Jo-Ann Fabric, Denyse Schmidt, and your LQS

[Tom the DH]

A quick recap for those who don't live on the fabric blogosphere and flickr discussions every day:

• Denyse Schmidt has a new fabric line DS Quilts Collection that is available exclusively at Jo-Ann Fabrics only in the US (not Canada).

• There are also 10 prints soon to be available at Spotlight in Australia.

• Here is Lucia's DS Quilts Collection summary of all 31 prints (21 in US - Picnic and Fairgrounds, 10 in AU)

• This fabric is printed on nice, premium quilting cotton, i.e. equivalent to what you'd get at your modern local quilt shop.

Why Jo-Ann as a Retail Store Has Everyone Talking

To put it bluntly: if Jo-Ann starts selling premium fabric, how does that change the entire retail fabric industry?

The typical Jo-Ann Fabric customer isn't your "typical" modern quilter. Many have never heard about the Modern Quilt Guilds or quite understand why local quilt shops with premium fabric charge so much, and that there are people who eagerly wait for new fabric lines to come out and rush to buy them.

Jo-Ann is trying to change their image and go up-scale, so having Denyse Schmidt fabric is a big win. Jo-Ann will likely introduce other designers, maybe Heather Ross is next?

This fabric is expensive, especially for the typical Jo-Ann customer, at $10/yard. Watch as the worker at the cutting table shows shock & surprise that you are buying so much at $10 yard.

Jo-Ann Fabric is an interesting retail situation because they issue many coupons for retail customers, including 50% off any one cut (you know, like an entire bolt of Denyse Schmidt fabric). At Jo-Ann, you can:

• You can use multiple 50% off and 40% coupons if they have different SKU's on them.
• You can use the Jo-Ann mobile phone app for another coupon.
• You can use your Modern Quilt Guild membership card for 10% off.

Yes, Jo-Ann coupon hoarder, you know who I'm talking about... the Jo-Ann shopper that holds up the line juggling 8 coupons, but only after first buying multiple $2.99 Jo-Ann magazine for $2.99 (with 50% off coupons) to use the (2) 50% and (4) 40% off coupons on the back of each magazine. Don't forget the store coupons you can print from the Jo-Ann web page and the ones you get in the mail.


Denyse Says This is Good for Everyone in the Fabric/Quilting/Sewing World:

Here is Denyse replying to a local quilt shop owner on her Facebook page:

Sure, a rising tide lifts all boats, but is there enough rising water for everyone to enjoy the water? Local quilt shop owners are saying that their customers have a fixed budget on how much they will spend on fabric. If they are spending $80 at Jo-Ann that means they probably won't buy other fabric at their LQS. So it's not just the licensing issue of this one fabric line being exclusive to Jo-Ann, it's the fact that Jo-Ann is the big fabric guerrilla that the LQS and modern quilters have all made fun of, until now.

I would also consider the entire LQS experience. Your visit to your LQS has is a unique fabric shopping experience. They are your trusted fabric advisers (along with your online friends like us), but more importantly, you knew that if you wanted something new from a Denyse Schmidt, Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Heather Bailey, Heather Ross, etc... your LQS would have it. What happens if designers now license fabric deals with many different retail entities? It's just Jo-Ann and your LQS today, but what if tomorrow it was also Hancock Fabrics? Or craft stores like Michael's and Berverly's (insert regional chains in your area here). Heck, what if WalMart starts licensing precut fabric deals (they have lots of precuts available now, just not from modern fabric designers yet).

So... what do YOU think?

[shelby]

I say two thumbs up for more lovely Denyse Schmidt fabric. Who doesn't love Denyse? The more the merrier here.

But I'm not sure how I would feel if two years from now there are a dozen designers with exclusive deals at one store, and some with deals at another, and the LQS might have some fabric available but others not. It would all be too confusing.

Many LQS's are having a hard time staying in business at it is. I do like Joann's 50% coupons, but other than that, I would not shop there. I do not like the Joann shopping experience. I LOVE the LQS shopping experience. Will designers doing deal at Joann bring more fabric buyers into the modern scene? I HOPE so, but I think only if Joann makes an effort to support the modern quilting movement. They need to not just sell fabric and books but hold more workshops and promote the modern quilt guilds.

[Tom the DH]

According to an internal Jo-Ann memo, they will be receiving a "refresh" of DS Quilts Collection every 3-months. But Denyse said that this would not be reprinted.

So the question is whether this every 3-month "refresh" is from Fabric Tradition is just more inventory delivered in batches, or is it new fabric prints?

If it's some sort of inventory refresh, then the crazy, hysterical demand we are seeing now will fade because there will be lots of supply. There may be a 3-month period of premium prices on Etsy for Picnic and Fairgrounds in this case.

If it the "refresh" is new fabric prints, this will start diluting the demand. Quilters cannot keep up with a new set of prints every 3-months, and this is just our beloved Denyse Schmidt. What happens when there are a bunch of other designers doing the same thing?