Mill End Rules!

. . . in a wonky, suburban way.  I visited Mill End Store on McLaughlin Blvd in Milwaukie, OR, at the suggestion of a designer friend.  I sew rarely enough that I had mostly shopped for sewing and crafting supplies at Joann Fabrics, a nationwide chain.  I had tried shopping locally, but most of the local fabric shops I'd heard of were boutiques, and way more expensive than I could afford.  My friend Lindsey told me about Mill End, which is a Portland-area business and, unlike most chain stores, carries some local fabrics like Pendleton wool.

I knew that I was basically going to a fabric warehouse, so I checked their website a whole bunch of times to make sure that this was a place where I could buy fabric by the yard.  It was.  What I wasn't prepared for was the warehouse-y feel of the place.  It's set back a little off the road, looking like all the other warehouses on the strip, and has a parking lot and entrance behind the building.  To the odd pedestrian (and we are oddities in that part of town) it screamed "This place is not for you!  It's for people who drive minivans!"  But, once inside, I found that it was bright, open, and arranged to help knitters, sewers, and quilters find exactly what they are looking for and to guide them to things they didn't even know they needed.  Today I was looking for white organza and brocade for my White Party outfit, and almost walked out with six yards of artichoke-printed cotton for a funky, retro sundress.  I had a very hard time staying goal oriented with all the treasures around me.  The calico section alone would make most vintage-inspired seamstresses weak in the knees, as would the collection of vintage prints and fabrics.  I also found that the prices were competitive with Joann, the only chain store I've been to recently.

Finally, the staff were fantastic.  In Oregon, almost everyone is fantastic, so it's sometimes hard to tell the difference.  Even at a big chain store like Joann, the staff is fairly knowledgeable about what product they stock and they usually ask about my projects.  At Mill End, however, the staff I interacted with seemed to have an in-depth knowledge of the different types of fabric I asked about, seemed to sew or knit or craft regularly, and seemed to have very friendly relationships with regular customers. 

I will definitely be going back to Mill End - at the very least to buy a bunch of that artichoke fabric!