Quilting Notions
quilting notions Inventory to open a fabric store? I am hoping to open a fabric store next year in a small town in NM. Does anyone know where I would get my opening inventory? Fabrics, notions,...
quilting notions
 Inventory to open a fabric store? I am hoping to open a fabric store next year in a small town in NM. Does anyone know where I would get my opening inventory? Fabrics, notions, quilting books, etc.? Thanks. First, establish your business on paper - get a license, tax ID, etc. When you're ready to order the inventory, check out the websites of the fabric manufacturing companies. They may not sell their fabric directly to customers online, but many sell to retailers online. Even if they don't, they'll have info on how to set up an account with them. Google the various companies to find their websites. Some fabric companies include: Moda, P&B Textiles, Henry Glass, Northcott, Blank Textiles, Michael Miller Fabrics, Benartex, Maywood Studios, and many more that I just can't think of right now. Buy a couple of quilting magazines and check out the advertisements to find more. The same is true for the notions and books. Contact the manufacturers (check out their websites) and order through there. Consider thread companies such as Superior, Aurifil, YLI, or Valdani. Prym (Dritz) is the largest supplier of sewing notions in North America. They supply OmniGrid and Fons & Porter, to name just a couple. Patterns can be found by doing a simple Google search for "quilt patterns -free" (the -free is necessary to eliminate many of the junk sites). As you know, the quality of products carried in quilt shops is vastly superior to that carried in most chain/franchise stores. It takes a little more work, but the results are worth it. You will have a different customer base and it will cost more, but many quilters believe the quality is worth the price. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Decide to Start a Quilting Business Today!
Even if you have never made a quilt, you can start a quilting business.
We've been taught all our lives to share - share toys, share money, share food. Why not share your quilting knowledge? You can start a quilting business by sharing what you know about quilting.
You don't have to be a veteran quilter with 50 years of sewing experience to have sound advice to share, either. If you have quilted for a month, you know more about quilting than someone picking up a needle and thread for the first time. Start a quilting business that teaches basic skills.
Your most basic quilting information could teach some important skills. A lot of wannabe quilters won't even start a quilting project because the chore of selecting appropriate fabrics seems like such a daunting task. Perhaps you start a membership based website that offers quilting tips to beginners about how to start a quilt. You could also start your quilting business with an old-fashioned paper printed newsletter that you mail out monthly or quarterly to beginning quilters. Some of your topics could be how to select a quilt pattern, how to select fabrics, which threads to use, etc.
Of course, the longer you quilt, the more information you can share with your subscribers. But you sharing information is not the only kind of quilting business you can start.
If you are like most quilters or crafters, you have a lot of leftover fabrics taking up storage space! You could start a quilting business that concentrates on selling your fabric leftovers (and just think how much fun it would be to spend the money you make on new fabric)!
Maybe you could start a quilting business by developing a quilters consignment store online. People could pay you to sell their leftover fabrics, threads and other notions.
If you love quilts, but haven't ever quilted and are afraid to try, you can still start a quilting business. You could coordinate quilters retreats for others. You can make arrangements at a local hotel or bed and breakfast to get great room rates for any overnight guests. Reserve a location, plan a few games, prepare snacks, whatever the quilters need you to do. They'll benefit because they got a retreat without having to do a lot of the work and you will benefit by being around quilters and quilting. Maybe you'll even be encouraged to start your own quilt project!
The two ideas that usually come to mind when people think about starting a quilting business are to sell quilts or to provide a quilting service for tops that have already been pieced. Both are good ideas.
If you choose to sell quilts, you have a lot of options. You could sell only appliqu?uilts (like pieced quilts, baby quilts, etc.). You could sell them online, through a small newspaper ad (or word of mouth since that's free), or at area craft shows. If selling quilts at a show, take a project along to work on between customers. When shoppers see you working on a project, it draws their interest more keenly to your work which will hopefully lead to a sell.
Don't let lack of experience be an obstacle between you and your quilting business. Your quilting business can grow right along with your quilting skill level. All you really need to start a quilting business is a love for the art and a desire to succeed - you don't even need a lot of money. If you've been thinking about starting a quilting business, decide today to do it. You'll be glad you did!
About the Author
Penny Halgren is a quilter of 27 years. She loves sharing her knowledge of quilting with those who would like to learn how to quilt. Sign up for free weekly quilting tips and more at http://www.thequiltingcoach.com