This was my third time at H&H Americas in Chicago. It was the first market after the Houston Market got cancelled. Here is my highly personal view on it.

The idea behind this Market is to have a cross Market for the crafts. On display are representatives of the fabric, yarn, crochet and beading industry. And maybe some other ones as well, but I didn't check out the non-fabric areas. Most fabric displays were grouped together, but some were a little bit more mixed in with the other industries. I spent only one day at Market, the second day. At this point in my life,  one day is enough to see what I have to see and a lot of what I will buy isn't on display.  There is actually not that much fabric to see. Just a fraction of what is available. A shop owner has to get the knowledge from elsewhere. I didn't take classes.

This new Market has become more and more a social event. It's about seeing and being seen by people. There is a heavy focus on social connections, but less and less about content, what these people make and do to get fabrics into stores. It is about having a good time - "Join the Fun!!"- getting a photo with your favorite designer. I love markets, I love chatting with people in the industry, but I would be here in the first place for business, not pleasure.  I happen to like business. There are companies I love, there are people running these companies that have become dear to me  because we have been in this business for such a long time together. There are also companies with people I hardly know or care for. I can still like their fabrics. 

One can take classes, one can attend tons of social events and the organisation is doing a great job here.   Yes, you can learn from others as they can from you.   It would not be my main reason to come to Market for this. I would want to go to Market for the overview, to see all the fabrics and trends under one roof.  I want a Market that educates me, informs me. That is less and less the case. I also like to talk to and negotiate with the sales managers of fabric companies, the people that make decisions: delivery dates, long term availability, pricing, discounts with certain quantities, free shipping.  Sometimes sales reps have less knowledge/power here and it makes sense to see the decision makers. That is beneficial for a business! 

So it depends on what you want to get out of Market. One designer said: "It is not about the stuff, it is about the spark".  What if I already have the spark? Why does it have to be either way? I have a spark for this industry and its people,  but when I am spending a lot of money selecting the new fabrics (the "stuff") for my business  that is  a serious capital investment for which I better take the time to think.  A business can go downhill pretty quickly. Market used to be the place to help me make decisions. It is less and less like that. Market itself has become a social event, with trendy words like "community", "networking" , "mingling" etc..  Those communities are not giving help with rent, payroll etc. It is all so light and on the surface! I know, it is me. I'm just too serious, no fun.

I do understand how it can be about the spark for this designer: she is trying to sell. Her work, her personality.  She is not the one who is investing. A buyer has a different view/perspective than a seller. Market has become a seller's place, not a buyer's place.

I think only Moda, Andover, and Riley Blake are serious about the content. These companies had large booths, interesting displays. You can meet the designers and see their work. These companies are and social and content driven.  Fantastic and a joy to watch. Definitely a high bar as they do spark and stuff together!  This is how it should be done, if someone would ask me.

Many other companies are more or less lost. They feature a few quilts but aren't able to represent their company in an attractive way. One company, a company I love, was using 80% of their space for ONE  old collection.  After years of doing business with them, the relationship is such that I can bring this up.  They appreciated that... had had  a discussion about that among themselves earlier in the day. Such a missed and expensive opportunity! It is networking with a business focus. How to get a better, stronger business. How to increase profit margins, cash flow. Stronger fabric companies create stronger retail shops. Stronger retail shops create stronger fabric companies. Here is a perfect sample of how being social is also trying to be the best business person possible. I know this company can do so much better! It deserves it! It was a frank discussion.

Another company was wondering what they could do better, where they were missing the boat. . I think that Market has changed and the change is there to stay for a while. The Market concept from 10-15 years ago is gone and replaced by a new kind of Market.  It is all about having a good time, seeing designers, and getting a photo for Facebook and Instagram. Instant gratification. So many people like to have a picture of Tula Pink and my inbox  on Facebook and Instagram is full with many of them.  What is that doing for their businesses the next half year? Do customers benefit from this? 

Tula Pink is a fabric powerhouse with the word business in capital letters. She is doing photos as a marketing of her brand. Everything she does is about growing HER brand. Her business, not the shop business. By doing this she is hoping you buy her fabrics. It is marketing in your face.  She is a seller and is playing her role very well. I have deep respect for that, but as a buyer I have other needs.

 It is especially the designers that are getting the role of entertainers. For some, like Tula, this is second nature, but there are many fantastic designers that are less extroverted, less comfortable in such a role. They are designing gorgeous fabrics and aren't all over social media. They may not be comfortable speaking in public. How can their fabrics  be promoted?  The responsibility is with the fabric company and designer together as a team. It is a collaboration in selling. That's why Moda is doing such a great job. Even if a talented designer is not a social media freak, the company will help pitch the collection. Moda is making it about Moda and is careful in attracting designers that fit in the Moda formula. Sometimes, that doesn't work out, like Zen Chic has now left Moda for FreeSpirit. Brigitte Heitland, the designer of Zen Chic,  had over 200 colors in Spotted with Moda...(I was at the Market when she got picked up by Moda, years ago.  She had her now signature style, that was very European modern in look and I recognized her German background). Spotted will get discontinued and she is starting all over again with something very much like that. Whisp, her new basic for FreeSpirit,  will start with just 12 colors....  Now she will have to do much more promotion herself and maybe she will see the difference between how Moda and how FreeSpirit are doing it each in a very different way. Something as simple as sales reps for instance. Moda has its own sales reps. When a shop sees this person, he/she will promote only Moda fabrics.The FreeSpirit sales rep is also the sales rep for a few other companies. He/she is dividing the attention over more companies, has his/her own personal preference etc etc. It creates a totally different buying experience. Designers are switching companies, even longtime sales managers are switching companies.  The sales manager from Benartex for +++ years left for Michael Miller Fabrics. In the end everyone needs to look out for him or herself and the company owner is doing that as well. So should a shop owner. This can be  done in a cordial way, but everyone is wearing a different hat and carries specific responsibilities.

Another big company featured just one designer. I am sorry but that is not informative. I would love a booth to be a representation of the company. What you want to be known for.  I know these companies, but a new shop owner doesn't get a good image.   I don't think all companies are  really thinking about who they are. What is the company's unique voice? What is the company's core strength? How do you want quilters to find you? What are you known for?  Who is your target quilt shop?  Who is your target quilter? All these and many more considerations are important for a booth set up. Or is it now indeed the plan to meet a prospective buyer first at a bar, in a class, before introducing this person to the fabric collections?

I have my concerns about the chosen path. Clearly the old Houston Market was no longer working and something had to change. Everyone said that it was fantastic and great, but it totally wasn't. Now we are hearing the same.....

Was this Market better? Yes, absolutely, in many ways it was much better.  First of all, the attendance was better. Apparently, the first day was really good. The organisation was able to bring in the crowds and that is a big win. On my second day it was pleasantly busy, but plenty of booths had people with time for their iPhones.  Booths have no idea how bad looking at iPhones is! It sends the message of not being interested in a conversation. Nobody is asking any questions to someone tuned to their iPhone! The whole idea of networking is thrown out of the door by looking at an iPhone. Companies should forbid them and I think some do.

I saw at this market many more pattern designers than I have seen in a long time. Most of these companies are already a little bit more established with modern quilters. That is really great to see! I think many shops have an easy time finding out about new patterns, and that hasn't been the case for a long time. Kudos to H&H for being able to attract these booths as well!  The marketing of H&H has been excellent and it felt like a place that could not be missed. The spark was definitely there! All the shop owners can go back home feeling more inspired, but I don't think they are feeling more convinced about what to buy as only a few companies made it clear who they are.  Those who did must have had a fantastic market. Congratulations, the hard work paid off!

I saw many new companies, unfamiliar names, patterns and fabrics alike. That was wonderful to see. NEW!  I approached them and had conversations with them and I think most were pleased with the exposure. The growing trend to use other materials than cottons only, opened the door to companies that are focussing on the crossover between quilting and sewing. Woven fabrics are big. Blended fabrics are big. Upcycling, recycling are big. The link with garment sewing was stronger than ever before. RK came out with a new Kona that is 96% cotton and 4% polyester: Kona  Loomworks. One can quilt with it, but it is also much better for general sewing and garments because of its hand. I could feel this at Market and this is a perfect sample of why I like to go to Market. It educates me. My kind of spark. If I would have a shop, I know I would have to find a woven collection as that is where the trend is. Some were visible at Market, some were not. How do I now find the best new woven collection? Market doesn't give the overview and there is no alternatief. Shop owners have to browse and browse for hours and make a choice online or depend on sales reps.

I saw metallics. This is because of the craft elements at this show. Embellishing with glitter was available at many places. It can be applied with a brush, it can be fused.  I bought some fabrics with glitter and I will check them out before mentioning it to you. I want to make sure its quality is ok, before buying larger quantities. It would be nice to have a good glitter fabric for some collage projects.The glitter can be added to fabrics, but also to cardboard, paper etc. Tons of cute little projects  were available if you want to go that way. If you are a modern mixed media shop with a coffee shop closeby, Market had many finds for cute little things. Are those cute little things enough to create a healthy business? I hope the shop will be there in 5 years. In all, Market doesn't do much for the large quilt shops that are selling lots of fabrics. Spark has a different meaning to them: It has a dollar sign on it and many will not care for the party, which is far from cheap by itself, to attend.   From the outside, this Market is especially focussed on new and young shops. There is nothing wrong with that. 

A negative thing about this market for me would be its timing. Most fabrics have a release date at the end of the year. That is a notorious bad time for retailers to get new collections as customers, as soon as they see turkeys in the grocery stores (usually 8-10 November) are shifting their minds to Holiday prep and with that comes a big expectation of sales. Why would a shop get new fabrics when there is no time to make a full profit? New fabrics can wait until the first of a new year. I don't think many new shop owners know these kinds of business waves....they will learn the hard way and at that time how good was the fun you had at Market? Wouldn't you want to know this earlier? Don't expect a sales rep to tell you this. Maybe for the other industries the last months of the year are better for sales? I don't know.

The next H&H Market will be held in September in Houston. That timing is much better, but I doubt all these shops  (and manufacturers) can afford to attend two Markets so close to each other. But maybe when it is indeed mostly about the spark and not about the stuff, it is fun to see each other again? There is so much to consider for everyone. 

To me, it hardly makes any sense. There were plenty of fabrics here presented as "new" that were presented a year ago as well. At that time shops could pre-order them, but now they were told the fabric had "just"  come out. I mean, marketing is everywhere and you need to be well informed to know when you are being marketed yourself. One company was even presenting two years old fabrics! They offered a very good price for it, but didn't tell you the collection is already 2 years out. You have to be well informed and know your stuff before you come to Market.

So in all: Yes, I am glad I saw this. It was so much better!  I'm excited for the new companies that I got introduced to. I may have to lower my expectations because this party style market is what the trend is. Most people like it this way.