Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Berkley and Sylvia Villamizar.
Ana and Sylvia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Golden D’or Fabrics got its start in 1984 as the retail arm of Murray A. Goldenberg Textiles, an established jobber in the industry since 1952. We began as tiny outlet selling only remnants to the public on Saturdays. As the store saw more and more success, we grew into a new building and eventually came to occupy 35,000 square feet and become one of the largest fabric outlets in the country. In the 30 years that we have been open, we have made a name for ourselves in the fabric industry and become the source for fabric for everyone from seamstresses and crafters to fashion designers and large production companies, like the Dallas Opera. We have customers all over the country that make special trips to visit us every year and we even do business internationally.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. These 30+ years have been met with their fair share of challenges including having to maneuver the sharp decline in the textile industry. The dawn of the new millennium saw a rise in the cheap goods coming in from China which led to a staggering decrease in the demand for raw textiles as it became cheaper for people to bring in ready-made garments from overseas than to produce them domestically. Because of this, the years that followed resulted in a high volume of textile mill closings and ultimately fewer and fewer fabric retailers. The recession also negatively impacted our business and we were very lucky to survive, though the journey was not easy. We had to adapt to the new market by really closely listening to our remaining customers and bringing them what they needed. We believe that the continuing entrepreneurial trend will, hopefully, bring back a lot of business in the future. There are so many great ideas out there. Every day we see customers with a vision to bring a new product to market. We feel that we can help foster their growth by offering our customers the unique, high quality, and reasonably priced materials vital to their success.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Golden D’or Fabrics – what should we know?
I believe what sets us apart as a fabric company is our selection, variety, and quality. Not only is our inventory larger than most with over 1 million yards in stock, but also every single material is hand-picked based on what we know about our customers’ tastes. Using our wide network of vendors, we buy fabrics from all over the world and offer the best to our customers. We have brought everything under one roof with 10 departments including Cotton/Quilting, Special Occasion, Fashion, Spandex, Drapery, Upholstery, Wool, Silk, Trim, Bridal, and our very popular Clearance Room. We really strive to bring our customers unique and high quality materials at the lowest prices possible; however, we never sacrifice quality for price.
We believe that if we help our customers do better in their businesses we will create customers for life. This reciprocal relationship is what has kept us in business and is what we are most proud of as a company. We have customers that have become more like family since we see them on a near daily basis. We don’t just want to be another fabric store; we want to be the place you know you can rely on to find the perfect fabric for any project. Our customers have coined the phrase that “if you can’t find it at Golden D’or, you won’t find it anywhere!”
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Adaptability is probably the most essential quality for our success. We have had to adapt to the changing business model of being a fabric retailer in an ever changing economy. But also, I believe that our close relationship with our vendors is also really vital to our success. Over the years, we have developed a wide network of vendors across the country that stay on top of the latest style trends to help us stay in the loop fashion-wise. They travel around the world to the fashion meccas like Milan and Paris and try to bring home the essence of the latest trends in their lines of goods. Because of what they do, we are able to offer our customers a chance to use these couture and fashion-forward fabrics in their own designs.
Contact Info:
- Address: 10795 Harry Hines Blvd.,
Dallas, TX 75220 - Website: www.goldendor.com
- Phone: 2143512339
- Email: ana.berkley@hotmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldendorfabrics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Golden-Dor-Fabrics/111922535496758
- Twitter: @goldendorfabric
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-d-or-fabric-outlet-dallas
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