How To Advertise a Fabric Store: 9 Profitable Ideas

Even if your shop is packed with gorgeous fabrics, patterns, and notions, people won’t buy what they don’t know about. But competing with Amazon’s prices and big-box convenience can make advertising feel like shouting into the void, especially during slow months.

In reality, trying to beat those giants on price or speed is a losing battle. 

What makes your store special is exactly what Amazon can’t offer — the joy of browsing fabrics in person, feeling the quality, and getting advice from someone who sews.

With the right kind of advertising, you can turn those personal touches into your biggest selling point.

Below are nine practical ideas for how to advertise a fabric store, designed to help your shop stand out and thrive.

Let’s dive in.

1. Use Seasonal Fabric Trends To Keep Your Storefront Fresh

One of the easiest and most affordable ways to advertise is through your front windows and displays.

People notice change. When your shop window changes with the seasons, it gives people a reason to stop and look, even if they weren’t planning to shop that day.

Here are a few ideas:

• Spring: Put out pastel florals and light cottons, and show off simple home projects like table runners and curtains.
• Summer: Go bright with tropical prints, linen blends, beach bag kits, and a few samples of lightweight sundresses.
• Fall: Bring in cozy flannels, plaids, corduroys, and a fun back-to-school theme.
• Winter: Fill the window with Christmas quilts, precut fat quarter bundles, and a “Sew Gifts Fast” sign to catch last-minute shoppers.

Why this works: A fresh display makes people curious. Regulars get reminded to pop in, and new faces see something different and feel welcome. A little “See more inside!” sign on your window can give them that extra nudge through the door.

Related Read: Retail Seasonal Planning: 7 Things Fabric Shop Owners Need To Know

2. Partner With Local Quilting & Sewing Guilds

If you want loyal, repeat customers, build relationships with local quilting and sewing guilds. They’re filled with passionate makers who love to support local shops.

Here are a few easy ways to work together:

• Offer guild-only shopping nights with snacks, prizes, and discounts to make them feel like VIPs.
• Sponsor quilt shows or donate gift cards and fat quarter bundles as prizes to get your name in front of every attendee.
• Create a guild loyalty card that gives members a reward after a certain number of purchases to keep them coming back.

Why this works: Guild members are community-minded. When you support their group, they support your store. And because they’re always chatting with each other, word spreads fast.

3. Lean Into Your Expertise 

You can’t beat Amazon or big-box stores on price. So stop trying and focus on something they can’t compete with — your expertise.

Here are a few simple ways to show it off:

• Host “Ask the Expert” days, where you or your staff spend time answering sewing questions one-on-one.
• Post quick, helpful tutorials on social media — like “how to choose interfacing” or “the best needles for knits.”
• Spotlight your staff’s favorite fabrics and show what they’re crafting with them so customers see your team as fellow makers.

Why this works: People are willing to spend more when they trust your advice. And once they see you as the local expert, they come back and keep buying.

4. Beat the Summer Slump With Creative Classes

Most fabric shops see a dip in sales during summer — school’s out, customers are traveling, and sewing projects often get put on hold.

You can combat that slowdown with fun, skill-building classes that bring people back through your doors.

Try these ideas:

• Launch beginner sewing bootcamps to help new sewists get comfortable with the basics.
• Host kids’ sewing camps to keep younger makers busy (and get their parents shopping while they’re there).
• Create quilt block-of-the-month clubs to keep customers coming back regularly for each new block.
• Schedule evening projects, like tote bags or zippered pouches, for a low-commitment, fun night out.

Why this works: Students need to buy supplies, which instantly boosts sales. And once they learn something new, they return for more fabric, patterns, and advice.

5. Get Local With Advertising

If you’re wondering how to advertise a fabric store without spending a fortune, getting hyper-local is a smart place to start. Traditional ads like TV and radio are expensive — and reach too many people who will never visit. Focus on where your local customers spend their time.

Here are a few low-cost ways to do it:

• Hang flyers on community bulletin boards at libraries, coffee shops, schools, and senior centers.
• Post in neighborhood Facebook groups and local forums where people are already talking about what’s nearby.
• Run small ads in town newsletters and bulletins that local residents read.
• Set up a booth at a farmers market and sell fabric bundles and DIY kits to get your name out there.

Why this works: These options are inexpensive and reach the people most likely to walk through your door. You don’t waste money showing ads to people 100 miles away.

6. Build the Kind of Community Big Stores Can’t

Amazon can ship fast, but it can’t offer community. That’s your superpower.

Here are a few fun ways to build it:

• Host monthly “sew socials” — free, open sewing nights with snacks, music, and space to work on projects together.
• Celebrate customer projects on social media, and tag them so they feel proud and seen.
• Start a customer-made quilt wall in your shop to show off the beautiful things people are creating with your fabrics.
• Run a “buy one, donate one” fabric drive, where shoppers buy fabric to be donated to local school sewing programs.

Why this works: Community keeps people coming back even when they don’t need fabric. It turns casual customers into loyal friends, and loyal customers spend far more over time than one-off shoppers.

7. Collaborate With Local Influencers & Creators

Influencer marketing doesn’t have to mean celebrities — it can be local crafters with a loyal following.

Here’s who to look for:

• Sewing bloggers and TikTok creators who share tutorials or fabric hauls
• Local craft fair vendors who use your fabrics in their products
• DIY YouTubers who live nearby and love trying new projects
• Instagram accounts focused on quilting, embroidery, and home decor, with an already engaged local audience

And here are a few easy ways to work with them:

• Provide free fabric for a project they can feature online and tag your shop in.
• Invite them to teach a class or do a demo in your shop to draw in their followers.
• Run a giveaway together to grow both of your audiences at once.

Why this works: Influencers already have the trust of their followers. A recommendation from them feels personal — and can send their audience straight to your door.

8. Make Your Website an Advertising Tool 

Another essential part of how to advertise a fabric store is making sure your website actively brings people into your shop.

Here are a few simple ways to make that happen:

• Put your hours, address, and upcoming events front and center, so people can find what they need fast.
• Post short blog tutorials like easy projects, seasonal sewing guides, and staff picks to show your personality and expertise.
• Keep your fabric inventory up to date if you offer online shopping, so customers know what’s in stock before they visit.
• Add an email sign-up for sales, new arrivals, and class announcements to keep people coming back.

Why this works: Your site is where most new customers check you out first. If it looks abandoned, they might assume your store is too. If it’s active and inviting, they’re more likely to visit.

Related Read: 8-Step Guide to Creating a Fabric Store Website

9. Track What’s Working

The key to advertising is finding what works for your shop.

Keep an eye on a few simple things:

• Which events bring the most people
• Which coupons get redeemed
• Which social posts get the most engagement
• What customers say brought them in

Then, shift your energy and budget toward the channels that are producing results, and don’t waste time on the ones that aren’t. It’s the easiest way to make your marketing more effective without spending more money.

Put These Ideas To Work With Like Sew

Turning seasonal displays, guild partnerships, and classes into revenue is so much easier when the right tools are on your side — and that’s exactly what Like Sew was built for. 

Like Sew is an all-in-one point of sale (POS) system made specifically for quilt and fabric shops. 

Here’s how it can help you manage your fabric store:

• Run classes and clubs that fill seats: Take sign-ups online, track rosters, and automatically promote upcoming sessions with built-in class tools and marketing emails. 
• Turn displays into dollars online: Launch or refresh your shop’s e-commerce website, list precuts and kits, and publish new arrivals — then push them out via email and SMS in just a few clicks. 
• Grow loyalty and local foot traffic: Reward repeat shoppers, sell e-gift cards, collect wish lists and gift registries, and request reviews. 
• Sell fabric the way you cut it: Track fractional yardage down to ⅛ yard, manage precuts and kits, and keep inventory accurate with integrated barcoding and labels.
• Know what’s working: Get built-in reports to see which promotions, classes, and channels are driving revenue, so you can double down on what works.

Ready to bring more shoppers through your doors and keep them coming back? Try our Build and Price tool today.