Tales Of A Fourth Generation Textile Executive: The History Of Studioe Fabrics

I am frequently asked about the origins of Studioe, so today I am going to give you a little history about how it all began.

In the mid 1980’s, Fabric Editions started doing business under the ownership of the Debbie Scott and her husband. 

The mission of the company was to become the leader in precut fabrics for the major fabric chains and they surely did just that.  Somewhere along the way the company changed hands and it became part of a small family conglomerate called Fendrich Industries.  In hindsight, Fendrich probably paid too much for the company and they battled to make the investment profitable.  Moreover, several large preexisting programs they had with the major chains were split with another company and essentially their sales were cut in half.  These were unforeseen circumstances and Fendrich struggled to recover any return on their investment over its life. 

In 2008, Fabric Editions decided that they wanted to diversify their business away from the chain stores by offering a quilt shop only line.  Thus, Studioe was born….my baby now.  I always get asked where the name comes from, so here is the secret.  The “E” is derived from the “E” in Editions. 

In early 2010, the major shareholder of Fendrich unfortunately took ill and decided that it was time to part with Fabric Editions and the newly formed Studioe.  One day my dad was contacted by the President of Fabric Editions about purchasing the company.  We traveled to Greenville, South Carolina to meet the owners and learn about the business. Shortly thereafter in the middle of 2010, we purchased the entire entity. 

Being that I spent most of my textile career running A.E.Nathan and catering to the chains, I decided that it was time for me to take the next logical step and learn about the quilt shop only business.  I told my dad what I wanted to do and he supported the idea.  Thereafter, we moved the Studioe Division to New York City. I became the President and we hired a new lead stylist and support staff.  The rest is history.  This was a great addition to my career as it opened up an entirely new world to me.  I am so glad that we made this decision as I truly love working with all the quilt shops and I am now more entrenched in this business than I am with the chains.  Now you know more of my secrets. What do you think?  How are we doing?  Do you see how we have improved over the years?  

Sincerely,

Studioe Scott