Quilt Market was last weekend. My Instagram feed was full of pictures of new fabric collections, designers beaming proudly in their beautiful booths, and the crazy crowds at Sample Spree.
If you sew and follow sewing blogs at all, I’m sure you’ve heard about Quilt Market. But what is it exactly? How did it come to be and what purpose does it serve?
NOTE (June 24, 2018) I’ve published attendance numbers for Quilt Market over the past decade. If you’re curious to see what those look like, you can find them here.
What is Quilt Market?
Quilt Market is the quilting and “soft crafts” industry wholesale trade show. Karey Bresenhan, a Houston quilt shop owner, founded Quilt Market in 1979. The show is produced by Quilts, Inc. and Karey is still founder and president.
The show takes place twice a year. Fall Market is always held in Houston, usually sometime in October. Spring Market is in different cities each year. Thus far it’s been held in Williamsburg, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Boston, Nashville, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Charlotte, Providence, Portland, and Atlantic City. Spring Market was in Pittsburgh last weekend (May 16-18) at the David Lawrence Convention Center.
Who goes to Quilt Market?
Quilt Market is a trade show and as such isn’t open to the public. In order to attend you need to show industry crendentials either as a “buyer” or an “industry professional”. A “buyer” is either a retailer like an online fabric shop or a brick-and-mortar store, or a manufacturer, importer or distributor of sewing industry products. An “industry professional” is a teacher, designer, sales rep., publisher, or longarm quilter. Note that children under 14 are not allowed on the trade show floor.
This year Quilts, Inc. tightened the credential requirements. Everyone was asked to reapply. Here’s what you need to prove you qualify:
-A company website with your own domain name
-A tax certificate or business license
-A letter of authorization from a current Quilt Market exhibitor
-A work contract for services or licensing
-Proof of two industry related published designs in books, magazines, or websites
I surmise that these new requirements are to keep what goes on at Quilt Market focused on the mission of a trade show (to do business) and not let it slide into a meet-and-greet, networking event, or sewing conference (like Sewing Summit).
What goes on at Quilt Market?
About 600 exhibitors have booths at each market and some have more than one for a total of approximately 2,000 booths.
The show floor is open on Saturday and Sunday. On the Thursday and Friday before the show opens there’s Schoolhouse. These are short sessions presented by designers, distributors and manufacturers, publishers, and authors presenting new products, techniques and books. Presenters pay $200 to have Schoolhouse and attendees pay $15 to attend the full day.
The schedule is available just a few hours before the Schoolhouse begins. There are about 250 classes offered, at either 15-30 minute intervals (although some are longer), and they run all day from 10am – 6pm.
What’s the purpose of Schoolhouse?
Schoolhouse is intended as professional development for shop owners. Quilt Market attendees are primarily shop owners who are there to get firsthand knowledge about their inventory directly from the product producers and to plan their inventory for the year. At Schoolhouse shop owners get ideas for in-shop classes they can plan. If you’re interested in getting a feel for what a Schoolhouse presentation is like take a look at this one from Spring Market a few days ago by Quilt Dad.
What is Sample Spree?
Sample Spree takes place on the Friday night of Market from 8pm – 10pm, although people begin lining up hours in advance. The word “sample” might imply free, but that’s not the case here. It costs $10 to attend Sample Spree and whatever you get there you pay for (although there are sometimes freebies like tote bags with purchase). Fabric companies sell bundles of their new fabrics and designers sell their new patterns.
The focus of a trade show is to do business. Fabric stores buy fabrics and patterns at Sample Spree so that they can make up new samples for their shops in advance of the release of new lines. The fabrics and patterns will be shipped months from now, but buying them at Market gives them a head start.
Quilt Market is a Business for Doing Business
Remember that trade shows are businesses themselves. To that end, let’s talk about the money involved. A ticket to walk the show costs $25. Quilts, Inc. keeps booth pricing is a bit of a secret. According to the prospective exhibitor application they say, “It is our company policy to release booth pricing information only after you have passed the screening process.” But, I’m not one for secrets. A booth is 10’ x 10 and costs $2,000. That gets you a 6’ or 8’ table and two chairs, but no walls. So now you know.
Should You Go to Quilt Market (and how come I’m writing this post and have never been?)
If you have a small sewing-based business it’s tempting to go to Quilt Market just to go. Knowing that shop owners, fabric and pattern designers, print publishers, and fabric companies will all be in one place is so exciting. Watching it all unfold on Instagram can underline that feeling even more.
Nothing beats connecting with people in real life. At it’s core, that’s the function of a a trade show, right? In real life you can talk to one another, ask questions, touch fabrics, watch demonstrations, and make connections in a way that just can’t be paralleled online. Meeting people and seeing everything yourself can set you up for lots of future business relationships.
Does that mean you should go to Quilt Market this year, or ever? Assuming you have the credentials to get in, remember that traveling and staying overnight is expensive. Before you spend $1,000 to fly to Houston and stay three nights just to walk the show, ask yourself,
“What would my goals be?”
“What am I hoping to do there?”
Do you have a new physical thing like a fabric line, print patterns, or a book to promote? Are you interested in previewing products to stock your online shop? Who can you set up a meeting with in advance?
I decided not to go to Quilt Market this year and here’s why. I sell digital patterns for toys. I don’t have immediate plans to branch out into print patterns so I don’t need a distributor. My toys are made primarily from fleece, not quilting cotton, and to make a toy requires very little yardage anyway so I can’t work with local quilt shops. It’s just a mismatch, at least right now. You know what I’d really like to do, though? I’d really like to go to Quilt Market as a member of the press and write about it here. Now that’s a great goal.
Dear Abby,
Many thanks for the detailed explanation and for your insightfulness. I always wondered about it. Happy creating and happy sewing!
I would love to go, just so I could learn more about each fabric company and their missions/styles. I can find a lot of information online of course, but to see it and feel it in person…..to talk to reps would help me a great deal. But at the same time I am working on a small scale Etsy shop and blog so it doesn’t fit me right now.
Would I like to go help work in a booth? Sure, maybe someday. But with a husband who travels a lot and 3 children with no family around, I just don’t have the option right now.
What fits me perfectly when it comes to QM? The ability to sew a bags for a few booths and attendees the past two sessions. It was such an honor and allowed me to do what I love and share it with others. 🙂 It was a proud moment.
I like the press idea 🙂 Good exposure for you and the company!! Cindy
You’re welcome.
I’m also a stay-at-home mom to three kids with a husband who works full-time and no local family. If I were to travel, even just a few hours away, I’d have to hire full-time help in my absence.
Thank you for your great (and honest) writing. I really appreciate how you are sincere enough to go beyond the spin and include the facts from a variety of angles – in all of your posts. Quilt Market looks great – but those of us who don’t go still can see plenty of pics from it via all the feeds. Keep up the great work!
This is a great post, Abby! I love Quilt Market (and when I was in academia, I loved my discipline’s annual conference–I am quite the “groupie”). I think your reasons for not attending are very sound, and I completely agree with your advice that business owners break down whether the cost of attending Market is worth the potential benefit to their particular business.
That said, I think that the face-to-face aspect of Market that you mention is its most valuable aspect. When I pitched my fabric design collections to art directors in person last fall, I got feedback that I wouldn’t have gotten if I had been submitting my portfolio via email. I think networking is a *huge* part of any trade show, and I’ve made connections at Market that have proven incredibly valuable for my business.
You are totally right about having a game plan and set of goals to accomplish at any given Market. I didn’t have any new patterns available this Spring, so it didn’t make sense to go to Pittsburgh. But I learned a ton for a small price tag when I walked the show in Kansas City (which is only a 3-4 hour drive from me in St. Louis), so for the expense that particular show was a great learning experience.
Thanks again for publishing this breakdown of the costs and benefits of going to Market! I think information of this type is incredibly valuable of all of us so that we can make the best personal decisions for our businesses!
yeah, that is all definitely good info for people to know before they make a decision. i think having a plan (something i currently sort of lack) is key to making it worthwhile. i don’t plan on going to houston, but pittsburgh was convenient since i could just drive. i’ll tell you what, it’s a zoo. that’s for sure!
I think my plan would be to observe. Connect and observe. And then report. With that plan in mind, I could totally handle it. Trying to sell my softie patterns to quilt shops? That would stress me out so much.
I crave those in person connections. Over the last 9 years I’ve met many industry professionals and authors who happen to come to Boston (or live here) and the connections are so amazing. My hope for the next decade is to be able to travel more as my kids get more independent.
You basically answered every single one of my questions. It seems like everyone (clearly an exaggeration) on my Instagram feed was there which made my knee-jerk reaction “I ought to go some day!” But I don’t have any actual reason to be there. It just looks so fun! The fact that the sample spree is not freebies also helps quell that urge, haha. I hope you do go as press next time!
Great assessment! I went to Spring Quilt Market last year when it was in Portland, OR – but the ONLY reason I was able to go is because my parents live in Vancouver, WA right across the river from Portland, OR and I was able to leave my kids with them. I also didn’t fly or have to rent a hotel, which made it an affordable adventure for me.
I had a blast seeing all the new fabric and meeting/seeing some sewing design celebrities – but it was also hard because I didn’t have the money or need to place any orders for quilting cotton. The order minimums were never less than $300 and I had/have no plans to use 10 yards of one print of cotton. I did however get to meet a marketing manager at Shannon Fabrics that I have been working with recently, so that was my biggest win from my market experience.
Thanks Abby as always for the awesome information and perspective!
Excellent info, Abby. I highly doubt I’ll ever have reason to go to Quilt Market, but it’s neat getting a behind-the-scenes about what goes on there and why. Thanks for the overview you’ve given those of us who haven’t attended, and if you do ever get to go as press, I know that’s press I’ll be excited to read!
Looking on at all the excitement from Australia, your post has really helped to put it all in perspective. I knew so little about the actual running of the markets, just enjoy the updates on the fabrics which will be coming out. The whole business end of it took me a little by surprise, but I guess that’s the whole motivation behind it.
I went for the first time this year to report, observe, and meet. I’m a former newspaper reporter and enjoy photography, so I felt comfortable in the “reporting role.” I made lots of great connections (some people I already knew “online” as well as new ones) and feel it was worthwhile.
That being said – my husband was able to use some of his vacation time to take off, and I think he connected well with my girls, who are 8 and 13 and a little more independent.
I was also able to drive (even though it was 6 hours), saving money. I won’t be going to Houston in the fall, and likely won’t go to Minneapolis next spring, because that’s a much longer drive for me than Pittsburgh and in both cases I’d need to fly. I roomed with two different online friends during the stay.
I did go into the Market with a specific plan of how I would use my time, which is key. It’s good to know which booths to visit ahead of time. I still have people with whom to follow up….the follow ups alone have been enriching!
What would be the consumer equivalent to Quilt market? You mentioned Sewing Summit – how does one find out about the various consumer driven “quilt markets”? In order to “google”, you have to know what to google! I am often a frustrated consumer because most of the time I find out about things after the fact. Thanks for your thoughts and input!
Sue
Thank you for this post! I owned a bricks-a-mortar and online quilt shop in southern British Columbia for several years and never went to Quilt Market even once. the expense was more than my little shop could handle. I always felt like i really should have gone – I feel a little better now! 😉
Good round up, but a few wee corrections (feel free to delete this if you want to update the main post)
Schoolhouse is only on Thursday, and costs $22 to attend (or another $30-odd if you want a bag lunch provided!)
Spree is on Thursday night, and costs $15 to get in. The items for sale are mostly at wholesale prices.
The floor is open Friday – Sunday
There’s also classes outside the hours the main floor is open either first thing in the morning or for 1-2 hours after on a variety of subjects. I attended a couple of really useful ones for upcoming projects, but it was funny that these classes were overlooked by much of the younger/celebrity crowd. Lowering the average attendee age was worth it for me anyway!
On Sunday many buyers have gone home, as have many other attendees, but it was by far the best day to do ‘unplanned’ business as a designer, as the booth owners had a lot more time to stop and chat, and catch you as you walked by.
Hi Katy,
Wow! Thanks so much for reading carefully and helping me to get all the details right. I totally appreciate it! And you’ve got great tips, too. When I do go I will be sure to plan to stay through the day on Sunday. Thank you so much.
This is such a great post! I’ve been in the quilting industry for almost 20 years and have only gone to quilt market once (back in 2006). I was with you – it wasn’t worth it to me to go most of the time. I will be attending this year, now for my 2nd time but only after careful consideration and finally realizing it is the time to go once again. Thanks for always sharing such thoughtful content!
I’ve recently found your blog and I love it! Thank you for being realistic and honest about some of the costs, challenges and hard-truths about having a creatively-based business.
About Quilt Market… a couple of tiny additions and a correction or two.
Spring Quilt Market – while Market has been to all of those cities, the folks at Quilts Inc. have settled on a rotation of about five cities for the past ten years. They are Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Salt Lake City and Portland. And yes, traffic is pretty quiet on Sunday no matter where you are.
Schoolhouse – as a presenter, the cost of a 30 minute presentation is $75.00 and the cost of a 15 minute presentation is $50.00. For that, you get a room and a listing in the schedule. The recent trend in “attendees” is more “industry professionals” and bloggers, and fewer shopowners. Of course, that’s the trend for all Market attendees.
Booth costs – a 10′ x 10′ booth is now $1,250. If you want a booth on the corner, that’s extra. And end-cap booth? That’s extra. Location is luck-of-the-draw – though you can specify on your contract if there is someone you wish to be next to. Or not next to. There are common walls to the booths but since you can’t hang anything on that drape or pipe, if you have something to hang, you’ll need to order additional “pipe” – that’s generally at least $110.00 more. Unless you’re hauling everything into the convention center yourself, that’s extra too. Shipping a half-dozen boxes with “whatever” to the convention center and back home will usually add another $500.00 to your bill. With airfare, hotels, meals and such, having a booth at Market is hard to do for less than $3,000.00.
And you haven’t printed a single thing for catalog, information, patterns, etc..
There is also one inescapable truth – fewer shop owners are attending Market. That wouldn’t be so bad except exhibiting at Market essentially ties you to that booth for three days, making it a little more difficult to establish contacts with publishers, fabric companies and other industry sources for growth and opportunity. So while you’re hanging out in your booth – busy or not – the “industry professionals” are free to do that business. It is a frustration for exhibitors – and part of the reason why the process for credentialing was tightened. Did it help? Judging by the traffic in Pittsburgh… not so much. While I don’t have actual statistics to support this, my sense is that maybe one-third of the counted attendees at Spring Quilt Market were shop owners – as opposed to the eighty-percent of attendees at my first Quilt Market in Fall 2002.
I hope you’ll forgive me for the long comment but you’re right that the more information we can share about this business, the more able we are to make informed decisions.
Keep up the great work!
This is an amazing addition, Carrie. Thank you so much. I just saw today that Wi-fi is an additional $12.95/day and if you want internet access in your booth it’s $79.99/day or $159.99/3-days.
Great informative post. Agree with Carrie more info helps in taking wise decision. No doubt Quilt Market helps in business promotion and making good contact but these facts and figures valuable too. Thanks for sharing.
As a shop owner, I found market to be too rushed. I also had to close my store for 4 days just to be able to attend because I was new, and had just opened and only had myself working. If I had to choose between staying open and spending thousands of dollars for gas, hotel, meals, and extras, I would now choose to stay home and run my business. I can see the same fabrics in the comfort of my store that everyone is seeing at market, I just get to see them a few weeks later when the rep calls on me. And I don’t feel rushed or overwhelmed.
I think you raise an interesting point, Michele. To what degree is going to Market to buy fabric necessary? And if it’s not for that alone, what else is there to be gained by going?
I have just found your post while looking up quilt market on Google.
I’m just a simple quilter and a fairly new one at that. No blog. I have found Instagram invaluable to connect with this world but as the months go pass, I find that this new world is so commercial and also a bit of a luvvie business. A new fabric line comes out and my feed is full of projects using it made by so many different ‘friends’ . A lot of it is just hype and I was wondering what this quit market hype was all about. Thank you for a great article, now I know.
Hi, Carrie, thanks for the great article, I am like Fabienne I was curious about the Quilt Market, but I am a small time quilter and was wondering if it would be something for me to look into concerning the Quilt Market. I think I will just stay simple and sit on the side lines. I know the few local shops around me will not go to the market and now I see why.