Business Mistake
A local fabric store that both sells fabric and offers sewing classes in the Washington, DC area recently moved to smaller quarters. In my usual fashion, I noticed my experience finding their new location. I drove past it the first time, which bothered me because I did very much enjoy taking sewing classes. The sign for the shop was set back and not visible from the street. Something felt off even when standing in front of the store. The interior appeared to recede under the weight of the gym above it, with its big sign and bright windows.
The interior of the new location was pleasing enough at first glance. Trouble began when I tried to find the classrooms. There were no signs indicating their whereabouts. I guessed where they might be and eventually found them in a far off corner. My feeling was the store considered the sewing students an afterthought. Worse yet, the classrooms are situated underneath the men’s weight-lifting area. Right. Imagine sitting at your sewing machine and hearing a 200 pound weight being dropped on the floor above! It required a lot of faith in the integrity of the strength of the floor.
The sewing students [almost all adults] are in the store every week for classes and regularly purchase fabric, sewing machines, and other lessons from the store. Instead of using their space to cultivate and send a message of appreciation to these regular customers, the message they sent is: we don’t value you.
Sadly, I no longer take sewing classes there.