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Member since 4/17/06
Posts: 1724
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Posted on: 8/12/11 4:46 PM ET
I have noticed at both JoAnn's and Hancock's, that they have re-done their stores to feature more crafts and less fabrics. Even the store flyers feature a few pages of crafts before you get to any fabrics.
Now, I am certainly not opposed to crafting, and I do some crafts besides sewing. I want crafters to have a good selection of items, also. I'm just sad that the days of ample and locally available fabrics seems to be over. Between store closings, Walmart not carrying fabrics, and the chain stores cutting down on their offerings, it is getting harder to find what I want/need.
I realize that there on online sources, etc. I have to travel nearly 100 miles to get to anything besides a quilt shop or Hobby Lobby, and I always looked forward to finding treasures.
I am so thankful to have a huge stash of material, because it is really bailing me out these days.
I feel like sewists are a vanishing breed, and I'm glad to have a sewing community here at PR that values sewing as much as I do!
  
Member since 7/8/08
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Posted on: 8/12/11 5:22 PM ET
In reply to dfsews
I'd add Hobby Lobby to the list of retailers cutting back on their apparel fabric. At least my local one has. It's mostly quilter's cotton. Not that I begrudge quilters having large lovely fabric selections. Just wish the apparel selections weren't so limited. I mostly buy online and have had hit and miss luck regarding quality. Sigh. Don't have any answers. Just commiserating with you.

PJ
-- Edited on 8/12/11 5:22 PM --
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Member since 12/28/07
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Posted on: 8/12/11 5:33 PM ET
In reply to dfsews

I was puzzled when they added fake flowers years back.. as so many other places carried them.. Now they are full of craft items.. and often furniture and decor items too.. Especially Joanns on those decor items for the home.
And it does puzzle me as there are specific stores for the arts /crafts community.. BUT I do have to admit.. Joanns carries some lines that I can't find at Michaels , Hobby and such places.
And now the fabric stores have a lot of on line competition.. so most probably its a move to increase profit.
I miss the old Cloth World and other places.. now bought out and renamed in some instances.. where fabric and notions were all they carried.. Because of that .. there was always a nice selection of fabrics to choose from.
  
Member since 8/24/02
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Posted on: 8/12/11 6:51 PM ET
In reply to poorpigling
Quote:
And it does puzzle me as there are specific stores for the arts /crafts community

Yeah, you would think that Michaels, Hobby Lobby and other stores crafting depts would be sufficient! I'm hoping that maybe areas that don't have these stores might be spared? The Joanns in Metairie has lots more garment fabric than our local Hancocks, and I do find things there.
But our Hancocks hasn't converted yet. I'll have to ask next time I'm there.
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Member since 5/10/06
Posts: 298
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Posted on: 8/17/11 12:29 PM ET
In reply to dfsews
The switch from fabric to crafts has been going on for a long time. That's why I end up getting most of my fabric online after first getting a swatch.

Also, I strongly suspect crafts are more profitable to sell. After all, you buy a nice piece of fabric to make a garment, you are likely to put quite a few hours of work into it. Whereas a lot of those craft supplies (papercrafting, paints, glue-it-together projects) are consumed quite quickly and purchased more often. Especially if they are purchased for children. I can't fault them for going where the money is.

I don't think sewing is going away, especially with everyone who wants to be a fashion designer these days! However given the ready availability of cheap clothing in the stores, there's no need for people to invest time in acquiring the skills if they aren't truly interested. Glue guns are so much easier!
  
Member since 8/22/06
Posts: 456
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Posted on: 8/17/11 4:44 PM ET
They have definitely reduced the number of fabrics they sell, as well as increased the price per yard. One of the associates told us recently that everytime they do a major redo of stock they move things around to hide the fact that they raised the prices too. The fabric per yard has gone up $1 to $2 per yard since last summer at least and the halloween and thanksgiving fabrics so far are repeats of last year's designs.
  
Member since 12/2/09
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Posted on: 8/18/11 0:59 AM ET
In reply to emg
And, frankly, fabric (especially fleece) takes up a lot more room than scrapbooking or beading items, plus they have to have staff to cut it.

I can't fault them for moving to crafts- I haven't bought any fabric from a brick and mortar store in months and months and months. Dollar for dollar, or even yard for yard, my online to in person fabric ratio is probably 10:1.
  
Member since 12/13/08
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Posted on: 8/18/11 3:04 AM ET
Just visited our newly-revamped local Hancock's, and I have to say, it's a MAJOR improvement! Honestly, I think they have MORE fabric in there than they used to, particularly in the quilting department, and the new fall stock is frankly the best fabric I've seen them carry, ever (beautiful fall wools, some faux shearling, nice knits, etc). They have cleared out the weird shiny synthetics and non-making cr@p (like flip-flops and cheap RTW sweats and broomstick skirts) to make room for much nicer merchandise. The store is older, and there's no way to hide that, but the re-org has definitely freshened things up (and gave my DH something to look at while I was debating hem tapes).

And I have said this before, and will keep saying it: I am one of "those" seamstresses who doesn't JUST sew garments. I also do a lot of other crafts, and I really appreciate being able to drive to one shop and get everything on my list. So, frankly, I *love* that my JoAnn carries nice wools alongside scrapbooking supplies and beads... and I've bought as much furniture at Hobby Lobby as I have fabric. Well, not *quite* as much, but even so. ;)
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