American Quilt Retailer enjoyed having designer Roseann Kermes and Olfa manager Yvonne Busdeker demonstrate many of the OLFA products. Listen in. If you’d like to see more videos like this, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, too!
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If you like to travel and you like to sew (which of course you do!) then consider attending a trip hosted by the American Sewing Guild to experience both in Hong Kong.
Sew News editor Linda Griepentrog and writer Pauline Richards will be leading the way for the week-long trip from November 27 to December 8, showing you the region’s fabrics and providing a multitude of learning opportunities. This is Linda’s 21st trip to the region and she truly knows every alley way and every bargain.
The trip will include stops to Stanley Market, Western Market, a night market, Pottinger street and the Lanes, Jade Market, Victoria, Peak, Mountain Folkcraft, Repulse Bay, and Sham Shui Po. If you’re on the fence wondering if Hong Kong is for you, click on the links to see everything these creative districts have to offer.
Not only do you get to experience a completely new garment district, but order minimums are much smaller compared to U.S. companies.
The trip departs on November 27 from San Francisco with a non-stop flight to Hong Kong. The cost is $3,999 for ASG members and includes airfare, the hotel, bus transportation, and many of the sights and meals planned on the trip. Find out more details here.
By becoming a member of the American Sewing Guild, you get access to resources provided by your local chapter and an annual national conference. And like American Quilt Retailer, Sew News is a magazine you can subscribe to stay on top of all things happening in the creative world.
If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.
Fil-Tec has rebranded their online store from Bobbin Central to Hab+Dash.
This decision was made to better showcase Fil-Tec’s wide variety of products including backing, batting, sewing accessories, displays and more.
Fil-Tec started 15 years ago with the invention of the magnetic core bobbin. Since then the company has created new bobbins including the Glide and the Magna-Glide. They’ve also expanded their reach, and are known as a top company for embroidery, quilting, industrial thread, wire and cable, high temperature, and wicks.
With the expansion of the company’s products meant out with the old and in with the new; instead of a website that was centralized on bobbins—all the company was known for when it started—the rebrand was designed to showcase everything Fil-Tec has to offer. Hence the name Hab+Dash, a play on the word haberdashery (defined as a shop known for selling thread and notions to sewers).
Most of what Fil-Tec’s online presence has been known for will remain the same. This means the online store will continue to be completely wholesale and the same rewards program will apply.
Fil-Tec takes pride in being a supplier to many top companies including La-Z-Boy®, Boeing®, Cintas®, Johnson & Johnson, L.L. Bean and Lands’ End. Their product can be found not only on your sewing machine in your craft room, but in the furniture of your home, the clothes that you wear, the wires that provide your internet, and the heating materials in your furnace.
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Good training gives your employees the tools to maximize their talents to better your business. Poor training sets your employees up for failure; nothing is worse than when a customer knows more about a product than the person getting paid to have that same knowledge (and more).
If you don’t already have a new hire orientation, that is the first thing you need to put on the top of your to-do list. The orientation should take place on the sales floor and cover all aspects of the business. The orientation should allow time for the new employee to put into practice what they’re learning. After giving them a task for an hour, go over how they’re doing and provide feedback. A simple complement can go a long way for a new employee’s confidence.
The next part of a training program should include giving your new employee a “buddy.” This buddy is another employee the new employee can go to for questions they may not feel comfortable asking the boss. Plus this buddy can give the new employee some company during their first lunch break and help them feel at home in their new role.
An often overlooked part of a training program is continuous training; never assume your veteran employees know everything or are doing everything correctly. Try to incentivize continuous training by paying for courses or purchasing books and videos for your employees. You can even go as far as giving bonuses or promotions for each level of continuing education your employees receive.
Last but not least, hold “jog” sessions that jog your employees memory about certain products or specials. A jog session can be given any time there is down time in a day and should be conducted at least once a week. These sessions will keep your employees on their A-game and ready for any question they may receive that day.
Not only will you benefit from solid training, but your employees will appreciate it as well. Providing a good foundation in a business begins with the people who make the team.
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Earlier this year, Shannon Fabrics announced Bluebell as their color of the year. The color of the year is chosen following design trends, and is a time every creative looks forward to.
Bluebell is known for evoking tranquil feelings and a sense of reassurance. In the age of the social this color seemed the right fit for what 2018 should be; a reminder to stop and smell the roses somewhere in our busy and ever-moving lives.
Bluebell has warm violet undertones and matches well with denim blues, navy, and dusty blue when used as the main focus. Bluebell also matches well with cooler purples (think along the lines of lavender), and neutrals like sand, beige, steel, and graphite.
Shannon Fabrics features the color in many of their patterns and has received positive feedback from choosing the relaxing hue. 
This compares to Pantone’s color of the year, Ultraviolet. Ultraviolet, a much deeper purple than Bluebell, is a color of vision, promoting originality that points to the future.
Unlike Bluebell, Ultraviolet features better as an accent. Search for colors to soften it, like purples, pinks, and blues. A vase of these shades of flowers look all the more lovely next to the powerful and emotion-evoking deep purple. If looking to use Ultraviolet, embrace a darker, more moody theme.
As we enter the second quarter of the year, try to look for opportunities to include the colors of the year into your products for a reminder to stay calm, cool, and collected while keeping your eyes on the prize.
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You heard it here first folks, Jaftex Corporation has announced their intent to purchase the one and only FreeSpirit Fabrics.
Jaftex Corporation is a fourth-generation, family owned business based in New York City. Other names under the Jaftex umbrella include Henry Glass Fabrics, Studioe Fabrics, The Blank Quilting Corp., Fabric Editions, A.E. Nathan Co., Inc., and now, FreeSpirit Fabrics.
FreeSpirit Fabrics is known for their trend-setting artists including none other than Tula Pink and Anna Marie Horner, of whom you can catch at the International Quilt Market this spring in Portland, Oregon, along with the unveiling of the “new” Free Spirit. There Horner will also be hosting a schoolhouse on her new conservatory program.
Outside of Tula Pink and Horner, FreeSpirit is known for their unique collection including Kaffe Fassett Collective, The Original Morris & Co., Dena Designs, Snow Leopard Studios, Jennifer Paganelli, Heather Bailey and more. FreeSpirit was previously under the Coats family, which is known for providing services to the apparel, craft, and footwear industries.
FreeSpirit can be found in many fabric stores, and are known for providing quality fabrics that inspire young and old creatives alike. Jaftex Corporation intends on remaining true to the FreeSpirit brand and cause minimal disruption in the marketplace for what FreeSpirit customers have come to know and love.
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Check out this podcast featuring editor of American Quilt Retailer Heidi Kaisand!
The podcast, by Stitchcraft Marketing, features how to keep up with the ever-changing retail world, tactics Kaisand uses to get customers in her studio, and why the telephone is still one of the best tools a business owner can utilize.
The interview was conducted by Stitchcraft Marketing CEO Leanne Pressly. After working for Interweave Press, Pressly decided to start her own website, The Wool Wide Web, in 2009. The website rebranded itself in 2013 and transformed into Stitchcraft Marketing.
Stitchcraft Marketing helps the creative business world with creating a digital presence, marketing, social media, graphics, patterns, and branding. Also on their website you can check out their blog and listen to the podcast Kaisand was featured on, Business of Craft.
Also on the podcast, Kaisand shares that thinking like a customer is the most important way to get customers. Kaisand created a retreat studio in her Hens and Chicks retail quilt shop to encourage creativity for her customers.
Kaisand also asks herself these questions; what am I selling? And who am I selling it to? Asking these questions helps Kaisand take the business out of the relationship and think on the customer’s level.
And lastly, Kaisand talks about the importance of consistency in running a business.
So what are you waiting for! Check out the Business of Craft podcast today to hear all about American Quilt Retailer’s changes and more.
If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.
Working retail is the source of dread for many.
And rightfully so, with sales like Black Friday that everyone and their mom takes advantage of, it’s easy to see why so many former-retail employees cringe at the thought.
We’ve all been there, rummaging through piles of picked-through jeans to find our size, just to discover that it’s been sold out for hours from the all-too-blunt employee. Nobody is happy they woke up so early to get to work or take advantage of a deal, but nobody needs the attitude either.
That’s why it’s so important to eliminate that aspect from your business. No matter what you do, make sure that entering your store becomes a source of joy for every shopper.
Find ways to motivate your employees. Post encouraging notes around your shop; in the break room, in the bathroom, by the register.
Bring up the importance of being well mannered and thoughtful in every huddle you have with your team. The employees who make being cheerful with customers their priority will get it, and you’ll likely know who those employees are.
But the employees who sometimes let their guard down will need the reminder! Another plug never hurts.
And if you have an employee who still doesn’t “get it,” keep them off the floor. One of the most important things you can do is ensure that a negative experience with a customer is avoided at all costs.
Think about this the next time you have a negative retail experience; what went wrong? What could have made the situation better? As a manager what would you have done? Asking these questions can help you prepare for any scenario you may encounter in your store.
At the end of the day, remember that the customer is always right and if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all. If you follow these two rules, you’re off to a great customer service start.
If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.
You heard it here first folks—Marcia Barker has been named the new Director of Education for the International Quilt Festival and Quilt Market.
Barker is replacing the late Judy Murrah and will be in charge of directing 150 faculty members and planning over 500 classes and lectures for both the Quilt Market and Quilt Festivals.
Barker’s main goal is to fulfill the big shoes left for her from Murrah, as well as listen to what the consumers want most.
Other team members include Education Manager Jill Benge and Education Assistant Barbara Cline.
In her personal life, Barker has been married to her husband Tom for over 40 years and together they have two children and two grandchildren. She also spends her time volunteering with Habitat for Humanity as well as performing across the world with variety dance group Up with People.
On a professional level, Barker has worked with Quilts, Inc. since 2000, and has been a member of the Education show team (including Education show team leader).
Quilting and planning are not new to Barker as she has been coordinator of the Bernina Fashion Show and has been sewing since she was nine years old.
American Quilt Retailer has been a regular supporter of both the International Quilt Festival and the International Quilt Market; even having an education class at the last International Quilt Market called the “Schoolhouse Series.”
AQR is excited to work alongside Barker in her new role, and wish her the best luck!
Check out Quilts, Inc. for more industry news, classes, and events.
If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.
In any business, cash is king. Making, and keeping, that cash can be the problem. Follow these tips to make the most of your money.
Ask for help. Delegating tasks in the most effective way is easier said than done, but it’s amazing how far a little reflection can go in your business. Take two weeks and keep a journal with everything you had to do that someone else could have done, and any question you had to answer that you shouldn’t have had to. After two weeks the answer to making the most of your time (and time is money) will be obvious.
Stick to your guns. The next time you budget, chose a dollar amount for every line item and then refuse to go over it. Download an app to help you stay on track—like Mint—that links to your bank account and shows where you’re spending your money. If you’ve never kept data on your expenses, be ready for a wake up call. Numbers don’t lie though, and sometimes a wake up call is necessary. The app will send you alerts when you’re approaching your budget and tell you when you’re spending too much on something.
Purge, baby, purge. After sticking to your budget, check for ways to cut costs. The ways you can save money begin to be pretty apparent after using a data-driven budgeting app; start making those changes effective immediately.
Weigh your UPS and FedEx packages. You’d be amazed when you start doing this yourself how much you’re overcharged. Of course this isn’t the only money saving tip, but as our stores are inventory-driven, this is one process you could add that may end up saving some big bucks.
Use your resources. Chances are you’re a member of a trade association, but when was the last time you logged in and checked out what options are available to you? Save (and actually read) the next email blast or promotion you receive from them as a reminder to take a minute and peruse new ways to use your association membership.
Take your time. Money can be one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of our lives. If you’re hesitant about making any of these changes, sleep on it. If when you wake up (and after you’ve weighed your options) you realize the pros are greater than the cons, follow through. Change isn’t always a bad thing, especially when it saves you hard-earned cash.
If you have had any success making a change in your business, and reaped the benefits financially, we’d love to hear about it! Contact American Quilt Retailer through our Facebook page today.
If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you.
