The Fabric Store Directory is an online directory of retail fabric stores all over the world. The directory provides apparel sewers of all levels a place to search for and find the store, and find the fabric of their dreams. Click on the link above to search the directory.
In my last post I said goodbye to Vogue Fabrics on Main Street in Evanston, Illinois. Now, I say hello to Vogue Fabrics new location, 618 Hartrey Ave, Evanston, Illinois. Vogue Fabrics combined their warehouse, which was primarily for wholesale shoppers with their retail store formerly on Main Street in Evanston, Illinois. I am excited to find out what has changed, and what has stayed the same.
The first big change, is a parking lot for the store. The lot is free! I am not sure how frequently it will fill up, maybe on weekends. When I arrived early on a weekday morning, there were several spaces available. The entrance to the store does not give many clues as to the massive amount of warehouse space inside. The front entry area seems to have been office space at one time and you have to walk through two rooms to get to the shopping area.
When I arrived someone ahead of me was getting information about the layout of the store. Instead of waiting for an introduction to the store, I decided to enter. Helpful maps were on the end of the cutting table near the door. The store layout is four aisles of shelves, with rolls of fabric on the shelves three shelves high. The fabric is mostly organized by type and content. This is somewhat different from the Main Street store, which had the fabric rolls on tables a little lower than waist high. This new layout seems to makes sense for the volume of fabric in the store. As I walked around to get an understanding of the layout of the store, it reminded me of the fabric stores in New York City.
Many things stayed the same in the new store and some things were better. I was happy to see the staff members from the Main Street store working in the new store. It felt like the departments from the old store were shrunk and combined with the warehouse inventory. What I used to call the wall of silk, rolls of silk fabric shelved against the wall in the Main Street store, has become an end of an aisle. The cotton fabrics for crafting and quilting are on shelves in the the back of the store. The remnants are in a smaller area, but there are many new looking pieces. The button area from the old store is well organized in the new space and easier to access. The notions are across from the cutting table which is nice because it is easier to pick out thread for fabric when getting it cut.
The collections of novelty fabrics were my favorite part of Vogue Fabrics, Main Street store. They were arranged by price point and season. At the new location I did not see them right away, but later found them in the last row. I am hoping that these collections will have more prominent place in the new store like they did at the Main Street store.
Having one cutting table and one place to pay seems to be a more efficient way to shop. Before purchases were broken up between different departments in different rooms. I would usually shop several departments at the old store. So this makes checking out faster and easier.
Vogue Fabrics new retail space at 618 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston, Illinois is my new destination store for fabric. Everyone who loves fabric and all things related to sewing will continue to have a store where they can find a wide selection of fabric and sewing related products. The store contains everything I loved about the Main Street store with easier access and a large inventory of fabric and supplies.
The Fabric Store Directory is an online directory of retail fabric stores all over the world. The directory provides apparel sewers of all levels a place to search for and find the store, and find the fabric of their dreams. Click on the link above to search the directory.