I know we're all looking for a cozy cup of the good days right now but I wish the crafters/quilters/knitters in this article weren't so down on the indy stores. Are those shops really "hard to find" or is is about the 40% off promo codes, coupons and other discounts? www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/s... - ThreadSky

emjwriting.bsky.social • 6 days ago

I know we're all looking for a cozy cup of the good days right now but I wish the crafters/quilters/knitters in this article weren't so down on the indy stores. Are those shops really "hard to find" or is is about the 40% off promo codes, coupons and other discounts?

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/style/joann-bankruptcy-reactions.html?smid=li-share

Comments

kbrande.bsky.social•6 days ago

For me, it’s about convenience and availability of a very wide variety of fabrics. Not every piece that I make is meant to be heirloom quality and having to purchase heirloom quality materials just gets expensive.

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

It sounds like you're equating small, indy stores with heirloom quality. That's an assumption that I'd bet isn't true for most.

kbrande.bsky.social•5 days ago

Well, in my experience it kind is. Most of the small quilting stores around here carry quality fabrics. They are usually more expensive, which is legitimate, and they don’t have as big of a variety as Joann’s. Same with yarn stores.

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

Sounds like it is in your experience, and less so in mine. But I appreciate the dialogue!

lauraraymond.bsky.social•6 days ago

You've probably never lived in a smaller or more rural community where indies, as you put it, struggle to survive and are often passion projects. Yes, they can be hard to find and don't necessarily meet the seekers needs.

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

Nope. I spent most of my life in the Northwest corner of CT, sandwiched between NY and MA. A lot of indy stores of all kinds because it is so rural but none were passion projects, as you call it. They were real businesses!

lauraraymond.bsky.social•5 days ago

Passion projects ARE real businesses - they have to be in order to survive, but they exist primarily for the passion, not to make tons of money. It's one of the reasons indie shops are so expensive and their selection so narrow.

lauraraymond.bsky.social•5 days ago

That's great, but I don't think it's typical of most of the country. I just spent two weeks with a friend in Vermont and discovered that there were many indie quilting stores there, but hardly any that sold fabric for clothing, and that to find a dry cleaner you had to travel 30 miles. 1/2

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

yeah, I don't know either about the rest of the country but I'd imagine, as you point out, it's way harder in the more rural areas to find indy stores that carry what you need!

neonne.bsky.social•5 days ago

no indie stores near me, the last one closed a few months ago.. I buy mostly online but Joann was definitely handy for color-matching threads or solids, and yes good sales combined with their coupons

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

Totally understand both the lack of physical store options and the lack of stock that you can afford!

dandylion867.bsky.social•5 days ago

I have two great indie stores near me that carry gorgeous collections of designer fabrics at about $14 a yard. I love supporting them when I’m making things that will be laundered and touch skin. But I make quilted cards and art quilts too, ornaments, and also cover fabrics in epoxy. Particularly

dandylion867.bsky.social•5 days ago

for ornaments and quilted cards, I appreciate having access to lower priced yardage. Some people save my cards but I’m guessing most get thrown away. Add to that the backing used for those cards that never gets seen. Last, I cut the quilted appliqués on a laser and though we do our very best to

dandylion867.bsky.social•5 days ago

Minimize waste, when I’m cutting animal shapes with tails and other irregular shapes the waste ratio is higher on the cards. I make quilted postcards, greeting cards, and ornaments out of a lot of bargain fabrics so they’re affordable. Between backing, batting, and the front, thread, laser time,

dandylion867.bsky.social•5 days ago

paper, envelopes, and the seals I include it really adds up. So I balance what I’m using with what I’m making and I buy all of my machines from my dealer, service, fabric, some threads but not all, classes, notions too. I do firmly believe in the importance of supporting our indie stores.

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

These are incredible! Thank you for sharing.

dandylion867.bsky.social•5 days ago

Thank you 😃. They’re fun to make!

emjwriting.bsky.social•3 days ago

I bet! So cool.

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

So - to be clear - I'm not disparaging Joann's! I work p/t in retail (yes in a small indy shop). I totally get the importance range of product affordability, esp when using a lot of materials. Just wished for more positivity about indy shops as options and/or some perspective on how they were faring

quiltedmess.bsky.social•5 days ago

We have a few indy stores. Their fabric is *lovely* and at least twice the price of Joanns. I have a hard time spending that kind of money especially when I'm uncertain about our country's future. And the indy stores don't carry other fabrics-satins, knits, denim, upholstery, etc.

makereadgrow.bsky.social•6 days ago

I went to my local indie store and they told me to my face that their customers don't hand sew. There are two other sewing machine repair shops in town but they don't carry fabric. They also don't carry hand sewing supplies but were nice about it.

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

Interesting. And I'd bet there are folks at Joann's and other stores who also don't hand sew. 😉

makereadgrow.bsky.social•5 days ago

Well yes, but they don't have to be a dick about it. Its called customer service. And Joann does stock hand quilting supplies.

emjwriting.bsky.social•5 days ago

Certainly not. No one needs a bad attitude!

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