Find Fabric Stores

Fabric Store vs Quilt Shop vs Craft Store: What Is the Difference?

A quilt shop sells quilting cotton and the things you quilt with; a fabric store carries a wider spread, from apparel fabric to upholstery; a craft store sells fabric alongside yarn, paint and picture frames. They look interchangeable from outside and they are not, and picking the wrong one is the usual reason for a wasted drive.

Quilt shops

We list 2,623 quilt shops and stores carrying quilting cotton. Expect quilting-weight cotton in depth, precuts, wadding, thread and usually a longarm service or someone who can recommend one. Do not expect jersey, upholstery weight or anything with stretch. Staff knowledge is the real draw, and it is narrow and deep.

Fabric stores

Broader, and more variable. Some are apparel specialists, some are upholstery and drapery houses, some are genuinely general. We have 567 shops listing apparel fabric and 450 listing upholstery fabric, and the overlap between those two lists is smaller than you would think. This is why the listings here say what each shop carries rather than just calling it a fabric store.

Craft stores

Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Fabric is one department among many, the range is a selection rather than a stock holding, and it changes branch to branch. Good for a fat quarter, a metre of fleece or a quick fix. Poor for a project with a specific requirement. See what stores sell fabric by the yard.

And wholesalers

A fourth category people run into by accident. Some fabric wholesalers sell to the public and some only to the trade, and the ones that do not will turn you away at the door. We mark which is which on the wholesale fabric stores page.

So which do you want?

All fabric shopping guides