Skip to main content

At Fabric Mart: A Brief History


This is a SPECIAL post, written by Robert Richin, 
the owner of Fabric Mart!

The store front from when our current location in Sinking Spring, PA was just opened and the store front today.

It is so easy to shop on the Fabric Mart website-- a few clicks of the mouse and in a few days a box of beautiful fabrics arrive at your door. But how did this business start?


Fabric Mart was started in July 1977 by Robert Richin. Robert learned about fabrics from his father, Sidney Richin, who was a women's clothing manufacturer and retailer. Robert would scour the factory floors of top designers to find the fabrics he needed to fill his stores. 

Robert's first store was a 2000 square-foot building, located in Manheim, Pennsylvania. The fabrics came in on rolls and were folded into remnants. Theses fabrics were displayed on tables and hung on hangers. After 10 years of opening his first store, he opened seven more stores located in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The stores featured fabrics from leading designers and manufacturers such as Jonathan Logan, Butte Knit, Leslie Fay, John Meyer, Jones New York, plus many more. 

During the 1990's, he started a swatch club where customers received monthly swatch mailings containing about 30-40 different fabrics.
Inside the store while it was being remodeled to be filled with the latest fashion fabrics.
The store is still filled with great finds! A good value for a good price! 

About 12 years ago, they decided to start a website, FABRICMARTFABRICS.COM. Instead of sending out a general mailing of swatches, the website gave customers the ability to display 1000's of items and present them to a larger customer base. 

What is FABRICMARTFABRICS.COM all about?
1) It's about providing customers with a large selection of quality fabrics at incredible prices.
2) It's about having a website that adds new fabrics everyday.
3) It's about having Super Sales, Clearance Sales and $1.00 Blowouts!
4) It's about having an exciting and fun website.
5) It's about having a site that customers want to check out every day.
6) It's about picking the best fabrics from dozens of sources and bringing them to you, the customer.
7) It's about having the best pictures online.
8) It's about having the best people cutting and packing the orders.
9) It's about shipping the orders within 24 hours.
10) It's about having the best customer service.
11) It's about having employees that care and enjoy what they are doing.
12) IT'S ABOUT EXCEEDING THE CUSTOMER'S EXPECTATIONS!

The cutting counter and store being prepared.
Today we have a computer inside of the store for customers to use to shop our online store, in store.
This makes it easy for customers to look up fabric prices, content, uses, and feel the material while browsing the fabric from the website so they can purchase it right at our location when they visit us.  
Want to know more? Just ask and we will answer!
Email us at fabricmartblog [at!] gmail.com with your questions.
We will compile your questions into one blog post,
so don't forget to keep checking back as you wait to view our tips and tutorials!

Comments

  1. Do you still sale Jonathan Logan butte knit fabric? If so what colors and how would I go about purchasing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry, they are no longer in business and unfortunately I don't know exactly what the fabric was like to give you a substitution.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing Summery ITY

Hi sewing friends! I’m dropping in to share a few makes sewn with ITY fabrics and inspire you to try out this slinky, cool-to-the-touch fabric for hot weather if you haven’t yet, or to recommend some patterns that work fabulously if you already love it. This is by far my favorite knit to wear in summer. Since it moves easily there’s lots of airflow, and it just skims the body. More often than not, it has a four-way stretch that doesn’t grow when worn, so it works great for loads of styles.  ITY stands for Interlock Twist Yarn and the knit gives it some wonderful drape and stretch. There are lots of different weights and even some differing textures. Because it’s so fluid, the fabric really resists most wrinkling. I’ve sewn three different weights and prints here to show off just what ITY can do!  This white floral is a lighter weight and features a slightly crepe-textured finish, and I think that combined with the large and spread-out floral makes it quite elegant and eye-cat...

Made By A Fabricista: I Sewed a Chic Matching Set with Fabric Mart Knit Fabric

There’s nothing I love more than sewing a project that is both stylish and comfortable—and this one checks all the boxes! For this make, I paired two Pattern Emporium designs with a gorgeous designer knit fabric from Fabric Mart, and the result is a matching tank and wide-leg pant set that’s as easy to wear as it is to sew.   The Fabric Fabric Mart always has hidden gems, and this designer knit caught my eye right away.  It’s the Urban Taupe/Gold/Black Polyester/Lycra MK Chain Print ITY Knit - NY Designer - 56W.  The weight, stretch, and drape made it perfect for both a fitted top and a flowy pant. It’s soft against the skin, has great recovery, and presses beautifully. When working with knits, having a fabric that behaves well makes all the difference. The Patterns To build my set, I chose two favorites from Pattern Emporium: • The Works Tank Top – Simple, classic, and versatile. It skims the body just right and works beautifully as a layering piece or on its ow...

Made By A Fabricista: From Paris with Love!

Bonjour! I am still in bliss from my recent trip to Paris!!  It was much more than I expected and I absolutely fell in love with the city. I can honestly see myself living there one day. I knew before leaving I wanted to make something to fit into the Parisian landscape because I knew it would be a special opportunity. I was inspired by one of my favorite fashion creators Juliette Foxx. Her checked gingham corset and wide leg pants were on my list to remake. For fabric I used this red and white pin stripe denim twill and deep red sateen for the pants.  The pattern I used for the corset was McCall’s #M8182 with a few modifications.  The fit was a little large so I took it in along the sides and shoulder seam.  I then lowered the neckline since the shoulders were taken in. I used the sateen as my lining which gave a great contrast.  My pants are my unreleased pattern which happens to be exact from the inspiration.  I drafted these last year and have been wo...