Saturday, July 23, 2011

So Long, Kincus.



So long, it's been good to know yuh;
So long, it's been good to know yuh;
So long, it's been good to know yuh.
This dusty old dust is a-gettin' my home,
And I got to be driftin' along.

(Woody Guthrie, 1940)


My favorite Fabric Row store has closed.  Everyone would agree Philadelphia's Fabric Row is not what it used to be.  I've seen the slow demise in the years I've lived in Philadelphia.  Kincus was one of the "old guard"  Fabric Row stores.  The store was owned by the same family for generations.  Several years ago, half of the sales area disappeared.   Several months ago, my favorite sales person was laid off.   Now the whole store is gone.  I'm very sad.

This means I'm going to have to change the way I buy fabric.    I used to make spontaneous trips to Kincus and other Fabric Row stores after work to pick up one or two nice pieces for an outfit.  I could take a modest amount of money to Fabric Row with no guilt.   Now, there will have to be more planned trips to the Garment District in New York, which is having it's own survival problems.  A major shopping trip to the Garment District is not a bad thing.  I've enjoyed my trips to Metro and Mood.  But, a two hour train or bus ride is not as easy as a quick trip to South Philadelphia.  I'd have to spend considerably more money in New York just to make the trip worth the time and effort.

I do my best to support independent fabric stores.  I've watched to slow death of other independent fabric stores (and other small businesses), but this one really hurts.


10 comments:

  1. Wow! Another one bites the dust. I don't know what to say because the hometown fabric store just seems to be disappearing and soon looks like it will be a thing of the past. At least there's still JoMars.

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  2. I do sympathize with you. Everytime I hear of a B&M fabric store closing it tugs at my heart strings. I make a 6-hour round-trip a couple of times a year and yes I spend enough to make it worth while. Often, I spend the night and just enjoy the whole big city experience. Enjoy.

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  3. I shop alot at Gaffney's Fabrics (over 35 years in business) 5401 Germantown Ave here in Philadelphia. Give them a try if you have never been there. I find it's always worth the trip.

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  4. Thanks for your comments on my blog and your warm wishes.

    It's always SO sad when fabric stores close.

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  5. I feel your pain! There used to be 5 excellent independent fabric stores around here when I started sewing in high school (25 years ago). Now, they have all closed and all I have is one Fabricland (similar to JoAnn Fabrics), which is not stellar. Thank goodness for online fabric stores or I would be completely out of luck (well, actually I could cross the border to Michigan or drive four hours to Toronto, but it's a bit of a pain to do that!)

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  6. I am so sorry to hear that Kincus is closed as they had such great fabric. Will we only be left with chain stores and internet options?

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  7. When I was growing up I had a choice of fabric stores, even in my small town. There was even a fabric store at the mall, if you can believe it. The local department store even had a great fabric department and sold Vogue patterns. All of this disappeared in the seventies. It was so easy to pick up a few pieces of fabric for an outfit or two. No need for a fabric stash. Now if I didn't have my stash I'd sew a whole lot less.
    That and the internet. It's so sad to see another independent store close.
    It's a lovely dress. You'll certainly have plenty of opportunity to wear it with this awful weather.

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  8. A hearty second for Gaffney's! Nice selection of a variety of fabrics, interfacings and notions and they are cheap.

    Angie R.

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  9. It is sad to hear of other fabric stores closing. I am not as fortunate as some others to even have a fabric store close by. Yes we have JoAnn's and thank goodness we do as I do need notions and such; but fabric selection is always pitiful unless you are a quilter.

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  10. I hadn't heard that Kincus had closed. I was worried when they cut the size of the store in half, but this is awful. There aren't that many good stores left on 4th Street, and Kincus had the nicest salespeople.

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