The fabric industry was shocked when it became known in 2006 that Wal-Mart was planning on closing the fabric departments in most of its stores. Many fabric lovers reacted in disbelief to the idea that Wal-Mart would be closing out the fabric departments of over 1,000 stores beginning in 2007.The process has since gotten under way and has taken a toll on sewing enthusiasts everywhere, who feel that they've been left without an alternative to Wal-Mart's fabric department. Is that really the case?
Although Wal-Mart was a dominant force in the fabric market, it was by no means the only player in the industry. Meanwhile, J&O Fabrics has upgraded its web site to better cater to the needs of its customers. With J&O you can almost recreate the experience of shopping in your favorite local fabric store from the comfort of your home. In addition to making our web site more user friendly, we have also expanded it to include such essential items as interfacing, linings, ribbon, scissors and trims.
Online threads and forums are rife with expressions of disappointment in Wal-Mart's decision to reduce its presence in the fabric market. Nevertheless, those in the know realize that there are more resources than ever before to help them get their fabric fix. Let J&O help you make the most of your fabric projects with our friendly and knowledgeable staff and easy to use online fabric store accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Here's a look at what we got in this past week:
Sea Beauties FabricLabels: notions, novelty-fabrics, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart-Fabric, Walmart
Ever since Walmart decided not to carry fabrics in over 2500 of their stores, the fabric industry has been in a frenzy. With Walmart sprawling across the county, they have managed to push out over 80% of local fabric shops. Today, as local Walmarts are closing down their fabric departments, what are the fabric suppliers going to do?
The buzz in the textile industry right now is as to who is going to be the first fabric manufacturer to close their doors. This "honor" goes to a great company, Shamash and Sons Fabrics. Shamash has been around for over 50 years and has provided millions of yards of fabric to customers all over the globe. Everything from cotton velvet, batiks, novelty fabrics, designer fabrics and dress goods was produced by Shamash, though they are most known for manufacturing the Betty Boop Fabric line.
The impact Walmart's decision has had is attributable in large part to manufacturers' structuring their fabric lines around Walmart. Walmart would order thosands of yards from different companies. Their orders would provide revenue. The revenue would provide the manufacturers more money to spend on developing new designs and products. These novel designs would be shown at quilt markets and then sold in quilting stores. Sans the presence of Walmart, manufacturers such as Shamash lost their main source of revenue. Therefore, since some of the manufacturers neglected their previous buyers - which had since gone out of business - there was no place to turn to to replace what they had lost in Walmart. Sadly, once proud companies like Shamash are now withering away.
As Shamash closes its doors, what change - if any - does this indicate for the fabric industry? How will this closure affect fabric shoppers? Will Shamash be merely the first of many fabric manufacturers to close their doors?
Most people enjoy Walmart and the amenities that they offer. Walmart is a one-stop shop to get everything needed. What most people do not realize is that as Walmart sprawls across the US and the rest of the world they are putting small business and companies out of business. So when Walmart decides not to carry a certain section or product this decision hurts many businesses, jobs and industries.
Although it seems like a prosaic concern, Walmart's decision to drastically reduce its retail fabric business has already had an important impact on the fabric industry. The effect it will have on millions of quilters and sewing enthusiasts shouldn't be underestimated. It will take more time to better understand the full impact of Walmart's decision, but J&O will keep you posted with further developments.
Posts by J&O Fabrics Store
Labels: fabric-industry, fabric-store, fabric-stores, textile-industry, Walmart