by 
As the owner of a quilt shop, you’re always looking for ways to improve your business.
This includes choosing the best products for your shelves, hiring qualified staff, and providing excellent customer service. But one aspect of your store that’s sometimes overlooked is its floor plan.
A clear, intuitive layout makes it easy for customers to navigate your quilt shop, whether they’re searching for something specific or just browsing. And when shoppers have a positive experience, they’re more likely to make a purchase and return in the future.
Don’t worry — improving your quilt shop floor plan doesn’t require a major renovation. There are plenty of small adjustments you can make to create a better experience for customers and boost sales.
In this blog, we’ll discuss strategies to make your quilt store easier to navigate for you and your customers.
8 Strategies To Improve Your Quilt Shop Floor Plan
If you want to optimize your quilt shop floor plan, pay close attention to how your business operates. Are there questions customers frequently ask? Do certain areas of the store get crowded while others stay empty? Once you spot these issues, start taking steps to fix them.
Let’s take a closer look at eight strategies that can help you move customers through your store efficiently.
1. Sort Fabric Sections
The bulk of what you sell is fabric, so arranging it into logical groups makes it easier for customers to find what they need.
Try sorting fabric into groups based on:
- Material
- Color
- Pattern
- Price
For example, if you organize your selection by material, you can create sections for cotton, flannel, linen, and silk. And signs help customers quickly find each section. Placing them on top of shelves or hanging them from the ceiling keeps them visible.
2. Design a Natural Flow
While clear signage and distinct sections help shoppers find specific items, it’s also important to accommodate those who just want to browse. Create a natural path through the store that loops around, guiding visitors as they explore.
The path should start at the front of the store and lead to the checkout counter. Along the way, feature new arrivals and bestsellers to catch attention. If you have a large cutting table, place it in a central area so it doesn’t block traffic.
As a best practice, aisles should be at least three to four feet wide, giving shoppers plenty of space to move comfortably.
3. Organize Fabric for Speed and Accuracy
Quilt shops are full of fabric, and the more efficiently you store it, the more you can hold at any given time. Start by determining where you want each section to go. Floor space near the front of your shop is highly visible and easily accessible, making it a prime spot for bestsellers, such as precuts, fat quarters, and kits.
How fabric is packaged affects how it needs to be stored. Bolts, for example, are large and heavy, and they need to be arranged securely on deep shelves. Vertical shelving is a great way to save space on the sales floor.
Seasonal fabric is a popular choice for quilts and other projects, but it’s best to display it only during its designated season. Put it on shelves in the weeks or months leading up to a holiday and for a short time afterward. Otherwise, store it in the backroom to free up space.
Related Read: Holiday Inventory Planning for Fabric Stores: What To Buy (and When)
4. Set Up Your Cutting Table
A cutting table allows you to sell custom fabric cuts, so place it in a central, easily accessible location in your quilt shop. Because a line may form around it when the store’s busy, use floor dots or rope barriers to create an organized queue and prevent a traffic jam.
To speed up the cutting process, make sure you have all the supplies you need — like rulers, blades, and labels — and set up a predetermined workflow.
Follow these steps at the cutting table:
- Confirm the fabric length with the customer.
- Measure the fabric.
- Cut the fabric.
- Label the cut piece.
- Bag the order.
Train your employees in this workflow to promote consistency.
5. Curate Product Displays That Sell
Setting up product displays is a great way to highlight key items, such as new arrivals, top sellers, and clearance products. They’re also useful for cross-selling items that pair well together, like patterns, kits, and notions.
Rotating seasonal displays help your inventory feel fresh. Just be careful not to make them so large that they block aisles, reduce visibility, or create bottlenecks in the flow of customers.
6. Put Together a Functional Classroom
Hosting classes and workshops at your quilt store lets you reach more customers, increase interest, and build loyalty. If you have the space, create a designated class area that’s part of your shop but separate from the sales floor. If not, you can convert an existing section of the store into a classroom when needed.
If you choose a classroom setup that can be put up and taken down, use folding tables and stackable chairs that store easily when not in use. As long as attendees have enough room to sew and quilt, you can host events comfortably.
If attendees will be using sewing machines, make sure the tables can support them and that they’re close enough to power outlets for safety and easy setup.
Related Read: Quilting Retail Strategy: Turning Fabric Sales and Classes Into Sustainable Profits
7. Prepare the Checkout Counter
Place the checkout counter at the end of the customer’s path, near the exit of the quilt store. This is an ideal spot for impulse buys — small items customers grab on a whim. Common choices include needles, thread, and rotary blades.
It’s also helpful to have a separate customer service desk. Here, you can assist shoppers with product questions, class sign-ups, or sewing machine repairs if you offer that service.
Related Read: What Is the Best Fabric Store POS? 4 Top Providers
8. Streamline Your Storage Room
Don’t forget to organize your storage room. Although customers don’t see this space, keeping it tidy helps you get new stock onto the sales floor faster, boosting inventory turnover. Keep the area clear and navigable to avoid unsafe conditions.
Use labeled shelving and clear bins to track items easily. Vertical racks save space so you can hold more stock at once. Designate zones for receiving, sorting, and returns.
Clear signage and labels make it easier for you and your employees to sort inventory correctly.
Optimize Your Quilt Shop Floor Plan With Like Sew
Hopefully, you now have a few ideas for improving your quilt shop floor plan. Even small, strategic changes can make shopping at your store a better experience. Whether it’s organizing fabric logically, saving space, or using displays to your advantage, these improvements help you build loyalty and increase sales.
When you have access to accurate data about your business, you can make better decisions — even about store layout. You can collect and analyze data with a modern point of sale (POS) system.
Like Sew is a cloud-based POS solution built specifically for quilt stores. Its comprehensive reporting tools track which products and sections are most profitable, helping you design a layout that maximizes sales. Inventory management features optimize stock levels, eliminating overstock and freeing up space in your store.
Our software also offers general features including payment processing, e-commerce, and marketing tools, as well as fabric-specific capabilities such as fractional yardage and access to fabric vendors.
At Like Sew, we want to set you up with the features you need at a price you can afford. Check out our Build and Price tool to see which plan is right for your quilt store!
