“Market used to be a place to debut your new products to shop owners and pretty much only to shop owners and others in the trade,” says Linda Sullivan, owner of Linderella Quiltworks, an independent quilt shop in Southern Pines, North Carolina. “Excitement would build and then on the first day of Market a frenzy of eager shop owners would surge into the aisles to be the absolute first to see and place orders for the newest products. Imagine – no one else would know but those in the hall.”
Over the last decade the internet has radically changed the way information about new products is shared with shop owners and with consumers as well. Spring Quilt Market takes place in Salt Lake City in just a few weeks, but quilting enthusiasts who are on Instagram have already seen much of what will be shown, some of it weeks or even months ago. Following the #quiltmarket hashtag throughout the weekend of the show will let you see the fabrics, samples, and booths from every angle. In the 1980s and early 90s this certainly wasn’t the case.
How does the early hype and extensive coverage by attendees change the show?
Linda feels it’s had a negative effect. “The overgramming of each new product has taken the excitement out of Market,” she says. “Nothing is new and in fact, some products that have not yet been released seem old and worn out due to their overexposure. As a shop owner, I find that by the time Market arrives, everything new seems old and I can wait for my sales rep to arrive at the shop before purchasing. That usually means less orders as I have now had time to evaluate what I really need and do not make impulse purchases as I used to when Market was exclusive and exciting.”
In many ways Quilt Market is the ideal social media event. It’s a highly visual experience that lends itself to photography and it’s an exclusive event open only to industry professionals which means the average consumer’s only access is online.
Traveling to Quilt Market has always been a significant expenditure for small quilt shops. Jane Barnett, owner of The Quilter’s Way in Acton, Massachusetts decided about five years ago to stop attending Quilt Market due to the expense. “I’m sure I’m missing out on making some in-person connections and maybe on finding some new products, but I’m pretty internet savvy,” she explains. “I’m following bloggers and designers online and I know what I want to buy. Market is expensive and we’ve chosen to put those funds elsewhere.” Kelly Ann, owner of Kelly Ann’s Quilt Shop in Warrington, Virginia, estimates she spent between $2,000-2,500 going to Houston for Fall Market which she described as “financially ridiculous” for a shop of her size.
Social media does seem to have at least some effect on the behavior of the thousands of shops who do attend the show each season (Quilts, Inc. doesn’t share exactly how many quilt shops attend the show). Sample Spree, the evening shopping event known for its crazed atmosphere, was originally intended to give shop owners a chance to buy small cuts of the new lines in order to sew samples for shop displays. Today, it plays a different role for some shop owners. Elizabeth Nelson owns Modern Makers, an independent quilt shop in Kansas City, MO. At Sample Spree Elizabeth purchases bundles of the new fabrics and resells them in her shop. “My customers are savvy enough to see it all online. They don’t need in-store samples to see what’s new,” she explains. Elizabeth chronicles her Quilt Market experience on Instagram to build customer anticipation to visit the shop when she returns. “Reselling the bundles brings people into the shop because they are getting early access. We call this ‘sharing the loot.'”
The preview and sharing culture that’s developed around Market affects designers as well. Designer Maureen Cracknell explains her philosophy about pre-Market sharing in a recent blog post. “As a great lover of fabrics, I still get so excited to see the release of my favorite designer’s new collections. If I see it prior to Quilt Market, well then I can’t wait to see how they put their booth together at the show.” Maureen’s sharing strategy seems to be working in her favor. Most commenters on the post agreed with her with one stating, “I love everything you share!! Keep it up! It just makes me convinced I need your fabric all the more once it hits stores.”
Other designers aren’t so sure the frenzied sewing and thousands of dollars in expense are worth the effort. Reflecting on the time and expense involved in creating a booth for the show Ellen Luckett Baker wrote on her Facebook page, “Certainly having a beautiful booth at Quilt Market can create buzz around a collection, but I wonder if any companies have really analyzed what motivates their customers. These days, everything has changed because the customers might see the fabric on Instagram before the shop owner even gets to market. To me, this makes the samples and display less exciting.” Ellen wonders, “Is it time to re-think the marketing approach of investing so much time and money on a booth display?”
One thing that remains a constant about Quilt Market no matter what the social media environment looks like is the opportunity to connect with people in the industry face to face. Bob Ruggiero, Director of Publications and Public Information for Quilts, Inc., the company that owns Quilt Market, says, “Our focus groups, attendees, and exhibitors have told us that solely relying on social media to check out new products cannot replicate or replace the real Quilt Market experience.” He goes on to explain, “Quilting is and always has been a truly tactile industry. Seeing and touching a piece of fabric, trying out the latest product, and viewing the true colors of thread can’t be compared to simply looking at a one-dimensional image on a smartphone or a computer screen. Likewise, interaction on social media can’t begin to measure up to the face-to-face business and personal connections made at Quilt Market, as well as what participation in the multitude of networking and learning opportunities can accomplish.” The quilt shop owners I spoke with emphasized how much they value the opportunity that Market gives them to make in person connections.
Elizabeth of Modern Makers is still weighing Quilt Market in the balance. “There’s value in going, but how much? That’s money you could have spent on inventory. How much fabric do you need to sell to make it worth it? That’s hard to say. I’m not totally sold that it ends up being worth it financially.”
Still, she feels attending one Market a year is worthwhile. “At Market I can see everything at once and can better assess trends and excitement and what’s generating buzz. I really enjoy the community,” Nelson says. “That’s why I opened a shop – for the community. Quilt Market is a community building event and for that reason it’s hard to miss.”
Johanna Felberbaum says
Nice article with insight into Quilt Market. I attend both markets each year and I find it invaluable to my business. I attend business seminars, spot trends, network in person with my suppliers and most importantly bring back lots of good ideas, information and inspiration for my customers. Most of my customers are not social media devotees so they rely on us to bring them back what they want. and share the excitement of what is new with them.
Quilts, Inc. has become more strict with attendees by requiring proper credentials to attend. I think this has cut down on the number of people attending but as a shop owner I am thrilled with the changes. I used to see customers of mine shopping wholesale at market and sample spree, attending as a guest of a local long arm quilter. Now I just see the shop owners, vendors, designers, authors, and others that have legitimate business at market. I look forward to getting recharged and inspired once again in Salt Lake City this month!
Jessica Anderson says
I attended my first market last fall but I didn’t go to purchase fabric for the shop. I went to network and meet other shop owners and industry professionals. I also paid for it out of my own pocket, not the shop (co-owner of Sew Dayton). I am coming to Utah also on my own money to meet and reconnect, I am doing it as my vacation.
I do love the energy and the vibe of market. The connections made are incredible and lasting friendships made.
The shop will be coming this fall to Houston. I really do love it to meet and talk to my peers and get the face to face interactions. I do understand from a shop standpoint, it is really expensive. We booked everything early so we could pay the credit card off before we go!
I am excited to see everyone again and make new friends.
Abby says
That’s where I met you! I agree that those face to face interactions can’t be beat.
Jessica Anderson says
🙂 Yep, it was so much fun and all the energy and positivity that comes from going, really put me back on track for my personal goals. It was great meeting you!
mjb says
I think there’s an interesting difference in supply chains and how that affects the lead time and potential customer fatigue of seeing the designs too early. Companies that print digitally (AGF) are debuting lines now and selling them at market that will be released later this summer. Other companies are just now shipping fabric that was shown at fall market. It may be that for companies to show their tech savvy they need to match the speed of production and decrease lead times to match the speed of social media exposure. Some have done this by releasing pre-cuts before full yardage is available. Another thing to consider is that, early exposure helps promote pre-sales, which can help fabric shops accurately estimate what their total sales will be.
Abby says
This makes me wonder if social media pressure will help bring back domestic manufacturing of fabric.
mjb says
Wouldn’t that be cool? Maybe I could show them the business case for it.
Anne says
I hope you are both right.
I am not a store owner, but if I were something like this Cotton + Steel link sent out to those that subscribe to their web site or blog came to my mailbox on 59/16 – to preview their line https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/15497096401f8915.
If I could not make it to Spring Quilt Market, I would pre-order this for my shop right away. If I were going this year to Spring Market, this is one of the first booths I would visit.
It seems as though everything, such as products and advertising, think holidays, begins now before Halloween. I just received my daily e-mail from Missouri Quilt Co., for Halloween fabric. In the quilting industry, some of this makes sense. It could take 6 months, often more time than that, to make a holiday quilt for any holiday occasion from October through December.
However, when Home Depot brings out the trees and the music for Christmas and Hanukah in mid-October, it feels very inappropriate.
Rebecca says
I’m internet savvy, but what I look at is a carefully curated slice of the quilting & arts community. At Market, there are aisles after aisles (after aisles!) of content that I may not have given a second look online. I’ve found amazing things in booths that I would never have found online bc the company had either an old fashioned or ill-kept website , or the website wasn’t in English (or easily translatable) or even had no web presence at all. I look at it the same way I view a flea market- yes, I could probably just buy all the stuff on eBay, but the joy is in the hunt!
Abby says
That’s such a great way to put it, Rebecca, and I think it goes for meeting people, too. When I was at Fall Market I met a lot of people I didn’t know I wanted to know!
Christa Watson says
For me, seeing the excitement on instagram made me want to attend quilt market again. I attended my first one in 2008 and at the time thought I could skip it for my online fabric store and just order directly from my sales reps. Then, when I started seeing the buzz about market on instagram in 2013, I decided it was time to go again in 2014. I’ve attended every market since!
Ellen Baker says
As a designer, I definitely find advantages to sharing images in advance of Market. Often showing it directly to the consumer will allow shops to see what people like and encourage them to order my fabric. In addition, I get immediate feedback on my designs. Quilt Market definitely has positive value with networking opportunities and the tactile experience. Kokka doesn’t have local representatives, so Market is the shop owner’s only chance to see and touch our fabric. Still, I think one Quilt Market per year would be fine.
Of greater concern to me at the moment is my conflict over how designers are asked to create samples. Fortunately, my company makes samples for me and has no expectations, but I always offer to create more things for the booth. When we add up our costs and hours making samples, it’s just not a financially viable investment. I’ve decided to make fewer samples, but over the years, I have asked people to help me sew for Market in exchange for fabric, payment, or simply to promote something they are working on at the time. But to be honest, it feels like I’m taking advantage of people. In what other business do we ask people to work for free?
I think the blurred line between hobby and business, in addition to our love for sewing, may cause us to lose sight of the true value of our time. I would encourage more companies to pay for sample-making rather than putting the burden on the designer to ask for free help or pay for samples out of their own pocket. Quilt Market is a trade show, so working for free isn’t simply a favor to the designer, but may ultimately supplement the income of a large company.
Anyway, thanks for thinking about the industry and continuing to ask questions.
Johanna Felberbaum says
I have offered to make samples for market in exchange for the ability to have the fabric in advance and have the sample hung when the fabric comes in. [no one has taken me up on my offer yet]. I think that would be good for several parties. Nothing harder than scrambling to get a sample made for my shop when the fabric comes in and is already for sale. It takes a lot of time to make samples – for a market, for a shop and samples sell!!
Abby says
I think this is especially problematic when a designer is also asked to fund the booth costs and travel costs themselves. Most fabric companies don’t ask this, but there are companies that insist that their newest designers have a booth and pay for it themselves. When you add the labor of sample making into that it just becomes unfair to the designer, at least in my opinion.
Kelly Ann Richardson says
The cost to the designers with new lines, new samples and if they have a booth, again an expense that is very hard to over coming unless the line is hugely successful. The manufactures also feel the great expense of market, the cost to have those large booths is also eating into their bottom line, and everyone needs to be concerned about that, if they raise their prices that trickles down or in some cases floods down to the end user.
Linda Sullivan says
Great article Abby! I must say that this last month I have noticed a considerable drop off in the amount of pre-market posts and overgramming of new products (more like “sneak peeks’ that really don’t show much) – perhaps the fabric companies, pattern designers and Quilts, Inc. have finally realized that in order for us to show up they need to make it worth the expense….
Abby says
Hmmm…I haven’t noticed that, Linda. I wonder what other people’s impressions are?
Heidi Staples says
Such a fascinating post, and I’ve definitely been hearing talk about this topic recently. I sewed Quilt Market samples for several designers this spring, and it’s not something I take lightly. I always want to do my best work for the sake of the designer and the countless hours of work that she’s put into her fabric line.
I’ve only been able to make it to one Market in person so far (last spring in Minnesota), but I was able to make some great personal connections there. Financially speaking, though, it’s not going to be something I can do all the time. While I love being able to see all the new collections on social media during Market, it’s true that there’s a danger of overexposure. By the time the fabric actually hits the stores, everyone is moving on and ready for the next new thing. I think it’s the greatest drawback of this industry — the constant push for new books, new fabric, new patterns. There’s almost a sense of panic to get your idea out into the world as fast as possible before someone else does, to come up with something more exciting before you become irrelevant. It’s just part of being in business to some extent, I know, but I think it can quickly drain the joy out of the creative process — whether you’re designing or sewing.
Abby says
I think all creative fields are like this, whether it’s music or fashion or fabric. It’s a constant cycle of new.
Patricia Belyea says
I have made incredible connections at Quilt Market. Everyone is there and open to meeting others. I would not like to see this industry resource languish as it’s an important event. Also being plugged into social media non-stop to stay on top of everything is mind-exhausting.
Tammie says
As a consumer, I am glad that my local shop goes to market. I do see the posts from designers on Instagram and Facebook and I agree, nothing can take the place of seeing it up close. My biggest problem is that I don’t feel that the local shop is respected any more. By the consumer or the distributors. On line “big box” stores sell items at reduced prices (Frivols are just one example) and this hurts the local shops immensely. I look at fabric online and don’t purchase it from an online retailer until I find out if my local shop has it or not. If we as consumers don’t support our local shops, then we won’t have that option much longer. Thanks for letting me vent!
Summer says
I live in Houston where I have access to multiple “local” quilt shops if I’m willing to drive a bit, as well as the International Quilt Festival with all its vendors in the fall. While I try to support my really local quilt shop – the one in my neighborhood – it just is not keeping up with the times as far as modern designs, dynamic website, blog or other social media presence. However, as much as I wish they’d carry this designer or update their newsletter or provide more classes on the weekends, the truth is that the majority of the customers are used to shopping locally and having the fabrics that are in the store be their world. They are retired so they can take workshops during the week. The internet blogs, the Instagram pictures are just not a part of their day to day life. So, the industry is changing, but like America, perhaps not as fast as we think or would like!
Tammie says
Yes, we have some of that type of Quilt Shops here too. But I have one that I shop at that is all over IG, FB and has a great website! I support her more than any of the others. One of our really big shops just went out of business. She was not interested in keeping up with the times. Had no new fabric or shop samples. Refused to have anything to do with a website or social media. I think owning a shop is a huge responsibility and a lot of work! I don’t buy from any internet stores that undercut prices on things. It’s like supporting the WalMart of the quilting industry.
Susanne says
Hi Abby! Thanks so much for yet another great conversation. I’ve been thinking a lot about your post.
I agree with a lot of the comments here that there are great connections to be had–I met you there for the first time, after all 🙂
As an industry manufacturer, I do see value, but I’d love to see it only once a year.
And as a mother who has labored over countless costumes I’ve never been able to see my kids wear…uh, not over Halloween either please.
In my business, I left behind the crazy pace of the book publishing side of our industry to start my own company and concentrate on fewer, better books with more focus and more thought behind why I am putting something into the marketplace. From like 40-50 book a year manufacturer to 6-10 a year manufacturer. So for me, it’s pretty obviously about PACE… but I don’t think I am alone in this. I’ve heard this from everyone, from fabric stores, manufacturers, designers, and exhibitors.
I’ve heard a lot of feedback from shops who can’t sell fabrics as quickly as they are being produced which, I think, leaves way fewer opportunities for shops to take risks on fabric lines and products that they don’t KNOW are going to sell right away. From what I hear, a slower manufacturing PACE would be a welcome relief to shops and maybe their broader purchasing power would enrich our creative community. I think this PACE really damages the possibility for shops to offer us a well-curated-for-their-buyer experience outside of those home runs and perhaps leads their precious buyer dollars to default to what they can sell in time to be able to buy the next collection coming down the line as such a rapid PACE. I think this, in turn, fuels price competition which hurts anyone who sells fabric for a living. Who can sell the same home run fabric collections faster and cheaper than their competitors (have you read Blue Ocean Strategy?)?
I’ve heard from fabric designers who are designing said top-sellers that they don’t want to increase the number of collections they do each year since that would leave them less and less time to do other things for their business and their life, and that they are on a giant hamster wheel (Jeni Baker just wrote a great blog post about this PACE and why she left designing fabrics behind that your readers might like).
I know it as a manufacturer.
Of course I can’t say that Quilts, Inc. is in ANY WAY responsible for that PACE, but I think for me, my ideal cadence would be Quilt Market once a year and QuiltCon or other similar consumer show once a year. But I don’t know if any wholesaler should be hanging on to the exclusivity and sales opportunity of a strictly industry show twice a year, certainly not publishers. Seth Godin said, something like ‘If publishers aren’t having direct conversations with their consumers, they are talking to the wrong people.’ Or something like that. I like having a relationship with my customers. I like it and I think that builds my brand inside and outside the brick and mortar and I think this makes a lot of sense for designers and other wholesalers who are also having active interaction with consumers online and in person.
However, for me, I feel like I have to go to both Spring and Fall Quilt Market…like I am letting my Spring season authors down if I only go to Houston. But my reality is that if I only have fewer than 100 shops in our schoolhouses, and the book signing lines are mostly filled with fellow authors or bloggers (which is no bad thing–publicity and excitement is equally generated, but in D2C online/social media instead of at Market), and the bulk our our sales coming through distributors…I am definitely asking the question too and I wish I didn’t have to.
Quilt Market is supposed to be a tool for me to expand my business, but when I spend thousands of dollars to attend, it may just be a wash. Will my business make less money if I don’t go?
I heard this article on NPRs Radio Lab last weekend. Bear with me, I promise it is relevant, ha! The entire show was about encouraging people to say: ‘I don’t know, but I’m really interested in finding out’, instead of feeling compelled to ‘know’ the answer. One part of that segment was about a marketing guy who was studying whether those direct mail grocery store ads actually result in more grocery store sales. Turns out that is a multi billion dollar business for the direct mail folks. This researcher got a bunch of the grocery marketing executives together and asked if he could pull the advertising from 40 areas in Philadelphia as a test to see if there was an impact on store sales. The execs said no way! They said they would be fired! One store insisted that they couldn’t and that some loser intern forgot to book ads for an entire summer once and they couldn’t wait to kick him out. The researcher was excited about this and asked if the store would check their store sales in that area that received no direct marketing ads that summer. They agreed. Guess what??? No difference! The researcher said, great…I think I can save your company a billion dollars in advertising a year if we can show these direct mail ads don’t result in higher sales…will you let me run my test in 40 areas? The grocery store marketing guy said, No way! I’ll get fired!
I know I am talking about more that just ‘Is Quilt Market Still Relevant’, but I think these three things are intertwined for me:
1. Quilt Market once a year.
2. Slow that PACE for shops, for providers of content, for producers of content for consumers of content.
3. Build direct to consumer interaction.
Perhaps Quilts, Inc. would position themselves as a leader, a listening-morphing agile leading-edge business and an innovator by showing us that fewer and better and bigger and once-a-year-special is better than sending in your application for the next Quilt Market six months from now, prettymuch as soon as you get home and unpack from the last one?
I don’t know. But I’m interested to find out.
Thanks for the conversation and thanks for listening Abby!
Johanna says
As a shop owner I love to check out the new books being introduced. My education coordinator put it in her calendar to attend a demo by an author whose book she was interested in for a class and she couldn’t get near the table. The giveaways went to other vendors! (they had their badge on!) I don’t often place book orders at market (this past fall I did) but I continue to carry books. Wish we could get closer to the authors to see what we may want to sell! My best sellers are the ones we can tell a story about – we meet the authors, hear a lecture and share the connection with our customers. While there certainly may be too many-too often fabric collections, we value the personal connections made at market.
Susanne says
oh man, you really got me thinking.
I know a very little bit about fabric manufacturing, but reprints are the bread and butter of my industry. Why don’t more fabric companies reprint? OR if they don’t why don’t the rights to the designs revert back to the artist/designer once the fabric run is sold (like they do with books) so that the fabric designer can continue to issue their HOME RUN designs on spoonflower or other digital site instead of seeing them sell for sometimes hundreds of dollars on etsy and on IG #thegreatfabricdestash and the fabric manufacturer ceased production or as a policy (which I think a few do have) don’t issue reprints? Does anyone know?
I’ve been seeing quite a few fabric line (or portion of) re-issues lately which I can only imagine is super profitable for all parties when reprints/reissues do happen?
I’d love to know about that if you are looking into article ideas, Abby, if others also want to know?? Maybe its just me-ha!
Amy Marson says
Great post Abby. I’ve just returned from QM in SLC and had this post on my mind while I was attending schoolhouses and walking the floor. I am a relationship person so it is important for me to attend and met face to face. As a networking event it is fairly good, just walking the show and talking to different exhibitors, authors and designers. For shop owners I can see how it could be too little bang for the buck. We did implement something different this show for book signings. We required shop badges to receive a signed copy of the book. If bloggers or media want a copy we can email them an eBook.
What I would like to see is a convention that runs concurrently with the trade show. My idea would be to have a few tracks running at once. One track to train and energize shop owners—this could include best shop practices, business, management, teach the teachers, and merchandising classes. A second track for manufacturers/makers/designers—could include best practices, introduction to new products, business, management and networking classes.
I attended Book Expo America (BEA) earlier this month and there were three conferences running at the same time as the show. One was for retailers and libraries, one for authors and one for publishers. One was included in the registration price and the other two were from $500 to $1,500. All were well attended.
I think it is time for QM to evolve into something that serves the entire community by delivering timely relevant education and networking opportunities in a new way that resonates with the changing industry demographic. I don’t think it is still relevant to be the first place customers see new product. I think it would be relevant to show them how to teach from a book by the author with information about how you can sell product in your shop by carrying the book. And give the shop owners the opportunity to do social media around the event to create excitement with their customers.
So, those are my thoughts two days after returning from QM. Amy out.
Christa Watson says
Wow I think you are into something here. Maybe this can be part of the evolution of Craft Industry Alliance? I for one would attend!
Abby says
Amy, I think this is a brilliant solution. Now that one of the key reasons to attend Quilt Market has been drastically diminished (discovery of new fabric lines and new patterns) it’s time to rethink what the show offers. Every shop owner I spoke with for this piece, and they included very new and very seasoned shop owners as well as both traditional and modern shops, emphasized to me the value of in -person relationship building that took place at the trade show. So the show still has value and there’s the potential there for increasing that value ten-fold by creating ways for people to meet, network, and learn from one another industry-wide.
GLENNIS DOLCE says
Great article and responses! As a vendor of both the QM and QF in addition to teaching for the past 20 years or so (can’t conjure up the exact number of years at the moment), I have seen so many changes in the “fabric” of the shows and the industry itself. I only sell what I make myself so I am quite the outsider in that way, but maybe it allows me to have a different perspective. I would completely agree with the PACE of product releases (fabrics especially -but books too) What pressure it puts on retailers, especially the smaller ones which have been closing at a rapid rate! How can they keep up?
I moved away from the wholesale market a while back when I created a unique product that only I produced. I went straight to the QFestival and for several years built a customer base through face to face followed up by online communication via blogging and other social media as they cam along. Currently, I can’t make QM pay for itself. I continue to teach and vend at QF and see the beauty of having in person contact at least once a year with customers and students in addition to my online offerings. The education component of QM/QF is the strong point of the shows these days (IMO). It is a reason to go.
I do have to say though that the days of many independent artisans, creators, and makers at the show is past and you see fewer and fewer at QF. Many booth spaces given over to shops competing against each other with stacks of whacks trying to supplement their B&M shops (if they haven’t already gone completely ECom). I miss those folks and I have had many, many, many customers tell me the same thing.
I hope Quilts Inc. has read this and considers the many thoughts and ideas here. I have great respect for them and their staff. It is by far the best organized and most pro show I have done in over 40 years of making and selling. The trick is to keep evolving in a way that is healthy for all.
Btw- love your blog- many good industry articles & I am back reading. Just discovered you while doing a search on Craftsy ethics in light of their recent layoff and change in direction. (not a Craftsy fan…)