According to a post by Craft Industry Alliance, Fabric Depot is closing down After 26 Years.
Read the post below.
Fabric Depot Shutting Its Doors After 26 Years
Fabric Depot, Portland, Oregon’s famously enormous fabric store, is closing. Founded in 1992 in a space formerly occupied by a Fred Meyer supermarket in Southeast Portland, Fabric Depot was one of the largest locally and independently owned fabric stores in the United States.
For more than two decades Fabric Depot was a beloved institution for the sewing community in Portland and throughout the Pacific Northwest. With more than an acre and half of floor space and over 30,000 bolts, the store truly seemed to have everything.
“It was just so luxurious to walk in,” says designer and craft writer Susan Beal. “Just one of those experiences where you feel so lucky that you live in a city that has a fabric store like this and you can just go get anything, from the most basic denims and quilting cottons, to any supply you can imagine, and then beautiful special collections, too. For such a huge store, it had so much charm and character. There’s something magical about walking in and seeing everything at once.”
A Community Place
Fabric Depot was also a hub for learning new skills and meeting with sewing friends. The Portland Modern Quilt Guild, which has 350 members, rented a large classroom at Fabric Depot once a month for their “Saturday Sew Days.”
“What was great was any guild member could come, bring their own machine, chat with friends, sew for most of the day, go buy stuff, and then come back and finish their project with something new,” says Beal, who serves as Programs Coordinator for Meetings for the guild.
The store also supported designers, holding events and hosting classes taught by local and national teachers. When Amy Newbold was organizing a shop hop for attendees of her Sewtopia sewing conference in 2016, Fabric Depot was a must-visit destination. Not only did the store welcome her 60 conference-goers with open arms; they also catered their lunch.
Read more on: https://craftindustryalliance.org/fabric-depot-shutting-its-doors-after-26-years/
