Another Sad Goodbye

Last week, Hancock Fabrics announced that the company is going out of business and closing all 171 store locations. I am bummed.

Regular readers know that Hancock is my "go to" place for fabric and patterns, and for the past couple of years, I've been on a first name basis with the employees of the store in Cookeville. Debbie, Laurel, and Missy feel like old friends. I love doing business there, and while they don't always have exactly what I need, they have enough things I want to make every trip worth it.

Based in Tupelo, Mississippi, Hancock has been in business since 1957, selling fabric, notions, sewing and craft supplies, machines, and drapery needs. Some of my earliest childhood memories of shopping with my mother and grandmother include going to Hancock, looking through the fat pattern books for outfits, choosing fabric, and consulting the back of the pattern envelope for all the right notions.

With sewing, as with so many other things we do in life, learning what you need and how to get it is as important as knowing what to do with it, and Hancock was one of my classrooms.

I've purchased some great fabric on-line, but the experience just isn't the same. There's no trip to the thread section to find the best color match or the zipper aisle or the fabulous wall of buttons. There's no end-cap of Best Press to remind me that I'm almost out or giant table of incredible "Spot the Bolt" deals to provide inspiration on a budget. There's no "whap whap whap" of fabric bolts on the cutting table or "go ahead and let me have another yard of that," when I see something I love and can't wait to sew. There's no conversation with the person cutting my fabric about my plans for it or company-mandated, last-ditch effort to get me to purchase something I don't need or want.

That last part - about the company-mandated, last-ditch effort to get me to purchase something I don't need or want - is probably part of Hancock's downfall.

Increasingly, over the last couple of years, Jack and I have both noticed the presence of "as seen on TV" merchandise and other (dare I say?) crap littering the store, and every check-out experience has included a pitch by the person at the register for a trio of scissors or a thread collection or an all-in-one knife sharpener or some other damn "deal" nobody wants.

Lucia got "trio of scissors" for her birthday, because it seemed like a good buy, but it's garbage. The package was advertised as a twenty dollar value for $6.99. When we did our sewing day back in the winter, I ended up giving her an extra pair of old scissors from my kit, because her new ones wouldn't cut through even a single layer of simple woven cotton fabric.

Requiring the person at the cash register to promote poor quality merchandise because of the high profit margin is disrespectful to employees, customers, and the reputation of the company. Hancock isn't Joann or Hobby Lobby and shouldn't have to be.

People who sew and do other round-fiber arts want a place to thoughtfully source materials and supplies. We don't need a hectic, big-box "craft store experience" or thirty minutes in line at the cutting table or "convenient" soda and candy displays at the register - we need a good selection of patterns, fabric, and yarn and knowledgeable employees who understand what they're selling.

The last time I walked into Joann Fabric and Crafts, I left empty-handed after only a few minutes in the store. A 20% off all purchases coupon lured me. And I wasn't alone. The checkout line was at least twenty people deep, and even with all four or five registers going, it still wasn't moving fast. The mob of people at the cutting table was even worse, and the ratio of children to adults in the store had to have been at least three-to-one.

I've shopped in Joann a couple of times before, and I know it isn't always like that, but even on a slow day, the vibe is different.

Earlier today, a facebook friend of Jack's shared photos of the dining chairs she reupholstered over the weekend and told of all the great deals she'd gotten at Hancock's going out of business sale. As much as I love a sale, especially on fabric and sewing stuff, I can't muster much excitement about going for a last shopping adventure there.

The thought of it feels too much like scavenging the bones of an old friend.