies that they are now carrying. I also was looking for a certain type of fabric that isnt carried in a quilting shop and I couldnt find anything at all. To be truthful the quality of all but their quilting fabrics is/was appaling. I havent been this dissappointed since the bridal fabric shop closed 2 years ago. I am now FORCED to buy online. Which I would prefer not to have to.
If I wish to buy quality by the touch I have to wait until a craft fair, then pay through the nose. ...sigh.........
My commiserations to you Chrissi. :hug: I know exactly how you feel. I am still lucky enough to have the little quilty shop across the road. I always pop in there for my needles thread and ribbons. Its such a wonderful place for emergencies but they dont supply any bear making supplies. ..drats.... 
Wendy, I know what you mean about Spotlight. I have one not too far away, and it was brilliant to be able to grab the old spare discs or eyes, when my bulk lot wasn't quite right. They have changed the brand of their "bear" gear supplier, and the new ones are of an awful quality, and slightly more expensive. It is quite disappointing that my "reserve" supplier is now unavailable. I really wouldn't like to use this new brand. Thankfully they are still OK for threads.
Apple Dumpling DesignsI would not at all surprised to hear that about Joann's based solely on my own local store...it's CRAP!!! I can never find what I need or want and if they do happen to carry it...it's never ON the shelf. I hate their fabrics and never buy from them but always travel out of town to quilts shops that carry quality fabrics and thread.
I'm like you Chrissi, I'm a touch it, see it, feel it kinda of gal when it comes to fabric... 
I can spend literally hours in a quilt shop...I just love them. Sigh....I miss quilting.
Storytime BearsJoAnn's is closing all of their "regular" stores as each store location's lease expires because they want to only have their "Super Stores". They just closed their regular store by me which whose sales were FAR exceeding the sales of the 'nearby" Superstore (it's 30 minutes away!... nearby... NOT!)
QueenslandKnow what you mean about spotlight I used to pop in to get the odd bits and pieces and yes have no more bulk disc's....grrr and they seem to have trillions of scapbooking stuff and beads........I did some asking and they said if I wanted those disc's I would have to order them.....mmm they have lost my business that's for sure........will keep buying online from now on
Debbie
Bears by JodiWOW ... my Jo anns is really nice...Hope they don't close down !!! Gee ... thats bad !!
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)LL, the Hancock's in Oakbrook Terrace suddenly closed and I felt bereft - - until I found it in a larger store in Lombard. Good news! The JoAnn's in the Chicago area are dinky little shops trying to have a bit of everything & end up having nothing.
I've never heard of Spotlight, at least not in the Chi area.
But I've been in JoAnn's Super Centers in AZ & CA and they are wonderful: Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Hancocks & JoAnn's rolled into one.
Stitches 'n Stuffing in Naperville is still the best choice for quality fabrics (quilting & others) in the western suburbs.
q.D.paToOtieSThe only reason that I hope they don't close my local Joanne's is because they have a Viking dealer inside the store and that's where I get my machine serviced. I also have taken classes there on occasion (from Viking) so please, please don't close.
I buy my fabric from a local quilt store though as the fabric is a lot better quality and I also have a few favorite places online. Hancock isn't so bad either and get some really great fabrics in sometimes. Plus they are a lot cheaper than Joann's. I needed some Christmas fabric for a show last year as a table skirting and it was 12.99 a yard regular price at Joann's. I drove 5 minutes up the road to Hancock and the EXACT same fabric was 7.99 a yard and on sale 1/2 price. Can't beat that! They also carry a line of fabric from Japan that I'm very fond of so I hope they never close that store!
OOOhhh Bobbie!!! Just visited Stitches n Stuffing yesterday 
Melbourne, AustraliaSeems a lot of the larger stores are opting for SUPER STORES to try and corner the market on everything.
But it's a pity they don't listen to their customers.
I'm fed up with all the shelves being stocked with nothing but beads and scrapbooking supplies.
I have stopped buying ribbons from our Spotlight stores because they no longer stock the type of ribbons I require
and I have never purchased bear supplies from them out of principal.
I pefer to give my custom to those who specialise in bear making supplies...at least then you can be certain of the quality!
Come to think of it I prefer to shop at specialist stores for all my craft supplies, I can always find what I'm looking for there.
On the rare occasions when I can't, the shop assistants will always order in for me.
If you ask for help in these SUPER STORES, half the time they don't even know what you are talking about
and the rest of the time it's always too much trouble for them to find out!
Chrissi you really got me going on a sore point!! 
Seamore CollectiblesI'm glad I was'nt the ony one noticing the supplies dwindling down in Joann's and Walmart.
I am fortunate for the moment of a mill around the corner from me who has had plush in different colors. I guess I
should stock up on more just incase, it becomes more difficult to find any!!
Waggle BearsJoAnn's and Michaels here in the desert are very poor stores. You always have to wait and wait in line at the register. I don't buy their fabric. I avoid both stores unless I need something right now and there's no other place.
We only have one quilt store in Palm Desert and I shop there alot but they sometimes don't have the variety I like. Then I shop on line at www.eQuilter.com I've never been disappointed with their fabric. They carry only quality fabric and you can tell by the manufacturer's name what the quality will be.
The quilt store is also a bead store...one stop shopping, but they only carry cotton thread so I go to my Bernina dealer for all my polyester thread for bears. They know me and I like shopping someplace that knows me.
You could not cope here then.I think I would need to go a hundred miles to get a craft shop.I have to buy everything online.There are only shops catring for knitters and the big department stores have gradually stopped selling too.I have an aunt who travels to the US every year to buy supplies.
Newcastle, OntarioI live near close to Toronto, but the only craft stores are Michaels and they are too expensive and don't carry fabrics. I always wait for sales to buy anything. I have to order my bear things online or go to a show. The closest supplier is in St Jacobs, which is a couple of hours from us.
I used to love Joanne's in the U.S., but haven't been inone in a long time. Our Walmarts are still carrying fabrics and the sales people don't seem to know what's going to happen yet.
hugs,
Brenda
Wild Thyme OriginalsI'm lucky enough to live literally down the street from the JoAnne Fabrics Corporate Headquarters in Hudson, Ohio, so of course the attached super store is always impecably stocked with EVERYTHING, the salespeople are fabulous.... no complaints here.
I'm a HUGE believer in shopping at locally owned and operated businesses whenever I can... I LOVE Mom & Pop type stores where they CARE about what they are selling, and a larger percentage of the money is pumped back into own's own local economy... so I try to get to the little shops as much as I can. But , with one income and three kids I do have to try to be thrifty too! 
Kim Basta
Posts: 1,836I'm a HUGE believer in shopping at locally owned and operated businesses whenever I can... I LOVE Mom & Pop type stores where they CARE about what they are selling, and a larger percentage of the money is pumped back into own's own local economy... so I try to get to the little shops as much as I can. But , with one income and three kids I do have to try to be thrifty too!
Kim Basta
That's my take too. I've always supported smaller stores over big chains when and where I can....I never do big bookstores I do Doylestown Book Store instead, I don't do chain restaurants I do the little fish restaurant with the owners right there almost everyday, I supported the local small pet supply shop for years until big chains forced her out (she still grooms so I still use her over the big chains).....but for sewing notions needed in a pinch I really loved my Ragshop around the corner. My local JoAnn's is actually very nice too. It's always neat and organized, the ladies are helpful, and they have the sewing center too...with machine servicing. Just bummed to see them all go...if one didn't have something the other did.
Diane, you're probably right I don't think I would cope! 
I really like to parooz the shops, and lots times I'll get an idea just from a visit. Online purchases alone would be hard for me to get used to.
:hug:
~Chrissi
It's not too bad where I live. C&H Fabrics, a small south eastern chain of stores, has been selling all kinds of everything ever since I can remember and I've lived here for well over thirty years. What has changed though, has been what they sell, which changes according to the times. For example, the knitting department used to be extensive, then shrank to the bare bones and is now a healthy department once again (yay!) but I have noticed that these days they offer far more giftware and kits then they used to.
We've also had a new independent craft store set up in the town in the past couple of years and a massive 'hobbycraft' store on the edge of the town. Each shop has its own charms but the one I use the most is C&H Fabrics, the traditional haberdashers, because I like the old fashioned courtesy they offer and the fact that the staff really know their stuff. I've been shopping in there as long as I've been able to knit ... which must be since I was about 18!
We used to have a lovely old fashioned haberdashery, a big store where you could buy almost anything and even buy individual buttons from old wooden drawers behind the counter ... it closed it doors finally quite a few years ago after a very long history in the town ... it just didn't manage to survive the apparent slump in craft interest which occurred over quite a long period several years ago ... sadly lots of individual knitting shops bit the dust back then too.
My big bug bear is that not enough interest is paid to teaching craft skills in school any more ... without that kickstart, how are kids supposed to develop and maintain an interest? I remember being taught knitting, sewing, indian beading, crochet, toy making, cooking, woodwork, metalwork etc etc and I used to love going to the shops with my mum to buy bits n pieces to work with.
Posts: 1,836My big bug bear is that not enough interest is paid to teaching craft skills in school any more ... without that kickstart, how are kids supposed to develop and maintain an interest? I remember being taught knitting, sewing, indian beading, crochet, toy making, cooking, woodwork, metalwork etc etc and I used to love going to the shops with my mum to buy bits n pieces to work with.
I hera you Paula!! My sisters are both art teachers, luckily our county still has a really decent art program. The yearly art show produces work that is, well astonishing! I try to guess the ages of the kids and I'm always blown away. These kids are incredibly gifted and their talents have been nurtured, but sadly so many aren't getting that in their own schools anymore. Whether it's funding or testing needs pushing the arts out... the arts are being cut in so many districts. But parents can do so much to fill that void, even if they're not "crafty" or artistic themselves. Kids are naturally inclined to be creative, you just have to cheer it on and support it.
My niece wasn't even 2 weeks old when I bought her "first sewing machine" It was more of a fun thing to give my sister really, but I couldn't help myself. I use a singer featherweight myself and when I saw this little working toy machine I had to buy it for her!! I plan to teach her all about bear making 
You mentioned all of the classes you took! I still have all of my pieces that I made in school....an apron in sewing, a cookbook filled with recipes we made in cooking class, a wall mounted iron coat rack from metal shop (that I welded myself, even thought the teacher was inclined to do this "hard part for the girls"..no thank you I'll do that myself!....and a paper towel holder in woodshop!! The classes may seem like a joke to some, but it really gives kids an idea of what it takes to MAKE something.....that not everything just lands on the shelves at the superstores because of magic.
:hug:
~Chrissi
Wild Thyme OriginalsTotally agree with you about the lack of arts/home economics type classes in the schools these days. I took them when I was in junior high & high school as well... they were required & I had a blast in those classes. I kept all my projects too! I made pillows and a pretty decent wooden box made of solid oak... stuff like that.
I just helped my son register for high school, and I noticed as I was going through the high school course requirements that those classes are no longer required! I asked the guidence counselor and he said that it is because many of the school districts are now requiring computer classes in their place. the shop/home econ. classes are still offered, but are "geared more toward vocational students, rather than college prep."
It made perfect sense to me for a couple of minutes, but on the ride home I realized that most kids already REALLY know all the computer stuff.... they use computers constantly, and most of them probably know MUCH more about computers and their various applications than their parents do! But, they are not going to know how to sew on a button or do a load of laundry! It's just strange! I do my best to help my son learn those kinds of practical, "life skills" kind of things at home, but I am quite sure that many parents don't have the time or inclination to do so. There is no WAY my kids are going off to college without knowing how to do laundry and make scrambled eggs! 
Kim Basta
I'm sad the Rag Shop is closing. I like it and I'm not even crafty. I didn't know about Jo Ann's. The good part is they just opened up a craft store called AC Moore close to us.
Posts: 3,177It's a nightmare trying find anything here in the UK - almost like an expedition into uncharted jungles.....we have hardly any craft stores here!
There is a massive one near to where my son lives but yep, you guessed it.....it never has what i want so i end up having to buy online all the time.
Remember the days when every small town had a haberdashers shop? Wool shop?
Those were the days........
I LOVE that word - HABERDASHERY! HABERDASHERY! HABERDASHERY! Where does it come from -anyone know?
PenPen
Posts: 1,836I LOVE that word - HABERDASHERY! HABERDASHERY! HABERDASHERY! Where does it come from -anyone know?
PenPen
:P
I hate it when the dictionary does this:
Main Entry: hab·er·dash·ery
Pronunciation: -"da-sh(&-)rE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -er·ies
1 : goods sold by a haberdasher
2 : a haberdasher's shop
Ok, well that tells me NOTHING :crackup: Don't yah just hate it when it does that?? Then when you clicked on haberdasher it said a man who sells "notions", but didn't give the origin of the word.
I guess it's like our general store over here, which are so far and few between they're more "tourist attractions" than real stores. I think I was born in the wrong generation...I want the haberdasheries, general stores, corner soda shops, and drive in theaters back
:hug:
~Chrissi
Newcastle, OntarioChrissie,
I like the AC Moore stores - I shop at one every time we are in Pennsylvania. They are much like Michaels, but I find them cheaper and they have good selections.
hugs,
Brenda
