My first trip to Fabricland on Calgary Trail was last weekend. I actually have a sewing machine, and at one point in time, I had grand ideas of becoming the next Project Runway great. But now it's like the treadmill with clothes hanging off of it - the machine is just sitting in my storage room, waiting for use. I went with my fiance's brother and his girlfriend, who are both much better and more enthusiastic about sewing than me. This place is pretty big - I couldn't believe how far it goes back. The rows of fabric just keep going and going. A lot of the fabrics are your standard grandma florals or the kind of patterns you might find on kids pajama pants, but some of them are really interesting. There were quite a few staff working when we went (on a Saturday) and the sewing duo were happy with their purchases. read more

Fabricland - Fabric Stores Near Me - Edmonton, Alberta

I love sewing and designing clothes, and I used to love Fabricland. Wandering the store, being inspired and buying lots of fabric to make creations with. Now? Not so much. The stores are going steadily downhill, and closing left, right and centre. The stores that are open cater to interior design and quilting, with very little fashion fabric in stock any more. Now, when I need to make something, I pretty much dread the fabric buying practice at this store. Horrible selection, zero stock, no order, dirty stores and staff that just doesn't care. I don't sew nearly as much now, and part of that is due to Fabricland. If you need fabric, do yourself a favour and go a few blocks further to Marshall's Fabrics. read more

My biggest beef with Fabricland is that they completely rip you off if you don't: a) have a membership card and b) come during a members-only sale. Things like this really bother me because they're obviously taking advantage of people who don't know any better. For instance, on my last trip here I bought 4.5m of fabric which normally costs $28/m (so $126) but members get it for 50% off so it would be $63 total. No one tells you this. Lucky for me, I had a girlfriend to show me the ropes. Annual membership costs $20 so even with that included it's still a significant amount of savings. Personally I think it's pretty unethical for them to obviously rip off non-members. Other than that, it can be pretty fun to shop here. They have a great selection of fabrics, patterns, and accessories. Part of me wishes it was slightly better organized, but at the same time I kind of like the "treasure hunt" vibe you get here. The staff aren't as friendly and helpful as they could be. As someone new to sewing, I often feel looked down upon when I ask seemingly simple questions. It kind of feels elitist, like they don't want a n00b like me joining their exclusive club. read more

It wasn't my first time at the store, but I've been disappointed every single time except one. The store is huge with lots of fabric but most of it is poor quality, dated (lots of grandma patterns) and expensive. Plus it's hard to find fabrics you are looking for. I needed knitted cotton and a girl pointed towards this huge rack and said that there are some there, mixed in with other kind of knits. So I had to go through all of the colors I liked and check for cotton! Can they just sort it by what material it is made of? The staff is usually VERY slow and unhelpful. I have to always wait for about 5 min by the cutting table for help! People are assigned to those tables so they definitely can check more often to see if somebody is waiting. Every time I go there I feel drained! read more

I went in to this store because I was looking for gifts for Xmas, they were having a membership sale but the thing was nothing was priced right. Picked out a few fabrics and went to get them cut. Well...they lady told me that the fabric I picked out wasn't on sale despite being in the area that has numerous signs giving different prices so it was confusing to a customer. Then when I went to pick out the right fabric, the older women rudely asked me if I was done or not before I could answer she threw my fabric away from her and gave me a dirty look when I told her that I needed the sale cotton. Finally coming back she was very rude, then another woman came up to her and they started talking in a another language which I didn't speak. Finally finishing my cutting, she slid the fabric to me and walked away with the other woman without a word. I stopped in to see what the store had, big mistake. I'll go to another location farther away before coming back to this one. Hopefully the hiring sign does some good and gets better people helping customers. read more

Service here is hit or miss, and today was a definite miss. The store was extremely busy today due to a member's 50% off sale. I would expect that with such a sale, more staff would be brought in to work, but this was not the case. There were only two tables that were open for cutting fabric, and the lineups at each table were very long. The wait time was ridiculous. The situation was made even worse by one of the employees being in a less than pleasant mood resulting in her obvious irritation in dealing with customers and even yelling at some children to stop playing in the store. Afterwards, wait time at the cashier was only slightly better. However, I'm not sure whether it was due to frustration or something else, a customer got into a very load argument with one of the staff. The selection here is not the greatest. And the organization of the various types of fabric drives me crazy (it is not nicely arranged by colour and obvious fabric signs as at Marshall's). I only come when there's a good sale on because I probably foolishly bought a membership card. I don't think I will be back here for awhile. read more

There sadly aren't a ton of Fabricland's in town anymore. I've never personally had a need for one, but my partner and her mom do, so I tag a long on the trips. Parking is generally not terrible, although it can be annoying to go back south because you are on gateway, so you have to make a u-turn. The store itself is generally full of people, and there can never be enough staff. It seems to be fairly well organized, and is a seamstress' and fashionista's paradise with all types of fabrics, stuffing, bias tape, drapery, and all of the accessories needed, and then some! There's just about something for everyone, and the staff is generally helpful. When getting fabric, you generally will take the whole amount to the cutting table and then have one of the staff cut out the length that you need. I can't say how the prices are, but apparently there is a place named Marshall's (sic?) that is similar. The variety is certainly here at Fabricland. If you have a membership card, you can get a discount on product, the price for an annual pass is not that bad. However, if you lose the card, you will need to buy a new one -- I heard a staff member tell a customer that today rather sternly. Overall, the store is worth a walk around, I managed to even find some Superman fabric, and you'll generally find what you need. read more

If you sew you know how difficult it is to find fabrics. Fabricland has held on in Edmonton many fabric stores have simply closed over the years. If I have a project I go into Fabricland and speak with Rab or one of his many staff and and I always find what i need. As a member I save many dollars over the year with members only sales. Sign up! read more

I feel so inspired to make things (besides what I'm currently making) when I shop here. I come here every few months so having to remember my membership is a pain but a serious must. The layout is always changing, a bit of a nuisance when I'm trying to find zippers or lace. I just wish the fabrics were better sorted beyond "clearance" "drapes" etc. because as much as I love looking through all the material in there, I'm just there for one to three things, my wallet doesn't want to go on a treasure hunt! I love the staff there, the cashier was super friendly and helpful with finding the correct pattern for my project when I got the wrong number written down. And the lady who works the cutting table was very patient as I tried to figure out how much fabric I would need. Highly recommend this location! read more

I just had a terrible experience at the 32 Ave NE Calgary store. I was waiting in line to have 1Metre of ribbon cut standing 6 M behind a customer. In the meantime about 10 people had lined up in another line for cutting tables across the room. Other customers told me that I was in the wrong line. When I pointed out that I had been waiting longer than all the others in the line and that the signs were not clear, they started arguing with me. I decided to wait and ask the clerk who must have noticed me standing in line for about 15 minutes. She also refused to serve me and directed me to the other line up (which is not clearly marked. I was not willing to wait about 30 minutes behind 10 other people who all had at least 6-10 items to be cut. Where is the customer service or even common sense in this store???? I will not be going back there!!! read more

My wife shops at Fabricland almost every weekend, although at the West location. Every time we go to this one, she is treated rudely and often just walks out.. She likes to check the other stores for any different stock they may have. I find that the younger staff are at least approachable, but the older staff are rude, snarky and unhelpful at the very least. She finally decided she won't be going back to this location any more, it is not worth the aggravation and rude treatment. read more

So dirty, cluttered, overpriced, disorganized & dated. The store looks like a junky flea market. I'm giving it 2 stars only because fabric stores aren't bountiful. It definitely needs an extreme, interior overhaul. The manager should be embarrassed. Have some pride in your company. I was going to get a membership, but the overly-inflated prices turned me off. $90 for a mini iron that you can buy for $30 anywhere else? Come on; that's ridiculous. I don't buy into scams. This is what, ultimately, will put the company out of business. Just be reasonable, and the customers will come. read more

Do not recommend people to visit this location. Staff just walks away when needed help their help. They rather to walk around just to avoid the customers. The manager who is an older lady has such a cocky attitude when asking her a question. Message to the manager please show some respect read more

Yikes! What a nightmare! I went on a weekday during noon and while it was not busy, it still took over twenty minutes to get my two bolts of fabric cut! The store is a mess, especially compared to other locations! Approaching the staff to get assistance was a lost cause. I approached one gentleman, asking where something was and he just waved at a general direction and told me that it was "somewhere over there." Thanks buddy. The selection isn't bad, but poorly organized. They had a sale going on but it was not clear what was and wasn't on sale. I received a nasty surprise when half my fabric, which had been under the "50% off!" sign, was not infact, on sale. Checkout was slow, there was a line of 10 people ahead of me and it took over a half hour to get to me! I'll pass on this location in the future. read more

I'm not much of a sewer but I have been to this location a few times since I work close by and sometimes need supplies for small craft projects. I have to say that the staff here are slower than molasses in January. There can be a line up of 5 people at the cash register and it seems like it takes forever. Also I have dealt with one particular male cashier twice and when I paid with cash each time he didn't bother to hand me my change but just put it on the counter instead so I had to pick up the coins one by one. I just think they need to improve their customer service a bit. read more

I've avoided this location, literally driving past it to shop at other Fabriclands, since a bad experience a few years ago. After getting a gift certificate for my birthday, I found myself back last week. This location is bigger than others in the chain, but suffers from the same jumbled layout, with notion odds & ends tucked everywhere. Good if you're looking for a browse, kind of a pain if you're on a mission for something specific. Otherwise, the store is large, bright, and clean. The staff is now largely on the younger side and it shows that all, regardless of age, actually enjoy working there. Thankfully, this also transfers well to customers who seem more relaxed that at other stores, where I've seen a great deal more tension happening... As an added bonus, the crew here seems to know how to actually cut fabric, as I wasn't short on any of my purchases. A definite improvement from the past; this is likely to become my new home store. read more

I shopped here for the first time. Found the standard clutter typical of Fabricland. The first person I asked for help finding a certain type of fabric was rude and spoke to me like I was an inconvenience. I walked away, went to the next staff and asked for help again. She was great, I told her what I wanted, she asked about the project. She even showed me different types of fabrics that were cheaper. The lady who cut my fabric was a little abrupt but there were 3 seniors in the shop that she was fabulous with (I assumed she was envious of my youth and beauty lol). I did not get what I went for but did buy some amazing Ponte knits. I would go back if I was in the area but wouldn't go out of my way to shop there. read more

Jordan was so very helpful! Have never gotten the customer service he provided at any fabricland location. Thank you

I had shopped there often and the cutters are really nice, but don't ever ask for management (Bernie and Pearl) to solve a problem. They called me a thief for wanting a discount that their own advertisement said I could get! I wrote a complaint to customer service....no response. I then called and left a message with the area supervisor... two weeks later....no response. Finally a phone call, a month later, blaming head office and saying she would "talk" to Bernie and Pearl. Bad taste still left in my mouth. Marshall's is my new place to go. read more

I wish I could give no stars - this store is just disgusting. Staff are rude and awful to deal with. The store is filthy. I will never shop here again. read more

If I could give it 0 stars I would. This store is so beyond overpriced. I was making a quilt and required a certain color of the cabbage/minky fabric. $32/ meter!! The SAME exact stuff at Marshalls is $14/meter. How the heck can that be justified?!? I had no choice but to get it as Marshalls wasn't getting the color I needed for a few weeks. NEVER again will I purchase from Fabricland! read more

This place's policies are brutal. They rip you off on the Membership Cards and any sort of return. I paid full-price for a Membership Card, and they didn't tell me it only lasts until the end of 2014, not actually 12 months. So I paid full-price for a 4 month membership. When I went to return a package of batting, they told me the couldn't process the return "because the accountant got mad" when they took returns. I asked to speak with the Manager, and it turns out it was him! read more