Improved store

I went to my local Hancock Fabrics the other day, and discovered it empty, and a sign on the door reading "We have moved acros the street." Now, the old place was in a decidedly run-down strip mall, so we looked around. Way across the street, across two streets actually, there is another discount store type strip mall, but several degrees better than the one where we were standing. Went across there, and the new store is just beautiful. Bigger, bright, clean, easy to see (the former one was an L shape inside, not easy to navigate) and the merchandise was much more upscale. For instance, I had gone to see if by chance they had any of my favorite rayon challis, which I wanted in pale colors to line some other stuff. Not only did they have the solids, they also had a whole bunch of prints, more, in fact, than I saw on line the day before.

The store used to have tables on tables of clearance merchandise, obviously brought in, and most of it sheer junk. Now they have just one clearance counter, and the regular fashion fabric seems to be a much better quality than before. DH was with me, so I didn't want to spend too much time browsing, but as well as 10 yards of white rayon challis I also bought three lengths of print for summer pants plus a bunch of notions. After the sale price on some stuff plus the discount with my ASG card I got out of there just under $120. I am going to be very good and get this made up before I go back for more, but it would seem that more people are doing garment sewing these days, if the shop was able to justify the move plus the improved merchandise. (Either that, or I am not the only one who pointedly told the manager that I am buying a lot on line these days.)

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans

Reply to
Olwyn.Mary
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I only hope when I return to the local Hancock's, I will find it has been upgraded as well as getting some clerks, who are more courteous & polite than the ones in the past. It's been quite a while, 2-3-years, since I've been there.

Emily

Reply to
Emily Bengston

Reply to
Samantha Hill

I'm happy you have a nice s tore to shop at. Barbara in Florida, soon to be SC

Reply to
Bobbie Sews More

My local Hancock Fabrics has been in the middle of renovation recently. One of the things I like best is....they now have the cutting tables in the front center of the store with the 'check out' near one end. So great not to have to wait for an employee to come to the front of the store... from way in the center. So efficient and the employees seem to be liking the changes too.

Reply to
Chris R

Just out of curiosity, I check to see where the nearest Hancock Fabrics is to me.....65 miles. Don't know if I'll ever check it out, or not!

Reply to
Alice in PA

I know what you mean, Emily. I can find fabrics I need at the one remaining local Hancock's. (there used to be 2 of them. One 20 minutes north of me. One 20 minutes south of me. They closed the northern store, and it was my favorite.) I'm always pleased with the merchandise in there. But there is one particular clerk who makes me CRAZY!!!!

Y'all......she talks to me like I don't know how to sew at all. In a very patronizing tone of voice. EVERY TIME I go in there!!!!! Even after, AFTER, I told her that I have sewn for over 25 years, professionally off and on for over 15 years. It's like the lights are on and nobody's home. The other clerks will look at her weird when she starts in on a customer. (she talks this way to Everyone!!) If she's the only one at the cutting table, I will wander around longer till she goes away. I know one of these days, she's going to catch me on a bad day and I'm going to explode like Mt. St. Hellens all over her..

The other clerks in the store are great. Cheerful. Helpful. When I got the chiffons for the prom dress, the gal cutting them tore the fabric instead. :) And one piece she had to tear twice because the last person cutting on it didn't cut it anywhere near straight. The other clerks make up for the moron, but that gal sure does put my teeth on edge.

Sharon

Reply to
Sharon Hays

Yay!!!!! I'm so happy for you, Olwyn Mary. :) And you showed tremendous restraint too.;)

Sharon

Reply to
Sharon Hays

I love it when a clerk tells me she doesn't have to tear the fabric, she'll cut it on the straight grain. I let her cut it, then *I* tear one edge to show her (and anyone else standing around) just how far off it was. Often 2 or 3 inches. Then I ask her to measure again, and TEAR the full amount of fabric I asked for. They get to keep the off-grain piece for their flat folds table.

You'd think they'd learn, but no, lather, rinse, repeat. I suspect it is company policy not to tear. When I worked in a fabric store years ago, we were required to tear almost everything. Anyone else remember those nifty measuring gadgets at fabric stores? You pulled the selvedge edge of the fabric through a slot, and there was a dial which showed exact measures, then you engaged a knife blade which clipped the edge so you could tear it across? I haven't thought about that for years.

Ah, memories.....

Reply to
BEI Design

Oh yes, I remember those gadgets; I worked at J,C, Penny's during my junior & senior years of high school. By the end of the 1st year there, I was put in charge of the fabric dept, the hours, I was working.

Emily

Reply to
Emily Bengston

I worked at the local large department store (now gone, sadly). Almost half the 5th floor was devoted to fabric. I started in the pattern department, selling, on commission, patterns for $.25 to $.35 each. ;-} When I finally got promoted to fabrics, I was in hog heaven. I bought the embroidered silk organza for my wedding gown there as well as lime green organza for my 'maids. Being poor-but-honest, I bought the taffeta lining from Woolworth's across the street. Sears had fabric in their catalogs as well as in the stores. Those were the days....

Reply to
BEI Design

Yes, I remember them...don't really know what they were called, but I too haven't thought about them in years.

Reply to
Chris R

Who wrote? I don't see any "Bevs" around here.

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

I stand corrected.

Reply to
Chris R

Thank you. You may sit now. ;-)

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

Anyone else remember those nifty

I remember the clerk always asking "Are you sure?" before pressing the cutter release. Very exciting! Karen in CO

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Reply to
Karen in CO

Slightly more 'exciting' when one was the clerk. ;-} It did not pay to make a mistake, when making $1.00/hour plus

3% commissions on completed sales.
Reply to
BEI Design

I first met that device when we moved here to N.O. in 1994. There was a wonderful, very traditional department store on the edge of downtown, founded in 1903 and I think it still had some of the original staff (!) In addition to an entire half floor of fabrics - heaven - it also had a shoe repair dept., gift wrap, lunch counter and the oldest escalator I have ever seen. Only one person wide, in fact the actual steps were only about a foot wide. They also still used the overhead vacuum tube system for paying. I could go there, leave my car with the valet (no self parking, the garage was too small) drop off the shoes for repair, buy whatever clothing or what have you I wanted - they still carried long white kid gloves, if you can believe that - perhaps get a bday present for someone, drop it at the gift wrap, spend hours in the fabric dept (real silk, real linen, Harris tweed, plus pillow ticking and all sorts of other traditional goodies as well as mountains of luxury evening wear fabric as well as ordinary dress material - then go have a bowl of genuine gumbo at the lunch counter, pick up my repaired shoes and wrapped gifts, get my car from the valet and off home.

Heaven.

I was so unhappy when they had to close down in 1997, but you can believe I bought enough luxury fabric at closeout prices to last me for a long time.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

Reply to
Olwyn.Mary

I first met it shopping with my Mom for fabric in the 40s. But I first USED one when I worked at Meier & Frank's big downtown Portland store in 1957-58.

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block building, 13 stories of everything under the sun, and like your store, full service. Cameras and film developing, shoe repair, watch repair, fine jewelry, gift wrap and FREE delivery, cafeteria or really nice restaurant, on and on. Sadly, the second generation sold it, and although it was run for a while by one of the other big national department stores, it was never the same. Macy's took over a few years ago.

Reply to
BEI Design

And so it went with all the other department stores in the country - from Burdine's to Zion Mercantile to Nordstroms. Last I heard, they were all either part of Allied or Federated, though the names may have changed by now, and for all I know, the two biggies may have merged. Department stores used to be such a part of a city, all locally owned and operated. Now, just another chain store.

Reply to
Pogonip

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