maryb119

You could buy an established shop. The LQS in my town is for sale. The owner wants to retire. I hate to see it go because the only other place is Wal-Mart.

joe'smom

I can't even express how much I loved going to my LQS. My first quilt was a mess, but the ladies were so encouraging. The owner said, 'we're here to have fun, not to be perfect.' I was so sad when the shop closed; I certainly am thankful for the ability to shop on line now that I have no LQS close by, but I really miss the fun and camaraderie of going to that shop.

I wish you well in your endeavor. You have lots of good advice here.

IrishNY

This is a stellar idea. I would love such a store in my area. And would patronize it often! It also would allow you to expand into new fabrics if you saw the need.

zozee

I second the idea of getting a part time job weeknights and weekends at a LQS that's open at least on Saturday and maybe on Sunday. That way you will get the feel of the shop, the customers (are they buying or just looking? taking classes ? Interested in machine purchases or just fabric?) . You'll get to feel working 7 days a week if you find a shop open on Sundays (I know most are not) and that alone might make you say, "Hey, I really don't want to spend every waking hour stressing about work." And that would be just the stress of working for someone else!

My brother-in-law had his own constructions business. His strengths were creativity, hard work ethic, and excellent craftsmanship. His weakness was business---disorganized, hated paperwork, couldn't say no, not a good money manager. One lumber-falling accident at Home Depot took him out for 4 months (it was his fault, not Depot's, or else he could have sued for a pretty penny). I've seen another brother-in-law do likewise with wedding photography and videography---again, they love they craft but the business side was not enjoyable. They are creative souls. My husband is much more business savvy and at one point thought he'd like to start his own restaurant. But then he came to grips to with his risk aversion, his refusal to be married to a business and not to me, did not want to be like his dad who never took a vacation, etc.

So I ask you to be really honest with yourself. You are old enough to know yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, health,what motivates you and what kills your motivation, what family dynamics are, your financial situation, all that. If you just want to be part of the spirit of a creative, fun, friendly LQS without the risk or responsibility for keeping it afloat, then get a part time job in one.

tranum

Many years ago I knew a lady who sold fabric on her farm. She was in contact with another person doing the same thing so they would buy bolts together and split some to have enough variety at same time cut cost.

Tothill

You have received lots of great advice already.

There is a shop near Vancouver BC https://www.dinkydoo.com/ that started online and has had a couple moves into larger retail spaces. I have not yet been to the shop, but I have purchased from the website.

I have a friend who runs a web based quilt shop out of her home. But she also does Pop Up Shops in various communities and has a booth at Quilt Shows. She is planning a big retreat in July.

What I love in a quilt shop:

Knowledgeable friendly staff is most important.
Fabric, that is current
Store samples that get rotated and taken down when the fabric line is depleted.
A sale shelf, it is a great place to find backings
Classes, offering classes brings people in
I love Youtube videos and I have a list of shops to visit based on the Free spirit challenge from last summer.
Parking, one shop that I really like shares their parking lot with two other businesses, when they have a class it is hard to find a place to park.
Charity work, I respect a shop that has sew ins for charity.
Machines, I know that one of the shops I go to will have parts and accessories for my machine. If I am buying bobbins, I am probably going to buy $100 of fabric too.

https://www.gossypiumquilt.com/?fbcl...IpcDhuQQIDIZtM is for sale. They are in Issiquah WA.

My ex had a business for over 10 years. During that time we never had a holiday without a phone call about one emergency or another. His was a tech firm and the servers had to be running 24/7. One Christmas a Squirrel took out one phase of the three phase power. We had a back up generator, but it took quite a while to determine the problem as the lights were still on.

SusieQOH

The Glass Thimble in Columbus Ohio was very successful for decades. The wife ran the quilt shop which was large, and the husband had a glass making shop (much smaller). She didn't sell machines but offered lots of classes by famous quilters.
They retired (early) and sold the business. I was so happy that it would still be open but within 2 years it folded. I don't know what happened. It was previously the best quilt shop around.

Jojk

Yes! A solid business plan is in order. Do your research - do not jump in blind.

What about buying an existing shop?

Kelsie

My first two questions are how old are you and how much energy do you have. You don't mention a spouse. Would you run the shop by yourself? What happens if like me you are diagnosed with a broken foot that needs to be elevated? Can you afford to pay wages in the beginning? Can you work 6 - 7 days a week for a year or 2 or 5? Do you actually know how much time it takes to put your merchandise on line?

I just asked my husband what he would answer to your question and first he said no, too much cost of inventory then he suggested that he would recommend a good psychiatrist.

My husband has had a number of businesses in the past. We bought our business at the perfect wrong time in 2008. We did all the research and did have about 6 months of the income we expected until the bottom fell out of the market. We only managed to keep afloat because of my husbands diversification into a totally different field.

I think you could learn a lot by talking to other business owners not even in your field. We decided not to buy another business after having an indepth interview with one of the staff of a business that went bankrupt. The suggestion to work in a fabric store is a very smart one. I hope you research this extensively before you leap as I think the market is still not what it used to be.

Peckish

bkay makes a very good point. Running a quilt shop isn't about fabric and quilting. It's about running a business.

I work part time for a CPA who is also a friend and fellow quilter. She owns her own business and we've spent several hours discussing the difference between being a CPA and being an accounting business owner. She said she bought the business because she loves accounting, but after several years has realized that owning an accounting business has nothing to do with accounting. I think this is true of Any business. Don't go into business because you love a specific industry; go into business because you want to run a business.