There are certainly not a lot of fabric store around any more. There's always Joann's, if you want to make Halloween costumes or need some fabric to throw up on a bulletin board, but mostly it's a waste of time for anything serious. But if you're looking for very nice cottons for quilting, the choices are slim.
Byrne's has fabrics. Not a lot, but it does have fabrics. It's primarily a shop where you can find sewing machines and the attachments/notions that go with them. They carry Brother, BabyLock and Bernina at Byrnes (are you sensing an alphabetical trend here?), with a huge variety of machines on site for you to test drive. They also have sergers, embroidery machines and long-arm quilting machines/frames. I purchased my top-of-the-line Bernina from them and could not be happier. Not only will they spend time with you trying to find the machine that fits your needs best, they will also provide classes to make sure you know how to use it. Although they carry top-of-the-line machines, they also have a very good selection of less pricey models. They pride themselves on working with the customer to assess his/her needs with respect to sewing preferences and financial realities. They have machines that start as low as $99. Remember, when you buy a machine at Byrne's, you are not only purchasing the machine, you are buying their tremendous follow-up service. In addition, they do in-house servicing & repair of all types and ages of machines.
One of the things I like best about Byrne's (other than the wonderful staff) is the availability of classes. They have a spacious area in the back of the building that can accommodate a large number of people along their machines and various sewing supplies, easily. I have met more nice people at these classes than I can tell you -- maybe that's why the old time sewing bees were so popular?
I said before that the selection of fabrics was not very big, but it is big enough to find a piece when you are in a class and need just that one thing to make your project complete. If you are looking for batiks, this might be a good place to try since that's one type of fabric that they seem to specialize in. many bolts, and a good range of colors.
If you need your machine repaired (hey, I just had an "antique" Featherweight gone over), need a new machine, want to see the latest in machines (boy have they changed in the last 20 years!!), or think you might want to take some classes or just sit down & sew with a bunch of nice people, stop on by. Their web site is http://www.byrnesewing.com.
There is also a nice program that picks up in the Fall called Quilts of Valor. It's an opportunity for experienced quilters, novices and even non-sewers to get together & creat quilts for our veterans. If you can't sew, you can cut fabric or press seams. It's an awesome opportunity to do something meaninful while you met a great bunch of people. Check it out on the web site. read more