Main St. fabric store changes hands

By Gretchen (Fowler) Green
Word spreads quickly in a small town like Imperial. But in case you haven’t heard, the local fabric store will soon have a new owner.
Prior’s New Generation Fabrics will remain at its current location on Main Street. However, the business already has a new name, Good Life Fabrics, and Samie Johnson of Champion is tailoring things to fit her vision.
“…It’s starting to look good,” Johnson posted on Facebook recently. “We’re still open so if you can get past the mess, you’re more than welcome to come in and check out what we’re doing.”
So far, Johnson has done quite a bit. She’s met with a sales rep and ordered new fabric, purchased and set up a new cash register and inventory system, and started updating the layout of the store.
“Man, it’s going to look so cool when it’s done,” said Good Life Fabrics employee Stacy Towns. Towns has been helping move everything around and has heard from many people in the community that they value having such a resource so close.
“Thank goodness,” she said of Johnson’s plan to buy the store. “So many people have been so excited that it’s going to stay. No-one wants to lose it.”
Towns added that the store feels open and welcoming and flows very well the way Johnson set it up. “She’s got a fresh vision for it.”
Owning and running a fabric store wasn’t always part of Johnson’s plan. In April 2023, she said just wanted to try something new. She was looking for more of a craft/hobby job and something she could enjoy more of.
“I tried going back to the newspaper, and that’s where I first found my love of graphic design,” Johnson said. “That’s how I ended up starting my first business as a graphic designer, but being my own boss and reaching all the goals I had set for myself with that business, I was looking for something more.”
But how did a graphic designer land on quilting, sewing and eventually working at Prior’s? Johnson explained it like this.
“I had been listening to an audiobook, and it said you wouldn’t buy a bakery just because you like to bake. You’ll want to start working at a bakery and see if you like the work. So I just started thinking of things I liked doing for fun.”
As many people did during Covid, Johnson dusted off her sewing machine to make masks and remembered how much she enjoyed sewing. Then she started with her first quilt and got “sucked up” into the hobby. A few months later she joined the local quilt guild and ended up walking into Prior’s to see if they needed any help.
Johnson’s not the only one who’s been sucked into the hobby though. Towns said quilting is actually pretty popular and there are an estimated 25 members in the local quilt guild. She spent a lot of time at the store when it was ran by Janet and Merlin Prior and said with so many area fabric stores closing up, it’s really handy to have a store right there in Imperial.
“I have the addiction to fabric,” she said, “so it’s my favorite hangout.”
That’s exactly what Johnson is hoping for… to make the store a place where all ages can come and learn a new skill or practice a hobby they already enjoy. She’s planning to hold classes at Good Life Fabrics and won’t just carry sewing supplies but yarn as well, for knitting and crocheting. She said people have come from as far as Denver to buy fashion fabric for making clothes because few stores carry it anymore. She’ll continue to carry that, and will provide services like scissor sharpening.
Johnson is looking forward to doing camps, lock-in style events and open sewing. She’s participating in a Kansas and Nebraska Shop Hop this April and possibly another in November for Nebraska quilt shop owners.
“I want kids to feel comfortable coming in and starting a new hobby,” she said. “I want anyone interested in trying sewing to test out a machine.”
Customers will eventually be able to purchase items online. Johnson has launched a new web site, expanded the store’s hours and is planning to establish a larger social media presence. The store’s Facebook page is currently still running under Prior’s business name, but updates are posted regularly. Anyone wanting to learn more can go to goodlifefabrics.com or call the store at 308-882-5516.
Good Life Fabrics is open Monday-Friday 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday 10 am to 2 pm MST.