ANDY:
I am interested in opening an up-scale upholstery fabric store as there is nothing like it in my area. How do I go about purchasing fabrics from the different companies (P. Kaufman, Robert Allen and the like? ) Which are the best trade shows to attend for this type of fabric? What is a typical investment – is there one?
Anything you could share with me would be greatly appreciated.

Dear K: While I don’t know how much money you will need to open your store, I suggest you plan to attend the upcoming trade show that caters to the upholstery market. The next show is July 10-13 in High Point, North Carolina. Visit www.itma-showtime.com to register. Visit the web sites of some of their member companies. Plan to spend three full days there. Bring a note book and write down as much information that you can gather on each of the companies that you want to deal with. Spend your time, before you spend your money. See if you can find a friendly sales person to make suggestions. They are out there. Ask a lot of questions. Good Luck, Andy