In an era when neighborhood fabric stores are becoming less common, Mood Fabrics is eyeing expansion in the brick-and-mortar space. The largely online retailer is planning its first store in Georgia, taking a lease at Ponce City Market, co-CEO Eric Sauma told What Now Atlanta.
The expansion is a pivot in a different direction than other fabric retailers, such as JOANN Fabrics, which shuttered all its locations last year. However, the Atlanta store will mark a shift in how Mood Fabrics does business at their physical locations as Sauma and the team prepare to roll out a new model for stores that will complement their growing e-commerce brand.
“One of the biggest issues is people want to feel fabric and match color. With the fall of JOANN Fabric, we thought now would be the right time,” Sauma said. “With people having very few local fabric stores, we thought it would be the right time to start expanding.”
Mood Fabrics currently has stores in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston. However, the Ponce City Market store will mark the launch of a new format. Instead of offering full bolts of fabric on site, the roughly 1,500-square-foot store will function more as a showroom, with more than 8,000 fabric samples on site for customers to touch and see. Once customers decide on the fabrics they want to purchase, they will be able to order the fabrics they want from Mood Fabrics’ e-commerce platform, which boasts 80,000 products. The store will also stock sewing supplies and notions.
More importantly, Sauma sees a need for community gathering spaces for creatives across the country. The company celebrated the grand opening of their Houston store near the end of 2025, and it became apparent to him how important that in-person connection was to designers.
“One thing I realized was, no one really wanted to leave because they never really get the chance to meet with other sewers, creatives and designers, and they love the experience,” Sauma said. “The community aspect of what we’re doing is the key.”
When Mood Fabrics opens its doors at Ponce City Market — likely in the spring — the space will provide more than just products to purchase. They plan to offer sewing meetups, workshops, seminars and opportunities for designers to exchange ideas. The goal is to transform sewing, normally a solitary activity, into a collaborative one that brings people together.
“I think it’s going to be amazing,” Sauma said. “It’s going to allow the creative community to have a hub where they can meet like-minded people, learn from each other and give tips and tricks.”
Mood Fabrics is also working on a Chicago location with the same showroom-style model. Both locations will serve as what Sauma hopes will be a clear path forward for the brick-and-mortar side of the brand.
“If we get proof of concept and these [first stores] are successful, we would like to scale this nationwide,” Sauma said.
