I love this place. Im a local fashion designer and this is one of my go-to spots for quality, specialty fabric and supplies. It may seem like a small storefront, but dont be fooled-- Twi has a huge selection of fabrics to choose from and is always very welcoming when I come into the store. Whether Im shopping for a specific project or just browsing for fun, I always love having an excuse to visit Universal.

I visited here for the first time today. Just based on the fabric alone, 5 stars ALL THE WAY!!! The largest and most varied selection of apparel fabrics I have seen yet in Houston.Looking forward to making more visits soon and exploring all the gems have to offer.Lady working the front was very friendly and helpful.Dont know about all the bad reviews but I would just advise : Know what you want and know what it is worth before you buy.

I love this store so much. i send all of my houston clients here to enter the world of fashion. this is where you want to be. twee is a long time good friend of mine and has always done right by me. i very much love everything she does!

Lots of fabrics.My hobby is sewing and looking for fabrics. When ever I go out of town I always like to check out the fabric stores- in the community.When I arrived. Overwhelmed by the fabric selections available. Im going to be honest. There is so much fabric in such a tight space. Im sure there is some logic in how the store is organized. She is not doing her products any justice in how she is displaying her products. I didnt have the patience time and strength (yes I said strength) to lift, pull and drag what I want to the cutting table. The pricing listed I couldnt tell if it was for the price of the bolt or by the yard confusing. Needs a team to organize this place or get a bigger place.Surprised that Houston does not have many fabric stores considering the size of this town. Im still giving her 5 stars.

Amazing quality, huge selection of top quality fabrics, trims, notions. Old-fashioned service; I recommend you tell the proprietor what you are looking for and allow her to help you or direct you to what you are looking for. Because many of the fabrics are exquisite (and priced to match), I resist pulling rolls and bolts out -- and I have a college degree in costuming plus 45 years of sewing. If you are prepared for the experience, it is lovely. Ill admit, the first time I was...reprimanded? for pulling out a bolt, I was taken aback -- but that goes hand-in-hand with the proprietors passion for textiles. (I was honored when she eventually told me I may remove bolts from the shelves.) I go here first; Ive never been disappointed. I like being able to immediately get a seam ripper that has a fine point, holds an edge, and doesnt break -- in other words, not Dritz. I find the prices appropriate for the quality. Where else can you buy double-cloth linen? Where else do you have so many choices for gold braid -- even on line?

One of my favorite stores to shop for materials and accessories. Twee is the most helpful. She literally let me get behind the counter for 2 hrs while I picked appliqué for my designs (couldn’t make my mind up). Customer service is exceptional. Highly recommended.

I was very happy to find out that this place is by my house. But I got disappointed as soon as I got there. Very strong chemical odor when you go in. I was not able to tolerate staying there for more than 10 minutes even though I was wearing a mask .Lots of old, unorganized , dirty overpriced fabrics, ribbons and sewing supplies are around. Will not go beck there or recommend a friend go there. I am wondering how do they even manage to keep that shop going.

Very nice store. a must visit for any hobbyist

Anyone in houston wanting to get into fashion knows that this is the best place to go! twee has always been very helpful to me!

I stumbled upon this place last year, had no idea i would be walking to the place that would bridge the gap to a lot of my ideas. hidden gem

Honestly overpriced compared to other stores in town. Poorly labeled merchandise, piled haphazardly and limited selections. While you could find some unique things here it was all drastically overpriced. I was disappointed. Ill only go back if I need vintage buttons or aged tie dye velvet ribbons.

So I was excited to check out this fabric store I had never been to. I checked the hours on the website before going and saw they closed at 4:30pm, I got there a little before 4pm. No one was at the front of the store when I got there but I just started browsing. Only about 5 minutes after I walked in the lights turned off, so I started walking to the front of the store thinking that was weird. Before I could make it to the front of the store (Im 7 months pregnant and SLOW) I heard the door click so I started panicking and going faster. When I got to the front door all of the security gates on the windows and door were closing!!! I saw the lady walking away from the store and started pounding on the glass door but she didnt hear and kept walking. Thankfully my boyfriend had been waiting in the car right in front of the store and quickly got her attention, but all the security gates completely closed and I was standing in the pitch black locked store while she came back to open it. When she got the door back open, the lady said NOTHING to me, just walked past me back into the store, so I quickly got in the car and left. Really scary experience.

Customer service is the key, I wouldnt mind paying $49 a yard if I had a great experience. Worst customer service, asking for help is like asking to get their liver, everything is piled on top of everything, I had to use my phones flashlight to see the shades between blacks and browns because the lighting is terrible. Cant look at fabrics because theyre on top of 7 feet tall piles. Extremely overpriced, insanely. I will never go back there and do not recomendable for anyone looking for good/fair prices or customer service. This place lacks both.

I was shopping for some special occasion fabric for a dress. The owners were extremely helpful and helped to guide me in my fabric selection. Very nice selection!

The owner was very helpful and offered to help with my project.

Youll love this store!

I love the selection of fabrics but they dont have a lot of seasonal fabrics. Also the attention to customers is poor. Had to ask several times to get some fabric

Loveliest place in town!

Great service and any fabric you’ll ever need is available here. Both the owner and store worker were friendly and helpful finding the material and items we needed, as we were fairly uneducated on what we needed.Last time we had to make a Scottish kilt for an outlander theme party. She sold us the heavy plaid fabric and associated buttons and clips they liked just like the original photo, and then sent us to a friend who then created a fabulous kilt that looks better than Jamie Fraser’s, and will last a lifetime.Wearing a mask is normal in these times and not only did we do so but bought several masks sewed by the owner as well. She is contributing during the crisis by sewing them for hospital staff (and the general public). Thank you for both the great experience and community work.

Cotton fabric doubled or more. Example: ginham check fabric was $19.99.

When I first walked into the store, I was pleased to see that at least half of the fabrics (or more) for sale were not ones that I would find at Joanns. It is a very good place to shop at. The people that work there are extremely nice and charismatic. They have some embellishments for sale as well.Universal Fabrics is a great place to go - great people, great service, and beautiful fabrics

I love this fabric store!! There are definitely some good finds, but give yourself plenty of time to wander through the shelves. The quality of the fabrics is always excellent. The owners of the shop have always been so helpful, friendly, and kind! There’s much more selection than Joann Fabrics, especially in terms of apparel fabric.

This store is famous for their buttons and ribbons. They are popular for their masks selection.

I was in search of a very specific lace fabric for a custom piece. This was the first store that I went to and she had exactly what I was looking for, there is a huge variety of different things, and colors, but just like everyone else I will agree.... she is way overpriced. I needed a few other things besides the fabric I bought but I just couldnt bring myself to pay that much for them.If you dont mind swapping out a price for convenience its definitely a one stop shop but youre going to pay the price for not wanting to shop around.. its also very organized. Which is a plus

I find everything I need here. There is a huge variety of texture to go through. I feel like how I get lost in a book store. Just super happy to find all the fabric I need.

Best fabric store in Houston

Bad customer service , the owner of the pace she was so mean , she was behind our back the entire time , also she was telling us to no touch the items , she was very rude .

Came all the way from Alvin, the prices are 20.00 to 30.00 a yard. And do not expect to use the restroom! They do have lots of buttons!

Do not go. It is a complete rip off. 2 yards of floral print fabric is not worth 59.99 a yard.....I only ended up paying for it bc she already cut it. Plus I grabbed some sewing thread that was labeled 5.99 and she charged me 6.99. she took advantage of the fact that I didnt know about fabric 😥

Universal fabric center is well known for their natural fibers fabric. Their selection is unique and high quality. They have peter sham gros grain ribbons and beautiful French ribbons. Extensive selection of buttons is to die for!

Good selection and excellent customer service.

During this hard time of the pandemic of 2020. These people refused to service me because I didnt have a mask on. I was buying supplies for me and my coworkers that need them badly. I work at a grocery store. They yelled at us to get out. They have alot of stuff but dont shop there to close them down because they are not helping people. DO NOT SHOP THERE!!!

Its hit or miss with this place. Ive been several times and the owner has been pretty friendly whenever I approach her, but I have seen her go off on other customers. There is SO MUCH fabric in this store. Youd better have time to look though, because its not very well organized and its stacked pretty high and hard to get to sometimes. Prices range from kinda high to outrageous but its a good place if youre looking for something really niche and youve exhausted all other options in the Houston area.

If zero was an option, that is what i would give. Worst service I have ever received from a fabric store. Twice I have come and found the lady at the counter is very unprofessional. The fabric I wanted she said she did not have yet I found it. She told me to go to Joanne Fabrics. She claimed the fabric was real yet the label said otherwise. Her prices was astronomical. Items are old and not organized.

Was told I was not allowed to shop in this store since due to medical conditions I am not able to wear a face mask. This is discrimination and I will be contacting my lawyer.

Love this store

The owner and her employees are very very knowledgeable and helpful. They always have what I need and more! They have the best selection of fabrics in town and the best service!

Way overpriced and disorganized... same fabrics and notions you can buy 5 times less expensive in other places... do not recommend

Rude, messy, overpriced

High end fabric. Great choices in wools, and many others as well. Beautiful silks, embroidered and beaded silks, to the he cieling. Prepare to be overjoyed and overwhelmed. The proprietors know every inch of the store and are so sweet. They helped go right to what I wanted.

I went to Universal Fabric and bought such a good deal on various silk prints for just $5 bucks a yard!. They have very good prices and very good service. Their selection of buttons, ribbons, and trimmings are the best I have found in Houston. I love every time I come to this store.

Update: This store is pretty awesome, the lady behind the counter was helpful and the shop has everything imaginable. I went in with one project in mind and walked out with another. Im very pleased this place is so close to job and just spent my lunch hour browsing their aisles. Its definitely a treasure hunt for the perfect material and given enough time, you are bound to find exactly what you are looking for.They answer the phone Universal. I thought I had got an answering machine, no infliction in the voice...it was quite off-putting. Not sure how warm/welcoming or helpful this place be....will update once I visit the store.

I like to come here for silks. They have more colors than the other stores in Houston and whenever I have a color in my head, I can always go there and find it. They also have a very extensive collection of printed fabrics and this is very inspiring for me whenever I feel like making a garment.

The store smelled horrible. The fabric seems to be old prints that were way over priced. It’s over crowded and you barely had room to look. The fabric was stacked all the way to the ceiling with no way to look at it. In my opinion the store doesn’t fit fire hazards codes. I drove all the way from Lake Charles Louisiana just to come to this store to be disappointed. Will not be back!

They have a very large and great selection of fabric. The staff is also very nice.

Very rude owners. Smelly store. Overpriced. They hate children.

BAD SERVICE AND STORE SMELLS HORRIBLEAND THEY HAVE A MESS. MAKE SURE NOT TO BRING YOUR CHILDREN BECAUSE THE CHINESE LADY WOULD LOOK AT YOUR CHILD BAD AND SHE SAID NO KIDS ALLOWED. WHEN SHE DOES NOT EVEN HAVE A SIGN OUTSIDE HER STUPID DOOR.DONT WASTE YOUR TIME HERE!!! BAD SERVICE

This fabric store had a selection like NO other I have ever visited. It is for die-hard fabric enthusiasts. There was wall-to-wall fabric, notions Ive never seen except online, it was a wonderful experience. When I go back to Houston, I will definitely utilize that store again. They have EVERYTHING!!!!!

I went in to purchase fabric for a client. The fabric was expensive so I asked if I could have a moment to call the client, the person who was assisting me was very rude and made horrible commentary. The fabric is overpriced and the staff was rude. Do not shop here.

I bought silk pay a lot of money and is not real silk🙁🙁

Huge selection of fabric! Much more variety than your traditional stores such as JoAnns. However a little hard to find things, a bit disorganized with the way the bolts are set out.

I thought the store was quite messy and unorganized which made it overwhelming to shop. The prices are also on the higher end for fabrics that felt very basic.

DO NOT COME HERE !They have lots fabric but too expensive, their more expensive than JOANNs fabric .

Excellent store and service. High quality fabrics and customer service is actually quite good, despite the rude and racist comments here.

After reading other reviews I see I’m not alone. The Asian lady that attempted to assist me today was rude. Tried showing her a picture of something and she completely lost it! Horrible, horrible, horrible customer service. If you don’t wanna attempt to help people find something at least similar to what they want why even be in business. Had to leave after she out of no where started talking super loud and wouldn’t even give me a second to get my words out. Would not recommend. At least the High Fashion store workers tried helping me (except for one Asian lady who didn’t want to be bothered). But other than that I had a better experience there.

I havent bought any fabric here, yet, but I did take home 2 samples. And Im sure I will be buying fabric very soon. The prices seem to me to reflect the quality of fabric. They have wool and cotton made in the U.K. so of course its not going to be as cheap as other stuff. They also had colors of silk dupioni I havent been able to find anywhere, including High Fashion, and the internet. As far as service is concerned, I only encountered one man who worked in the place. But he was never rude, in fact, he was the opposite. He was quiet, polite, helpful, and gave me the time and space I wanted to browse. Overall I would say its more than worth your time to see if they have what you are looking for.

I could not believe the prices..they are ridiculously high. I thought it was the price for the bolt! I saw jersey knit for $22 per yard! I sew primarily with knits...I have never seen such a price ! The most the knit should have been was 9.99 as it wasnt even a good quality.Chiffons were out of sight! Super expensive. I will never return.I sell at art shows..I know fabric..I think they are hoarders and dont really want to sell!

I thought this place would have a better selection than the regular craft stores (Michaels, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby), but this place is a RIP OFF! Im mad I spent 3X the amount of money here than at Hobby Lobby for some basic, lo-quality cotton (7.99 vs 2.99/yd). Also, the store has the worst smell and the woman just ignored me and I tried to find the most basic fabric.DO NOT go here, learn from my mistakes!

The store has an enormous selection but it is hard to find anything. Narrow isles with fabric bolts to the ceiling. Prices for everything from buttons, trim to fabric is outrageous.

I would say that I am shocked that they are still in business based on the attitude of the owner alone! Not only was she rude to me, the customer, she was blatanly rude to my mom! She had the worst customer service attitude I have dealt with in person for years and almost made it seem like she was doing me a favor by letting me into her store! Also, the prices are ridiculous!! $15.99/yard for Dr.Seuss material?! When I asked her if she would discount it some for me since I was buying 5 yards, she told me to go somewhere else!

There is very little organization at all in the fabric. Bolts and rolls are piled haphazardly and much of the fabric cannot be seen. The single attendant pointed me in the general direction towards the fabric I wanted with no other assistance. I found similar fabrics in at least three other locations in the store. It wasnt worth the time spent.

Rude Asian lady I don’t know her name but we simply asked one quick question about a fabric and she went off saying that we won’t ever find the fabric we looking for because it’s a picture (I clearly said I’m looking for something similar) and that doesn’t mean we will find it in real life..😒

Occasionally I like to support small, non corporate businesses. The last time i was here, I saw some GORGEOUS fabrics that you dont see everywhere. (Especially since Hancocks went out of business.)BIG LETDOWN!The store was dirty (visible dust and smell of mildew). The lady who worked there was rude and acted like she couldnt be bothered. She looked at us like she wanted us to leave...so we did - without buying any of her pricey merchandise. #prettywoman #imustgoshoppingnow

Asian Lady keep staring and following us around from the beginning which made us really uncomfortable. Crowded place & smells like mildew.

Dont waste your time coming here. This place is a mess I dont see how you can find anything youre looking for here and poor customer service.

Sweetest and most helpful owner you could ask for.

Kind of cluttered but a nice selection. Red bandana shirt.

Very nice staff they know their stuff and,will give,yoy a,nice,deal. I bought,done yards,and got,extra for free

If you cant find the material at JoAnns you can find it here

Never have I seen prices as unreasonable as those at Universal Fabric Center.In the last 8 months Ive been to over 40 fabric stores all over North America*, and this one is the worst. For example:- Poly cotton 1/4 gingham for $15.99/yd. Are you kidding me? That should be $5/yd, $7 at most.- Cotton shirtings for $49.99/yd. The same would be $25-35 a yard at High Fashion Fabrics (Louisiana St, Houston).I honestly do not know how this store survives considering the prices theyre trying to charge, and the fact that there is at least one other viable option for fabrics in central Houston. Do not bother with this store._____* Honestly, at least 40, and almost all of them have been independent fabric stores (i.e. not chain stores like JoAnn). Ive visited stores in CA, OR, AK, SD, MN, IL, MI, VT, ME, PA, NY (including almost every fabric store the New York fashion district), KY, SC, FL, AL, MS, LA, KS, and TX. Also stores in British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec.

I walked in, saw some cheep looking denim from $29.99 - $39.99 a yard, and walked out. Way too over priced. No Im not being cheep, regular fabric stores dnt have those types of prices.

Way way overpriced, ridiculously expensive!!!

I drove by this place for years and never knew it was here, so when I finally visited I was in awe. Incredible fabric, friendly staff, and so many accessories!

Everyone else is summing it up. Rude owener, rude service. Thank god I only needed to buy 1 item. Guy who helped find it was OK but lady behind counter was a real witch. Save your time and energy and go somewhere else where they actually care.

I went to this store twice and spent over a1000$ in fabric the first time , but the owner of this business treated me like trash, if I asked question she will answer very rout,, if asked for help she will refuse,, and the whole time she was waiting for me to leave the store,, and she told me that if Barbra Bush came to shop you have to leave,, and u asked her did she shop here,,!!!! She said yes,, I asked her did she called you that she is coming,, but she didnt answer, few customer walk to the place while I was shoping she didnt says anything to them, an old Chinese women,, I am sure she is very raices,, she think every one coming to steel if they are not white..

Love it

Did not care for the service. Spent hundreds of $s in the store an the owner does not give swatches of material to match. Will not purchase fabric from this establishment anymore.

Way too overpriced definitely wont come here anymore

Although crowded....there were endless rows of fabric. If you have time this is the place.

Bad service... but a lot of products!

This place has everything you need.

Super high prices on everything. Almost no quilting cotton, what they did have was $20 a yard.

Very crowded, no one help you

Large selection but very expensive.

Rate it a three!

Good ,but expensive

Extraordinary place. There are treasures. Very good attention. Prices are a little high, but worth it.