Friday, June 17, 2016

Not what I thought

Whenever we travel, we often stop at places of interest. On our recent return from New Jersey I asked my hubby if we could stop at MaryJo's Fabric store in North Carolina. We were on the right road, so it wouldn't take us out of the way.

I had been to MaryJo's several years ago, and was overwhelmed with their fabric selections. Thinking it would be the same this time, we headed to Gastonia.


Having driven many miles, it was late and we were pretty tired with we arrived. I was washed with anticipation about what was behind those doors.

Okay, to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Yes, there was plenty of fabric, but not what I remembered. Very little name brand lines. A lot of fleece and half of the store was filled with decorator fabrics. I so clearly remember purchasing civil war fabric years ago, but this time most of the fabric appeared to be theme related. The only name brand lines I saw was Downton Abbey.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not a fabric snob, as I do purchase fabric from JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby. But at least at JoAnn's the fabric is put on sale occasionally or you can use a coupon. 

There were only a few customers in the store, whereas I remember the store buzzing the last time I was there. So what has happened? 

Here's a couple of samples on display. 


Nothing like Hancocks of Paducah where they have dozens of samples for inspiration.

Would I go back? No. Even if we were in the same town, it would hardly be worth my time to walk the aisles. 

Have you ever experienced such a change when you returned to a well known store?

Anyway, enjoy your weekend. And Happy Quilting.

7 comments:

claudia said...

That is sad! I have not been disappointed returning to a store I had visited in the past, but then again, I don't do much traveling, so I haven't gotten a chance to revisit much! Are they under new management or ownership perhaps?

Lady Locust said...

Oh I'm so sorry for you. Yep, I went to The Mill End years ago. The ends of bolts were sold by the pound. Wool cost more per pound than cotton but it was a great bargain if you didn't need long stretches of fabric. Last time I was there, it appeared like any other fab/craft store and was expensive. Boo. Probably new mgt.

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

What a shame. I'd often thought about asking DH to go a ways out of our way to stop on our way to Hilton Head, but I won't now. :-(

margaret said...

what a let down after looking forward to a big spend. Surely quilting is not losing its popularity in the USA

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Back when I started quilting, my Hobby Lobby had so much more fabric and notions than it does now. My Walmart also had lots and lots more back then, too. I think the internet is killing lots of businesses. I will buy notions online, since my local quilt stores seldom sell the ones I buy online. I seldom purchase fabrics online, since I'd rather buy them locally, but, sometimes, they just aren't to be found (and I have LOTS of local quilt shops around here). Sorry.

Barb said...

Sorry for your disappointment!

Lady Linda said...

Wow...that's too bad. I have felt like this a few time too. It is hard to have a storefront any more, but most of the quilt shops I stop by are still really nice.