Guys, we've made a mistake over the past years.
Obviously, we didn't know what we were doing; we were learning. But this is one that's been with us
the entire time. After doing some digging, talking to customers, and looking around, we finally found
the solution to the mistake. Let me show you. So, what is the mistake, you might be
asking yourself? Our store has been predominantly a color theory store or a
color-based store. What that means is, when you come into the store, after just a couple
of months, a collection of fabric will be broken up and put into colorways that all match each
other based on the color values they have. Now, this system has worked for 50 to 100 years
plus. However, things in the quilting industry have changed, especially during
the period of time that we've been here, where collections aren't like they used to
be. Let me show you what I mean by that. So, let me explain to you kind of what's happened
over the last 10 or 20 years. If we go back years ago, a collection of fabric
would have looked something like this, where you have some really good focal
prints. Obviously, this is a chicken line, another great focal print of the collection, and
then you have kind of your seconds, which will be just a couple of matching prints to go along
with it. This was the size of a collection 20 years ago. What's changed is collections have
gotten bigger, but instead of incorporating more and more focal prints, they've kind of
completed off that collection with basics or coordinating prints that are not so in-your-face
prints. Let me show you what I mean by that. Over here, in today's world, this is the normal
size of a collection—anywhere from 15 to 22, 24ish bolts. You've got these focal
prints, you've got your secondary prints, you even have a third print most of the time,
and then they've included the basics with that, completing off this beautiful line.
They even have a nice gingham here. On top of that, if we zoom in real
close onto some of these bolts here, this orange isn't Halloween orange and it's not
just plain Jane orange. They're very specific colorings, which has made it so we need very
specific basics to coordinate along with this. Now, with this new development of collections
getting bigger, we needed new ways to sell them as well. So, what happened? We invented
some products: jelly rolls, layer cakes, charm packs, and even the mini charms, which
give you the full collection in a small, tight package. This also then translated
into the kits themselves. This is a jelly roll-friendly project, like you see in this
collection here. This usually uses a jelly roll, which has these beautiful prints in it.
It also has a nice white background that was in the collection because they made
it more user-friendly for the consumers. So, from here, what does Sew Yeah have to
do to change it? Let me show you. We have to rearrange the entire store. Now, let's just
put this into perspective for everyone here. We'll have to move somewhere in the ballpark
of 20,000 to 30,000 lbs of fabric. Essentially, what we're going to be doing—as you can see behind
me, we have this beautiful color wall here—we now need to break up that color wall and put it into
collections instead of having it all based on color. These aisles here, as you can see, are also
theme-based. So, we have a lot of work ahead of us, but you guys sit down and relax. We're going
to give you a little bit of b-roll just to show you guys the mess we're in right now and also what
it will be in the end. So, stay tuned for that. After weeks of work, we are finally done, and
everything is situated. A couple of things to show you guys here. Look at this beautiful collection
by Moda. What we've done now is that we've got the pre-cuts next to it, the quilt kits next to it,
everything just in a cohesive manner. That way, as you're shopping—for instance, we've got this
beautiful collection here as well, and if you want a fat quarter or something to that effect, they're
there handy for you guys, additionally with the pre-cuts. That way, you don't have to ask either.
As you've seen in the video as we walk through all these aisles, we've got beautiful products
and beautiful displays now across the store. Now, before we end this video, I just want
to give a big shoutout and a big thank you to you guys for giving us the support and
additionally the ideas and feedback on how a quilt store should be run. It's really
you guys that make up the industry, and so having this change will also bring a better
shopping experience for you. Personally, I like it better; it makes it look cohesive
and wonderfully put together as one unit or one collection. So, with that, thank you
so much, and we'll see you on the next one.
