The Calico Cat

Neat place! Lots & lots of fabric - more than you would think as tiny as this shop is. Something for every project! Would have loved to have given 5 stars as the owner was so sweet, helpful & knowledgeable. She's a 1-person show, so she was cutting fabric, ringing customers up, & answering questions - this is why the process is slow & manually time-consuming. I was 4th in line - it took almost 25-minutes to be helped. The first 2 customers had fabric, the next customer just had a spool of thread. Each cut of fabric involved annotating how much of the bolt would be left, then writing down the yardage cut & the cost. Then cutting & folding that piece before moving on to the next cut. This was done for each cut & each customer. Everyone ahead of me belonged to the frequent shopper program, so that required the owner manually looking for their membership card in a small box then annotating their purchase before ringing them up. The hours are kind of funky - M-W-F 130p-430p & Sat 10a-1230p & 2p-4p. Parking is tricky - there's metered street parking out front on Kokohead Ave, which is a 1-way street, or metered parking on Waialae Ave.

Wow… a real quilt shop! I’m from the Los Angeles area and we don’t have any more shops like this. I met Carol, the owner and she is quite knowledgeable. She stocks 100% cotton fabrics and has a selection of Japanese ones too. The shop is small and packed with fabrics. She also has a nice selection of Daruma sashiko thread. Loved it and can’t wait to come back.

I am so happy we stumbled on The Calico Cat. There was great selection of black and white prints, batiks, Hawaiian, and Tula Pink at great prices. But what stood out the most was Carol’s kindness, professionalism, and outstanding customer service. It seems to be a rarity these days to find a local quilt store that makes you feel like you are a regular the first time shopping in their store. Though we are just visiting, this shop will always be on my list the next time we visit Honolulu.

Yesterday I checked out The Calico Cat Fabric Store. I was amazed at the huge selection. Carol and Linda are terrific. They love sewing and can answer any questions you might have. The fabrics are cotton and mostly natural for quilting. The fabrics are high quality and I can also use for other sewing projects. Accessories are available too! If you want a sewing class, let Carol know. The more that inquire, the better chance of a class being scheduled.

Finally I visited this fabric store. This place is not big, but another hidden gem for sewers! Lots of fun & good choices of fabric, including some Japanese designs. If you have a project, I'm sure you will find the one you love. If you don't have any particular targets, then you are in trouble because there are so many choices. But no worry, just ask Carol. She is very friendly and super helpful. I got more than I planned... There are meter parking just in front of the store (one way street). Please visit there with extra time to browse.