Fabric Store Review - Universal Fabric Center, Rice Village, Houston TX

This post originally appeared at The Dropped Thread on 10/12/12.  It has been moved to this blog by the owner.

Today I visited Universal Fabric Center at 2530 Times Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77005.  They have parking reserved for their store so I didn't have to park in the street, which is a big plus in Rice Village.  I immediately noted the HUGH selection of unique buttons and ribbons they have, including lots of silk velvet and silk satin ribbons.  But I then became a little overwhelmed with just the sheer volume of buttons, ribbons, and fabric.  My eyes didn't know where to go.  I was also kinda overwhelmed by the smell of mothballs.

While walking down the side aisle of sewing notions and trims I realized that most of it looks like it's been in someone's attic (hence the mothballs?) or crushed under other boxes in an old warehouse and forgotten for years.  If you're looking for a notion that is no longer on the market, this might be the place to go.  Of course, I instantly started combing through for Singer Platinum Edition Gold-Plated bobbins (Class 66 and 15), but I'm not having that type of day so no luck.

Don't let the red tags on everything fool you, those are not clearance stickers, that's just the color of their price tags.  They did have one bin of silk fabric marked down to $5 a yard but that was the only clearance section that stood out to me, and it was just printed on a white piece of paper and taped to a white bin.  There may have been others, but not noticeably marked.

Also a note of caution, they only carry Vogue and Butterick pattern books, so if you are trying to match up a McCall's/Simplicity pattern bring it with you.  But they do have a lot of Vogue and Butterick pattern books from several years back.  I didn't check to see if they actually had the older pattern in the store.

"Jewel" by Leesa Chandler for Robert Kaufman,
from the "Culture Club's: Anastasia" line

As I roamed I came across a bin of quilt cotton with bolts AND bolts of older Alexander Henry and Robert Kaufman designs.  I recognized the designs from a few years back when I had my own Etsy store.  My favorite fabrics came from these two vendors.  Most of these bolts were marked at unusual (to me) prices of $17.99 to $29.99.  I could only imagine that this must be per bolt and these were on clearance at cost.  (I quickly pulled out a calculator and figured out the cost per yard from one bolt that had the yardage marked on the end to come to this conclusion).  Suddenly I was itching to buy the entire rack!

"All that fabric for cost!  Can you imagine?  But no," I thought, "I've got to figure out how to get rid of all the fabric I've already got.  I've got to be good."  While I'm talking myself down from this spending ledge, I cruise back to the front of the store.  I notice more quilt fabric I had missed at the front (I told you there was a lot to see at once) including more recent designs by Alexander Henry and Robert Kaufman.  These also were marked between $17.99-$29.99.  At this point I just had to ask about the pricing.  Turns out, No --- I'm completely wrong.  This is their price PER YARD!  So now I'm mad.  I inform the woman behind the register, as nicely as I can, that I can buy quilt fabric from these same manufacturers at 1/2 to 1/3 the price at my local quilt shop.  She then tries to direct me to the "cheaper quality cotton".  So - now I'm REALLY mad.  That's not the point.  I inform her I also know what the actual price is if I go buy it myself at the International Quilt Market.  I don't think she liked that.  You see, this store does a lot of wholesale business, and in saying this I've just told her I can cut her out as the middle man and go directly to the fabric manufacturer. But, this is only because I had my own business I have a Texas sales tax.

For those that don't know, the International Quilt Market is a convention for vendors of quilt fabric that happens twice a year, in the Spring in Portland, OR and in the Fall in Houston, TX.  The vendors are all in one location to show and sell their new fabrics to local quilt shops and product manufacturers (large and small) from all over the world.  There are other craft and sewing suppliers at this market, but my point is that it happens HERE in the town where I live.  In fact, it happens this month.

If you've ever been to the International Quilt Festival, International Quilt Market is like the party the week before the party.  And I've been to both.  If you ever get a chance to go to either - GO! GO! GO!  They're both amazing.  And take you're walking shoes and a BIG shopping bag.

But I digress.  So, I marched out of the store without buying anything, not even an amazing button or two nor any $5/yard silk.  In the end, my advice is to buy quilt fabric from a quilt store.  If you're looking for an older design in Alexander Henry or Robert Kaufman, just look on Etsy or Artfire.  The prices remain on average $8-11 per yard.

In summary, Universal Fabric Center - Lots of stuff, mostly old stock, definitely Overpriced.  In the meantime, I leave you with some of my favorite patterns by Alexander Henry and Robert Kaufman.  They are so much fun!

Alexander Henry Galactica - My husband HAD to have a shirt out of this!
Someone saw it and wanted one, and that how my business started.

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Brenda