Great place with a huge selection of almost anything you need. Friendly and helpful employees who dan help you find anything you ask for.

This store demonstrates horrible customer service. The owner is neither welcoming to customers nor helpful. The prices are considerably higher compared to High Fashion. The store smells and it is obvious that they stock and sell fabrics that are likely over 20 years old. It is difficult to determine actual fiber content because the bolts are not labeled. If you ask for pricing information the response is insulting. It is very difficult to understand why this store is still in business. NEVER AGAIN read more

The fabrics they have you can tell some have been there for so long but that's what I love about this place. It makes the fabrics much more rare and harder to find. The pieces you make will look much nicer. The lady is always nice to me and helps me find what I look for. I love this place rather than going to Joann or high fashion fabrics. read more

Very very helpful and beautiful selection of fabrics! Definitely recommend coming here for your fabric needs.

I love this store. I was amazed with all of the buttons they have. They have unique fabrics and embellishments. Quality fabrics at good prices. read more

Very cool shop filled with rare fabrics and all kinds of high end suit fabrics. My goal here to buy historical fabric for my 1910-1920s reenacting was absolutely met!! read more

Huge selection. Hard to find items. A hidden gem for those serious about sewing.

Yes, beautiful fabric very randomly organized. Sky high prices. The staff are there only to check you out and offer no help. I go there for buttons--the best selection in town. read more

Amazing service, incredible selection of fabric. I had a blast here - will definitely be back soon!

The five star is for their selection of floor to ceiling silk in every color of the rainbow plus silk prints. The store has a small front but is full of floor to ceiling fabric. It appears to be family owned but I am not sure. The workers appear to speak a language from Asia but also speak clear English. They were not overly polite which was okay because most people are not polite to me. I asked for silks and was shown them. The prices are incredibly high when compared to Joann, Hobby Lobby, and quilting stores which typically do not sell quality silks. Silk is not cotton. Silk is made from the cocoons of thousands of silk worms who give their lives for the silk. Dupioni silk is cheaper than silk crepe. Why? Dupioni is not a quality silk. It is bumpy. We have been trained to love dupioni. Quality silk can be heirloom. Quality silk is strong and smoother. Polyester is cheap plastic that ruins the environment. Cotton is made from the protective fluffy seed covering of the cotton plant. Cotton takes months to grow. European demand for cotton played a role in the use of slaves to care for cotton until harvest. We are spoiled to cheap cotton but cotton can be. woven beautifully and fl like silk. I did not see beautiful cotton in Universal Fabrics. By its nature, silk is a luxury fabric. I have purchased silk for far less - and silk can be purchased cheaper online. Their silk appears to be imported from Korea - but again - I am unsure. Their selection of silk was wonderful. Universal Fabric has a decent selection of various weights of wool. It has a small selection of upholstery fabric. The rest of the fabric is a tiny amount of cotton with the other fabrics being polyester. Polyester has serious environmental and earth hazards. I am seeking Ahimsa or Peace Silk where the worms survive the process. I refuse to condemn a store for not having what I want. Their button supply is truly amazing. If they cost more than people want to pay, then don't buy them. Don't condemn them. Our mentality wants those cheap made in China prices. Most don't want to pay for quality. Perhaps this business does not want to serve that made in China tightwad mentality. My other half was mortified that I paid $69 a yard for 4 ply beautifully dyed silk. Eventually I will find an affordable Ahimsa silk crepe supplier. Until then I will "Praise the bridge that brought you over safely." My other said this means that a bridge might be old and worn but it got people fo one side to the other. Some people cursed the bridge but her mother praised it. So if this isn't the right bridge for you, choose a different one Some silk prints were less than $6 a yard. No one mentioned that reality. Some said the fabric content was mislabeled. Hum. Maybe - but did not see it. Their other fabrics were not impressive - so I understand customer disappointment. I did not smell anything bad. I did not see dirt but textiles collect dust. When I want cheap prices I shop with coupons at the box stores or go to Golden D'or and the Dallas fabric warehouse district. Fr. cheap buttons I go to C.I. Castro in San Antonio.These rest I order online. I hope you find this review helpful and a bit funny. Tip: No public restroom for customers. Don't take kids or negative people. Be prepared to pay more an browse slowly. Fabric is in and under and up and down. They have lots of Vogue and Butterick patterns. Don't expect southern hospitality. Don't expect quilt store fabrics. Don't expect lots of upholstery fabrics. Expect top costs for silks of many colors and weights. Expect more silk crepe than dupioni. Lots of notions, trim, buttons, and hidden bridal colors so ask if you need help. Store has a few dedicated parking spaces. The sharp voice may not be rude - it's just not Amercanized. Be careful what you say and how you say it in the store. Save your negative comments for when you leave. read more

So I was excited to check out this fabric store I had never been to. I checked the hours on the website before going and saw they closed at 4:30pm, I got there a little before 4pm. No one was at the front of the store when I got there but I just started browsing. Only about 5 minutes after I walked in the lights turned off, so I started walking to the front of the store thinking that was weird. Before I could make it to the front of the store (I'm 7 months pregnant and SLOW) I heard the door click so I started panicking and going faster. When I got to the front door all of the security gates on the windows and door were closing!!! I saw the lady walking away from the store and started pounding on the glass door but she didn't hear and kept walking. Thankfully my boyfriend had been waiting in the car right in front of the store and quickly got her attention, but all the security gates completely closed and I was standing in the pitch black locked store while she came back to open it. When she got the door back open, the lady said NOTHING to me, just walked past me back into the store, so I quickly got in the car and left. Really scary experience. read more

One of the best when it comes to Fabrics and Buttons. The selection is Amazing. The owner is always there and is very helpful. Prices are reasonable. and plenty of free parking! read more

Crowded, smells odd, and EXPENSIVE! You will easily spend 3x as much here than any regular fabric store. Spare the pain and just go to Hobby Lobby! And for those saying "well of course it's expensive, you're buying high quality silk." Look, silk is one thing, but basic cotton or polyester fabrics should not cost the rates they are asking for. I expect smaller businesses to be more expensive that large chain stores, and that's okay, but there's a limit to what makes sense. read more

Wish I could give this lady ZERO stars. My school is thinking of redoing some bulletin boards and we are in need of fabric in bulk. I was calling to get some pricing information. A woman answered "Universal"... to which I replied, "Yes, I have a few questions for you.." and she replied "Universal", I said "Yes, hello?" ... then nothing on the other line but static...so I say "Hello?"... The woman now by reading the reviews must be the owner responds with "UNIVERSAL"... at this point I'm thinking I reached an automated voicemail. She finally responds with "Yes?" and then I apologized for not being able to hear her and she goes "Yeah I have a mask on, so tell me what you need and make it short." With a terrible tone and attitude, she was annoyed by a phone call.. I hung up and will not being calling back. Poor lady is tanking her own business with her terrible customer service. Just lost out on probably over $1,000 + order... read more

Seriously, I don't know why people complain a lot about this place. It has the best selection of fabrics. The quantity of the materials is greater and the quality of the fabrics is better than any other stores for making clothes, curtains, or some other big, professional projects. In other stores, for example, I only saw a few rolls of the silk; they only had 5 or 6 colors for you to choose from, and the quality of the fabrics was very poor. And what's wrong with the smell? That's the smell from the cotton, silk, polyester, linen, wool, ...and all kinds of fabric. I feel really bad to see someone only gave the store 1 or 2 stars. So just to be fair, I have a 5 star rating for it. The lady of the store has rough attitude towards her customers, but if you spend more than $500 at her store, she may treat you nicer. read more

I ran in because I was in the area and was looking for some white fleece. I found some white fabric that would do but it was pilled, under a huge pile of other bolts and quite frankly looked dirty. I decided it wasn't worth the effort to yank out. The odd odor of the room also left me concerned that my fabric would smell too. I finally gave up wandering around and asked for help and was told they didn't have any fleece and I should go to JoAnn's. I prefer to help local businesses but it was clear they were too lazy and disinterested to make a sale. I went to JoAnn's and got perfectly white, unpilled and odorless fabric and I was in and out in 5 minutes. I would never go back. For those who think this is the best selection in Houston should check out my go-to fabric store, High Fashion and High Fashion Home in midtown. read more

Wayyy to expensive, unorganized and crowded. I felt like if I took one wrong step bolts and bolts of fabric would come crashing down on me.

OVER PRICED CRAP! Fake designer material! Stinky disorganized store! AND $4.99 for ONE brass button?? I needed to replace all 20 on my jacket.. it would have cost me $100 in just buttons! LMFAO! That's more than I paid for the jacket. I went on Amazon and bought exactly what I wanted for $9.98 with free shipping. read more

Very rude and no sense of customer service. This store does not even deserve a single star!

I had to buy satin buttons from this place because I needed them for my tux. First of all their service was terrible I waited 20 minutes for help and when she came to help, she just tossed some overprice buttons on the table and said pick some and she left. I got 10 buttons for $40 . My advice buy whatever you need from Amazon. I didn't have the luxury to do so but I with I did. On Amazon 10 buttons is $8. Yeah I got screwed but you don't have to. BTW they don't have a trying policy. read more

I just can't get over how expensive this place is! Huge selection, but most fabrics I liked were at least $15 to $30 per yard!! I've never seen prices that high! I don't know how they stay in existence with prices this high. read more

Great merchandise, unscrupulous management. Shortchanged me $20 on an exchange/credit.

The prices at this place are insane. I don't know how else to say it; the prices are insane. The prices are so high it's stunning. Add to that the atmosphere, which is worse than that of the cut-rate discount shops in Dallas, and the behavior of the Chinese owner, which is extremely rude, and it's shocking to me that this place remains in business. For anybody of the opinion that the prices are justified based on the quality of the product, there are plenty of other options. 6" stretch lace can be found on Etsy for $8/yard, instead of $40, and buttons in huge lots for $10, instead of a dollar a piece. Good quality silk is sold on many Internet sites for under $25/yard. Dallas is a day trip from Houston and places like Wherehouse or Golden D'or have a selection that puts this place to shame. If you just need something for the school play or the upcoming Comic Con, get your fabric at Jo-Ann's and your trim on Etsy. If you're wanting to get hands-on with you fabric and don't mind spending a bit more, go to High Fashion. This place ought to be ashamed of itself. The prices here are criminal. read more

I could spend hours in this place. I've never seen such a unique variety of fabrics & trims in any other fabric store...a Houston seamstress' must-see! read more

I was totally amazed of Universal Fabric selections when I walked in their store! Extensive selection of buttons, trimming and ribbons. They have unusual fabric from designers like Valentino, Pucci, Just Cavalli.... Bias silk ribbons and Swiss grosgrain are to die for! Staff are very knowledgeable and pleasant. I bought some awesome silk prints with trimming and ribbons to match. read more

If there was less than one star, I would not hesitate to give it to this place. The owner ( or who ever helped me at the store) treated me like a school teacher. PURE RUDENESS. She made it clear to me that she is not going to " use her muscles" to get the fabric for me to put on the table and match with my garment unless I go down under all this mess to match my dress. They clearly care only about their pockets and have no customer service skills. read more

This is a frightening store. I only bought fabric from them because I needed to match a color in a dress & had been many other places first (including High Fashion which I love). The store is organized only in a system known to the owner. The fabric is piled high in dim aisles so that only they can find something by getting on a ladder. The fabric I bought was organza which was $9.99 a yard. When I went back to get more, the owner (I assume) said the fabric had been misfiled and that it was silk not polyester and should be $14.99 which is what she charged me. I feel totally ripped off. The fabric content is not marked on the bolts like it is at other stores. I am pretty sure this is a legal violation but I guess no one has ever complained. read more

First thing's first: Universal Fabric Center is not JoAnn's or even High Fashion Fabric. They don't have a lot of craft fabric or a ton of fancy frock fabric. But what they do have is a really unique selection and any style of button you can think of. Universal Fabric Center is one of the true specialty fabric stores left in Houston. Yes, their prices can be a bit high, but their selection is truly unique, and you will find many fabrics here that aren't available anywhere else. Case in point: I'd been just about everywhere looking for tulle for a veil to match my ivory wedding dress. I was looking for a pretty specific color and also a tulle that wasn't too stiff or cheap looking. I thought I would find it at High Fashion, but nope. Their selection of tulle is abysmal, which was surprising considering the amount of other fancy stuff they have. Then I remembered Universal Fabric Center and, sure enough, they had just what I was looking for and at $7.99 a yard. So, see, sometimes their prices are good! Universal has a wonderful selection of tulle and other bridal fabrics as well. And if you like to make your own clothes and accessories and want something that will truly stand out in a crowd, then this is your store! read more

My daughter went into this business to purchase buttons for a school project, she found 2 packages that appeared to be marked as 12 dollars, when she went to pay for her items the clerk told her that the number on the package was an inventory number and that each bag held 100 buttons and it would be a dollar a button, then that clerk and another clerk started laughing right in front of her saying "can you believe she thought this bag of buttons was 12 dollars!". She left the store very upset, all the owner said was "geez, sorry we did not have what you needed", they may have nice fabric and a great selection but these business owners keep forgetting that without customers, they do not have a business to speak of. The way customers are treated in stores these days is just appalling which is why websites like Amazon have higher sales and will probably continue to exceed brick and mortar's because business do not know how to treat their customers. read more

Really cool shopping experience with a unique selection of fabrics, trims, etc. It helps to know what you are looking for, because the selection can be overwhelming, but the staff is more than happy to point you in the right direction. Browsing is quite fun, as well. read more

They have a HUGE selection. Probably the biggest out of the few fabric stores in Houston. If I'm thinking of a fabric, I can usually go there and find something very similar if not exactly like what I was thinking of. There are almost too many options to pick from sometimes. Yes, space is tight, but the sections are well categorized so it's not difficult to navigate your way through. read more

want that really unique quality fabric. trim, buttons,zippers, shoulder pads, notions - then this is the place for you!! when you walk in, you are allowed to browse without any pressure and when you ask for help they are ready to help. great store, i just love shopping my sewing needs here read more