Leons Fabric Store

An Aladdin’s cave of fabrics.
I’ve been meaning to come here for years. I just hopped off the bus on impulse, nearly forgetting my bag! The number 23 stops right outside, for your information.
There is so much fabric in here! Rolls upon rolls stacked high with tight corridors in between. I really enjoyed just wandering round. In fact I probably looked a bit weird, walking around stroking everything and smiling. There’s ginghams, flowery prints, teddy bear prints, tutu gauze, and lots and lots of shiny, sparkly, gold sprinkled patterns. I can just imagine this must be where all the little kids dance troupes in Manchester get their costume materials.
I need to learn to sew so I can get the bus back and buy some stuff for my own outfits.

Great selection of fabric and it would be a fabric lovers heaven if it weren’t for the staff here they all seem somewhat blasé about giving help. Also, the atmosphere of the place is really not nice at all everyone in there seems to walk around like zombies I thought us crafty folk were supposed to be friendly! Anyway, I visited for the second time today and was shocked by the way I was treated as a customer by one member of staff in particular. I needed stuffing for a knitted toy I am making so, after a brief look around I found some in a big roll. Since all the staff were busy with other customers, I asked one of the women if I could just grab what I needed from the roll (I’ve never bought stuffing before) and she said yes if I could manage it, so feeling validated, I did so, tearing as much as I needed off and took it to the counter, I was then greeted by a silence like I had two heads or something, then a glance from the woman I had spoken to, and a brisk telling off –you’re not supposed to do that.
I was absolutely mortified. She made me feel like I was in the wrong, but nobody helped me out at the beginning, and I had obviously misunderstood that I was supposed to bring the roll over for her to cut what I needed off. I did what I thought was right at the time, and what she had said yes to, obviously a simple misunderstanding. But to be treated like I was in the wrong for this mishap, to highlight it so openly in front of everyone there, and an assumption that I should know what I’m doing in a store I don’t know is a downright humiliating experience, add to that a joke about it and a judgmental look and smug smiles from the customers she was serving, I actually left the store feeling like I was going to cry.
All the other haberdasheries I have frequented in the past cannot do enough to help and treat you like you are a very special customer, but then I guess they employ staff that actually want to be there.

I love this store and travel miles to go for fabric. On the service of staff, I think it really depends when you go. Its really busy on Saturday and the staff are rushed off their feet but during the week they couldn’t be more helpful.
I bought the fabric for my daughter when she was the harvest queen at the church, I bought the fabric for my wedding dress and I have bought beautiful woollens for suits and dresses.

What a wonderful place to shop! Everything I needed in 1 place, friendly staff who all sew, which meant they could easily sort out which fabrics I req for my latest project. If only more places were like this!

This is an amazing store for all sorts of reasons. If fabric is your thing you will love it as they stock an amazing array of stuff. Its a huge warehouse about 3000sq foot so you can imagine a lot of fabric fits in there. I have bought a number of items from here and the staff are very helpful and efficient. If you need a party piece this is the place to come. In stock are a number of sari style fabrics for the asian community also and you could buy your wedding fabric here if you had a dressmaker to make it up for you. Sky in the limit here.