Bossier City store brings sewing community together one stitch at a time
After four decades of business, Shirley Warren is still stitching the sewing community together in her Bossier City store.
Warren, owner of the Fabric Boutique, and her staff have served the Ark-La-Tex since 1972 from the heart of Bossier City.
Warren’s store has doubled in size since over the past 17 years and strives to keep up with the latest fashion trends and demands in the market. Local sewing enthusiasts not only assemble monthly to trade tips, but they also promote it as an art once seen as a female hobby.
“This isn’t just for women anymore,” Warren was quick to add. “Times have certainly changed. Now, everyone is big on embroidery and quilting is no longer putting scraps together by hand.”
With its specialty pattern selection and walls of multicolored fabric choices, the Fabric Boutique has become a sewing enthusiast’s playground. It has a reputation as the place to go for handpicked quality fabrics and top of the line sewing machines. Fabric Boutique is a certified BERNINA sales and service center, a brand that provides an all-in-one machine for embroidery, sewing, and quilting needs.
The Fabric Boutique, in its 26th year in Bossier, is well-known for its customer service. Warren’s store is a place for people, who drive in from places like Alexandria and Dallas, with an eye for color and pattern, to come together and make things.
“We love interacting with people who do the same thing we do,” she said. “Sewing gives people something in common to talk about and work together on.”
With websites like Pintrest and Etsy, there is a rising number of people with the desire to create things. That’s why she is encouraging the community, young and old, to start now and that it’s never too early or late to learn the tricks of the trade.
Warren said making clothes also gives a person more freedom to express themselves rather than buying pre-made clothes in stores.
“You don’t always get that unique creativity with off the rack clothes,” she said. “We like to help our customers coordinate fabrics, colors and patterns. When you sew your own, you can do that.”
Display racks are strategically placed around the Fabric Boutique to offer an insight to sewing and quilting possibilities.
“We have the best of everything,” Warren said. “If you come in looking for a machine, you can bet we have a class to teach you how to use that machine and the fabrics you need to get started with.”
Some of those classes are geared toward seasoned sewers while others introduce newcomers to the artistic side of the craft. Sewing, Warren said, is a hobby that’s good for the mind, body and soul.
The Fabric Boutique staff consists of sewing enthusiasts, too, who are waiting to help when needed, a trait Warren said sets her store apart from chain stores.
“We want to make sure you walk out with a quality product,” she said. “They want you to be successful and someone is going to help you. Our goal is to be a resource to our customers and give them a great experience.”
Warren said she hopes to continue to inspire others, young and old, to take up the art of sewing…one stitch at a time.
“I love my job and I’m just happy to still be sewing,” Warren said. “This isn’t just a business. It’s a business with heart.”
The Fabric Boutique is located at 1701 Old Minden Road, Suite 11, in Bossier City. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed Sundays.
For more information on classes, call 742-0047 visit their website at www.fabricboutiquebc.com
