Mood Fabrics, the New York cloth mecca made famous by Project Runway, is bringing its bolts and buzz to Chicago’s Loop with a new showroom at 109 South State Street. The company plans to start operations in August, with a soft opening in mid‑August and a larger grand opening on tap for September. Instead of a cavernous warehouse, the Loop spot is pitched as a compact, community‑minded showroom aimed squarely at students and local makers clustered around the School of the Art Institute and Columbia College.
What shoppers will find
Shoppers should not expect endless aisles of fabric racks. Mood’s Loop site is designed as a swatch‑forward showroom where customers can touch sample cuts, then order the full yardage online using scannable tags. Elana Cohen, Mood’s director of retail operations, told the Chicago Sun-Times the shop will have a soft opening in mid‑August, followed by a grand opening in September. The Chicago Sun-Times also reports that fabric samples will carry QR codes and that shipping from Mood’s web store typically takes three to seven business days.
Showroom details from Mood
Mood Fabrics lists the Loop showroom as “Opening Soon (August 2026)” and describes a roughly 2,000‑square‑foot space stocked with more than 8,000 fabrics, trims and buttons. The listing highlights workshops, community meetups, and a curated shopping experience tailored to designers, students, and hobbyists, rather than casual big‑box browsing. The company gives the address as 109 South State Street and provides an email contact for anyone who wants store updates.
From the Garment District to the Loop
The Mood story starts with founder Jack Sauma, who launched the brand in 1991, then grew it into a 40,000‑square‑foot Garment District warehouse that turned into an industry landmark. As reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the store’s long‑running relationship with Project Runway helped cement Mood’s national profile and made its name familiar far beyond New York’s fashion insiders. The new showroom rollout represents a deliberate pivot to smaller, curated spaces that blend product, events and education as the company expands beyond its flagship market.
Why Chicago?
Executives say the showroom model lets Mood test markets quickly and offer classes, drop‑in access and community events without taking on the cost of a full flagship store. The Chicago page for Mood Fabrics underscores the site’s location near the School of the Art Institute and Columbia College and frames the Loop space as a community design hub rather than a traditional retail floor. The Chicago opening follows an Atlanta showroom rollout earlier this year and comes as national craft chain Joann wound down its U.S. stores in 2025, leaving many sewists and students searching for in‑person options, a gap that local reporting and national coverage have both noted.
