Dressew Supply — Local services in Vancouver

A senior worker downstairs informed me that they had bugs upstairs where most of the rolls of fabrics are. I don't want to bring any little critters home. I'll get the fabric and other materials from Michael's, Fabric Land and other places that look clean. I know Fabric Land's stock came from clean environments. (Factory direct and factory warehouses) I don't know what enviroment dressew fabric was in before they bought it. They bid on their stock. Buy outs from struggling and bankrupt businesses, overstock, factory seconds etc. Materials left in storage units and old warehouses possibly. They'll sell anything to make a buck. I have a policy to only buy from them things like buttons and other hardware that pests can't burrow into. When it comes to buttons and other craft materials remember the old addage 'you get what you pay for!' I've bought lots of items there thinking I got a good deal only to find out they don't work or they aren't what the label says they are. Some examples are the 'Stitch Witch' for hemming. The glue is ancient so they don't work. You can try and try but you'll only damage your project. Chalk pencils are another gem. They have some for 25 cents and some at market compatable prices. You think your getting a deal until you find out that it doesn't work. It's too old or has been exposed to extreme temps and is rock hard and wont mark. They'll sell a thousand of them at that price but I'm pretty sure they've tested a few before they priced them and found them to be garbage. Why else would you sell an item for 25 cents when your also trying to move a similar product for many dollars and a bigger profit. (Because they know you wont complain over 25 cents and come back and buy the more expensive one anyway).They know this but they still sell it. Other Iron-on products are also a hit and miss. This stuff is years old and should be thrown out. Lobster clasps and other jewelry materials labeled as brass are just brass coated and wore off fast exposing dull pink copper to ruin home made jewlery. Be very carefull. Even if it is half of what it might cost at Michaels it's money thrown away if it's garbage. And it could ruin your work, costing you new materials and time, making your project more costly than if you bought your materials at a slightly higher price from a more reputable store. Finally, the last time I was there I had a bad experience with one of the owners who was making a big deal over nothing and really offended me. I tied reasoning with him but I found him to be very arrogant. As I left I heard him tell his security guard not to let me back in. This wasn't even a security issue. Basically he's using a security guard as a bouncer. Why? Because he pays him. If he wants to keep his job he'll have to put the owners wishes ahead of what he is hired and trained to do. He's gonna get the poor guy in legal trouble that will affect his future eligability in security and law enforcement. But he wont care. What a jerk! I tried contacting him several times but he hasn't responded. He'd rather lose a customer than admit he is wrong. And from reading the other complaints it seems to be the status quo.This is the guy that we're handing money to. I've never gone back and have found everything they have and I need elsewhere. I am happy putting my money in other.....nicer peoples pockets. All in all, I pretty much gave up on getting anything quality from them anyway. Read the other negative reviews. Same overall story. They sell junk and they won't refund your money when you return it. They know it's junk but they still sell it at a marked down price. Some money is better than no money. You won't sue for $20 and the owner will just tell you to get lost. It's all calculated. The owners are very difficult and the staff are miserable. Another reviewer used the term 'Sweat shop' which I think fits this place to a 'T'. Having spoken to the owners and finding them very self serving and disagreeable, I too, like another reviewer would question how they treat the staff....because the misery is...

Oh, Dressew. I want to love you, but you treat me so badly. Dressew is, by square footage, the largest consumer fabric store in BC, occupying a huge old warehouse in a sketchy part of downtown. Unfortunately, everything in the store telegraphs how little they care for their customers - every time I visit, there are stacks unpacked boxes blocking the aisles, often placed right in front of products on shelves, making them impossible to get to. They don't take credit cards, they are only open until 5:15, and the shop is usually dirty. Frequently, older staff snap at me or refuse to move to allow me to pass. Many (not all) staff are very short with customers, almost rude at times. A few staff who are friendly seem to get harassed by the more senior staff. Dressew's second floor has all of the notions, decorations and decor, and is completely inaccessible, and it really seems like the owners don't care. They haven't even trained staff or come up with a procedure for helping disabled shoppers get what they need, and often, despite how many staff are on the floor at once, they refuse to grab a specific item from downstairs for me. It drives me crazy - I buy fabric there regularly, I know what I need, and they won't even go get the product I want to pay them money for. This week when I was there, I finally found a staff person who volunteered to grab some ribbon for me from the dowstairs level, and she got yelled at by a senior staff member because she left her cutting table - even though nobody was waiting, and I was clearly a customer about to purchase a pile of fabric and needed some ribbon. Bottom line, it's unacceptable in this day for staff to ask me, "can I help you find anything?" and then tell me what I want is on the lower level and there's no elevator, and then just walk away. I have to credit a few gems on the staff who are friendly to me every time I come, including the woman who's usually at the till, and another woman who was cutting fabric the last time I was there. Most of the staff are knowledgeable, so if you can handle the snotty indifference of most of them and look past the cluttered, disorganized, dirty store, Dressew is a great place to get fabric and...

New to the world of sewing. Visited Dressew for the first time. 🩵 Thank you to the blue or green shoulder length hair woman downstairs who was very friendly and warm hearted.

After pottering about up and down the aisle searching for a specific item, I decided to ask a member of staff for help. I felt awkward asking to begin with because I barely knew how to describe what I was looking for but the member of staff made me feel completely at ease. I was looking for a gauge and didn’t know what it was called but to my relief she quickly realized what I was looking for and where, 😊☺️ we had a laugh about it too as she walked me over to where it would be found. It wasn’t in stock but I found fabric and other random bits that I needed for my project.

All in all, I really enjoyed browsing through the store for the supplies. This shop has an excellent selection of fabric, notions, and all sorts. Love the retro vibe of the store! It has a unique atmosphere that is difficult to replace and I’m sad to hear that in the near future at some point it will be closing permanently. Some places are central to the neighbourhood and community, and this is one of...