9 Keys To Having An A+ Quilt Shop

Quilters have helped me put together a list of their top wishes in a quilt shop that really make a shop ideal. Does your local quilt shop possess a lot of these ideal qualities? If not, it is not too late to try to incorporate these suggestions to make your shop "perfect" for your customers.

1. Do you have great lighting? If natural lighting is not in abundance, make sure to provide plenty of lighting fixtures with daylight bulbs to help your customers see their fabric choices more clearly.
2. Fabrics - do you have a great selection of colors and textures that coordinate well? Quilters are very interested in not only how their fabrics look, but in the actual feel of the fabric, that is one reason quilters shop locally rather than online, they want to make sure that their fabric purchase "feels good" and is of the highest quality possible.
3. Friendly and knowledgeable staff - if your customers don’t feel like they are welcome and appreciated they won’t venture much further than the front door. This is one area where lots of attention needs to be made in making people of all ages feel welcome and that they are valued customers whether they are there to purchase one spool of thread or a brand new sewing machine.
4. Is your shop accessible to all potential customers? When choosing a store location and laying out your floor plan, make sure to allow enough space between the fixtures for wheel chairs, walkers, and scooters. Quilters come in many shapes and sizes, and have various physical limitations just like the general public. It is very helpful to place small stools in various locations around your store where customers can rest for a moment or stack their fabrics so that they do not have to carry around their purchases with them.
5. If possible, try to make a small seating space for your shoppers significant others that may be the ones to drive them to your business. Having a comfy chair or two with some magazines of broad interest or a television can make the helpers time more enjoyable and they are less likely to be in a hurry to leave and stop the shopper from finishing their purchase. This will also be a great space for the shopper to sit down and take a break to consider patterns, or new books that you have gotten in stock.
6. The necessities and niceties. Do you have a rest room for your customers to visit and perhaps some water and cups so that they can have a drink. You may even want to consider having some bottled water for purchase if they get thirsty hauling those lovely bolts of fabric around?
7. Do you offer occasional evening or weekend hours for those that have very difficult schedules so that they may come in to shop? Even having a once-a-month late-night might really help your bottom line and encourage your customers to shop local that otherwise may have to resort to online shopping.
8. Samples! Do you have lots of bright pretty samples around your store that you move around frequently? Samples truly do help to sell those lovely fabrics and patterns, as well as the specialty rulers or notions that you have purchased for the store. There is nothing like seeing a quilt or quilted project up-close to entice shoppers to start a new project.
9. Finally, remember that Mommies and Daddies also like to quilt and may need to bring their children with them to shop. This is your opportunity to help young families stay involved in the quilting world and allow the kiddos to encourage Mom and Dad to make something special for them. If you can carve out even a few extra feet of safe space for them to play with some scrap fabrics, giant buttons (nothing small that they can choke on), or other sewing related toys, this can help.