My sister and I spent so much time bored out of our minds in Jo-Ann Fabrics while my mom checked through pattern books and wayyyy too many fabric options for whatever.
Thanks for this interesting article, it brought back good memories. And I know many people who still sew. Hopefully the closing of this big chain store will be opportunities for lots more mom & pop stores.
Heath, another great piece. My wife & I have been talking about this a lot. Her Mom passed away last December after 100+ wonderful years, quietly and surrounded by family. We've been cleaning and organizing and have found plenty of patterns that she and her mother, who lived well into her nineties, used. Some of them seem to have been ordered by mail in the 50's or so. This led to questions; Do people still use these? Where will they get them? Incidentally, we live near the Jo-Ann headquarters in Hudson, OH. Your discussion about buttons, brought something else to mind. A little over a year ago, my brother got my son and me a entry level 3D printer as a gift. I've never done an artsy thing in my life, but they have become so user friendly that I found myself printing 12 hrs. / day making gifts and decor. I'm currently learning how to create my own design, but these are incredible tools to make those vintage buttons, etc. As always, thanks for your work.
Thanks Harry! 3D printing is a really interesting angle that I hadn’t considered. The rise of home printers definitely solves the need to stock 10,000 styles of buttons. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
From what I see on the boards, Facebook, etc. A lot of people are developing home businesses for niches like auto parts (think knobs, etc) that can no longer be found. I didn't consider buttons, but I may look into it when I build up my design skills.
My sister and I spent so much time bored out of our minds in Jo-Ann Fabrics while my mom checked through pattern books and wayyyy too many fabric options for whatever.
Ha! It's funny that those memories feel so traumatic at the time, but they can sometimes end up being fond looking back.
Thanks for this interesting article, it brought back good memories. And I know many people who still sew. Hopefully the closing of this big chain store will be opportunities for lots more mom & pop stores.
Thanks Linda! I'm glad there are still sewers out there (meaning those who sew, not the pipes where waste water goes 😂)
Heath, another great piece. My wife & I have been talking about this a lot. Her Mom passed away last December after 100+ wonderful years, quietly and surrounded by family. We've been cleaning and organizing and have found plenty of patterns that she and her mother, who lived well into her nineties, used. Some of them seem to have been ordered by mail in the 50's or so. This led to questions; Do people still use these? Where will they get them? Incidentally, we live near the Jo-Ann headquarters in Hudson, OH. Your discussion about buttons, brought something else to mind. A little over a year ago, my brother got my son and me a entry level 3D printer as a gift. I've never done an artsy thing in my life, but they have become so user friendly that I found myself printing 12 hrs. / day making gifts and decor. I'm currently learning how to create my own design, but these are incredible tools to make those vintage buttons, etc. As always, thanks for your work.
Thanks Harry! 3D printing is a really interesting angle that I hadn’t considered. The rise of home printers definitely solves the need to stock 10,000 styles of buttons. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
From what I see on the boards, Facebook, etc. A lot of people are developing home businesses for niches like auto parts (think knobs, etc) that can no longer be found. I didn't consider buttons, but I may look into it when I build up my design skills.
I’m sure there are niches for everything- especially hard to find or out of print items