Local Hancock's closed the door today.

[sewbug]

Not before marking all the cotton fabric to 90% off. I bought Kona, Hoffman, and Hancock's Designer Series fabrics of all the color and prints available in two yard increments totaling over 60 yards. Which seems like a lot but I know when I start a new quilt I'll have to buy fabric to go with it. Thread was 5 spools for a one dollar! I got all the colors of Guttermann and Sulky I didn't have (and never thought I'd need). That thread didn't last long once the sign went up. If I had been the only shopper in the store, which there was only about 6 ladies, I would have bought the whole inventory of the thread. I had fun with the other quilting shoppers exchanging colors of thread after we bought it all. I really feel bad about this store closing, it's been a local fixture in this town for many years. I remember going there with my grandmother when I was a child.

[gardenquilter]

I am sorry the store closed. Mine swears that they are not as they are one of the top producers in the company but I wonder if maybe they werent all told to say that. It sounds like you got some awesome bargins to add to that stash though

[MsSewNSew]

I can remember shopping at Hancocks with my Mom when I was a little girl. We don't have any on the west coast where I am now.

[QIAD-Linda]

The only store that was near me, Oceanside, Ca, closed several months ago. Also, when I was visiting my Mom in Nebraska, we went to Yankton, SD and that store also closed.

[zfatcat]

It's always sad when a fabric store closes.

[DarleneElaine]

I think the problem is that many years ago we sewed clothing because it was less expensive to sew than to buy, but today with wall mart, and other discount stores people chose to buy ready made clothing. They don't have the time to sew or seeing, trying on, is better than a pattern and material for which you don't know if it is good for you.

Also the cost of material forty years ago was much less and you saved a lot of money making your own clothing. I can remember when I got really good quality material for $1.00 a yard.

Times are changing and in some cases I think many things are going to the dogs. With layoffs, terrorism, wars, and crocked politions, paybacks, Enron, corruption with our police, gangs, and people just generally living above their means its a mess.

I wish we could go back about 40 years with the medical and military advancements we have today staying with us. That would be ideal but it is the way it is and we are stuck with it.

[gardenquilter]

in many ways you are correct and it is not less expensive now to always make the clothes but to me fabric shops started faltering when they started carring furniture, tea pots, candles and pot poruii (sp) they started getting employee who could not sew and they became to diversied. it no longer was a place where you could go to get fabric and take a project that you were stuck on

[Pilot2b]

gardenquilter: I totally agreee with what you said relative to Hancocks. Were they making so much money, they could diversify, or were they trying to comptete with Hobby Lobby? Not sure if Michaels is into furniture, dishes. Don't have one here. Closest is Denver, but never shop there.