We’ve been getting lots of encouraging emails from past attendees of our show. Here are some excerpts of one of the more touching ones we’ve received.
I run my business out of my home – on Tiger Mtn. south of Issaquah. I’ve been involved with the fabric industry for many years. I owned Jehlor Fantasy Fabrics that was located near Southcenter. My partner and I opened the fabric store in Renton, then moved to the Southcenter area. We were in business for 23 years, had an international mail order business as well as a retail location and sold specialty fabrics for bridal, dance and theatrical.
I had a background as a professional dancer and dance instructor. We sold fabric to the Ashton Family Circus in Australia, the ballet in Monaco, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera, to professional dancers and skaters. Several of the gold medal winners in the Olympic ice skating competitions had their costumes made from our fabrics. My husband and I travelled to Hong Kong and Singapore to buy hand beaded laces for the store. My partner Jean retired from the business after eleven years when her husband retired and they moved to eastern Washington and I continued the business for another twelve years with five employees.
I retired and sold my fabric inventory to the owner of The Sewer’s Dream fabric store in Burlington in 1999. That same year I started my manufacturing business. I make fabric wine gift bags for wineries, wine stores and the wine departments of the QFC stores. I’ll be 75 years old on my birthday this year. Still very busy. I primarily came to the NW Fabric Shows to keep in touch with the reps that visited my fabric store for 23 years. It was like a reunion. My fabric purchases through the NW Fabric Show were very specific, mostly cotton prints with a grape/wine bottle theme.
I hope your show is a success,
Lorie Graff