It’s a wrap for popular fabric shop after 53 years of service
A much-loved shop in the city cent is set to close its doors after 53 years serving the people of Bath.
Fashion Fabrics opened in December 1969 and has seen generations pass through.
Graham Billington, the owner, has spent his whole working life at its helm. Now, the time has come for him to retire, but he said he had “no regrets” and would “do it all over again”.
Over five decades on Green Street, Fashion Fabrics has watched styles change and tailored its stock accordingly. Mr Billington said he still remembers the days of Crimplene and “Mary Quant” dresses.
The 74-year-old said: “In the late 1960s, I had been to Bath Technical College to study catering. Then I took six months out. My mother was already in the fabric business and she had a place in Bristol called The Nylon Shop.
“She helped me set up Fashion Fabrics and we opened in December ‘69. Back then, a fabric called
Crimplene was very popular. It was horrible stuff, but people thought it was wonderful because you didn’t have to iron it.
“You’d think with everyone making their own stuff, they would be more individual but, in fact, when the style of the season came out, everyone followed that trend.
“They came in looking for material for school uniforms and, back then, normal clothes were also
dead easy to make because it was all straight lines with no arms and darts across the front, Mary Quantstyle. Of course, people did it because they needed to do it – which is something we may be going back to with this rising cost of living.”
Graham has weathered plenty of challenges in his time – like the miners’ strikes of the 1980s – and he explained the secret to his shop’s longevity. “I think it’s called tenacity, that’s the word. It’s not been easy but we have adapted to new challenges over the years. You learn to go with the flow.
“Now, the people who come here are more selective and they don’t tend to follow the trend. They are serious sewers and so the stuff needs to be better quality to be worth making up. Our best seller in recent years has been linen and crafty stuff.
“Over the years, the people of Bath have been absolutely wonderful in supporting us. It’s been a pleasure to serve them and our customers have become friends.”
However, aged 74, Graham is ready for a slower pace of life. He plans to move to the New Forest with his wife Stephanie, to be near their daughter.
“I have just got to the stage where I want a rest. I have always said that I will go when the time is right but I have no regrets and I would do it all over again,” he said.
Fashion Fabrics is currently having a closing-down sale and will shut in the next few months or when all the stock is gone.