EE Schenck Company

What EE Schenck Company does

EE Schenck Company is a Portland, Oregon-based wholesale distributor of fabrics, sewing notions, thread, patterns, books, and related craft supplies, serving independent quilt shops, fabric and craft stores, online retailers, and manufacturers primarily across the United States and Canada with worldwide shipping. Founded in 1921 in Seattle by Earl E. Schenck Sr. and relocated to Portland in 1967, the company is family-owned and currently led by President Brittany Gray, the third generation of the Gray family in control following her father Stan Gray's 1981 acquisition. EE Schenck positions itself as one of the oldest and largest wholesale distributors in the US sewing industry, distributing more than 80,000 SKUs and operating the proprietary Maywood Studio fabric brand, which produces 100% cotton quilting collections sold exclusively through independent retailers.

The company's core product lines span fabric (quilting cotton, flannel, apparel, craft basics), notions (cutting tools, needles, measuring tools, adhesives from OLFA, Clover, Prym/Dritz), thread (Aurifil, Gutermann, Mettler, Superior Threads), batting and interfacing (Hobbs, Pellon, Warm Company), patterns, books, and gift items. EE Schenck also offers custom fabric sourcing, dyeing, and printing services for retailers and manufacturers with minimum-quantity terms. Underlying technology is a BigCommerce-hosted B2B e-commerce platform at eeschenck.com that supports wholesale online ordering and account management, combined with an in-house warehouse and inventory management system at the consolidated Swan Island, Portland distribution facility (more than doubled in size in 2002). The company supports customers through regional field sales representatives across the US and Canada, a phone and email Customer Care team, an annual in-house Trends Show, participation in Quilt Market trade shows, and the Trunk Show Loan Program that lets retailers borrow sample quilts and projects free of charge for displays and classes.

EE Schenck's business model is wholesale-only B2B distribution: products are sold exclusively to licensed businesses at wholesale pricing visible only after login, with a $250 initial order minimum, a $150 minimum on subsequent orders, a $1,200 annual purchase requirement to maintain an account, and credit terms available after first-order deposits. Revenue is generated entirely through transactional wholesale sales of branded and proprietary products, plus custom fabric service fees. The company carries no public funding, no external investors, no subsidiaries, and no parent company, and is privately held under continuous Gray family ownership.

Name

EE Schenck Company

Legal name

EE Schenck Company

Website

https://eeschenck.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EE Schenck Company is a 100+ year-old, family-owned Portland, Oregon wholesale distributor of fabrics, notions, thread, patterns, and sewing supplies, serving independent quilt shops, fabric retailers, online sellers, and manufacturers across North America with 80,000+ SKUs and its proprietary Maywood Studio brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Fabric and Sewing Supplies Distribution

NAICS

Textile Product Mills (314), Apparel Manufacturing (315)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Threads, Yarns & Sewing Notions (Sewing Thread/Embroidery Thread/Bobbins/Needles) (IMAOALAE)

Keywords

• Wholesale fabric distribution
• Sewing notions supply
• Quilting supplies wholesale
• Textile wholesale distribution
• Sewing industry supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Distribution of Fabric: EE Schenck distributes a wide selection of premium fabrics from leading mills worldwide, including quilting cotton, apparel fabrics, flannel, and specialty fabrics. Products are sold at wholesale pricing exclusively to licensed businesses.
2. Wholesale Distribution of Notions and Supplies: Extensive selection of sewing notions including cutting tools, needles, pins, marking tools, adhesives, and fabric care products. Also includes thread, batting, interfacing, stabilizers, and craft supplies.
3. Patterns and Books Distribution: Distribution of quilting, sewing, and fiber arts patterns along with instructional books from various authors and publishers.
4. Maywood Studio Products: In-house designed fabric collections, notions, and supplies sold under the Maywood Studio brand through the company's distribution network.
5. Custom Fabric Services: Custom fabric sourcing, dyeing, and printing services for retailers or manufacturers looking for specific colors, fabric types, or custom-printed fabrics. Requires minimum quantities and deposits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EE Schenck Company is a wholesale distributor and producer of fabric and notions for the quilting and sewing industry. Operating exclusively as a B2B supplier, it offers more than 80,000 SKUs spanning fabric, notions, thread, batting, interfacing, patterns, books, and gifts, sourced from leading mills worldwide and supplemented by its proprietary in-house brand, Maywood Studio. The company ships from its Portland, Oregon warehouse to licensed retailers and manufacturers across the United States, Canada, and internationally.

Product overview

EE Schenck Company is a wholesale distributor and producer offering a comprehensive portfolio of fabric and sewing products. The company's core offering centers on Maywood Studio, their in-house fabric brand featuring high-quality quilting cottons sold exclusively through independent retailers. They serve as a one-stop shop for independent quilt shops, fabric stores, and manufacturers with over 80,000 items including fabric, notions, thread, craft supplies, batting, interfacing, patterns, books, and gifts. Products are available at wholesale pricing and ship worldwide directly from their Portland, Oregon warehouse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maywood Studio: A wholesale textile brand of EE Schenck offering high-quality fabrics and notions to the quilting and craft industry, with a focus on reorder reliability, seasonal collections, and trusted basics. Designs and manufactures 100% cotton textiles sold to independent quilt, sewing, and craft shops around the world.

Products and services

• Maywood Studio In-house proprietary fabric brand of EE Schenck offering high-quality 100% cotton quilting fabrics, notions, and free patterns. Sold exclusively at wholesale to independent quilt, sewing, and craft shops worldwide, with seasonal collections, basics, flannels, precuts, and kits designed and produced for the quilting community.
• Wholesale Fabric Extensive wholesale fabric selection for quilting, sewing, and crafting featuring thousands of options from leading brands and in-house collections, including cotton, flannel, specialty apparel, and craft basics. Sold at wholesale pricing exclusively to licensed businesses.
• Wholesale Notions Wholesale notions for sewing, quilting, and crafting including cutting tools, needles, measuring tools, rotary cutters, scissors, templates, marking tools, and adhesives from brands like OLFA, Quilters Select, Clover, and Prym/Dritz. Sold to licensed businesses with free shipping within the US.
• Wholesale Thread Wholesale thread selection for sewing, quilting, crafting, and embroidery including cotton, wool, polyester, silk, and specialty threads from brands like Aurifil, Gutermann, Mettler, and Superior Threads.
• Wholesale Craft Supplies Curated collection of trims, embellishments, and craft project supplies including embroidery, sashiko, bag making, cross stitch, crochet, knitting, punch needle, textile arts, and papercrafts.
• Wholesale Batting and Stuffing Premium batting, stuffing, and pillow inserts available in bulk, yardage, and packaged options across cotton, wool, silk, bamboo, polyester, and specialty blends from brands like Hobbs, Pellon, and Warm Company.
• Wholesale Interfacing and Stabilizers Premium wholesale interfacing and stabilizers for quilting, apparel, embroidery, and crafts including fusible web, water-soluble, tear-away, and cut-away options from brands including Pellon, Warm Company, and OESD.
• Wholesale Patterns Wide array of quilting, apparel, and creative project patterns from beginner to advanced levels featuring designers such as Villa Rosa Designs, Kimberbell, Atkinson Designs, and Elizabeth Hartman.
• Wholesale Books Wholesale selection of quilting, sewing, and fiber arts books for all skill levels featuring authors like Kaffe Fassett, Kim Diehl, Alex Anderson, Lori Holt, and Sue Spargo.
• Wholesale Gifts Wholesale gift items for sewers, quilters, and makers including planners, greeting cards, stickers, puzzles, enamel pins, candles, bookmarks, and home decor accessories.
• Custom Fabric Sourcing, Dyeing, and Printing Services Custom fabric services for retailers or manufacturers, including custom color matching, special prints, and printed fabric with ready-to-print artwork. Requires minimum quantities and deposits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80,000 items available for ordering
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maywood StudiocoreOthersMaywood Studio is the in-house fabric brand of EE Schenck, providing proprietary designed fabric collections sold exclusively through independent retailers. The brand focuses on high-quality quilting cottons with seasonal collections and trusted basics, with reorder reliability as a key focus.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Marcus Fabrics:
• Coats Group (Coats & Clark): Coats is the world's largest industrial thread manufacturer and a major wholesale thread supplier to sewing retailers in North America through the Coats & Clark brand. EE Schenck lists thread as a core category and competes for the same retailer thread orders.
• Moda Fabrics (United Notions): Moda Fabrics is one of the largest quilting cotton manufacturers and wholesalers in the US, with proprietary designer collections sold through independent retailers. It is both a key EE Schenck supplier and a competing fabric wholesaler with similar indie-retail channel exclusivity.
• Benartex: Benartex is a wholesale fabric manufacturer/distributor offering quilting cotton and home décor collections to independent retailers. It operates in the same channel as EE Schenck/Maywood Studio with similar branded designer fabric programs.
• Timeless Treasures: Timeless Treasures is a major US fabric manufacturer/distributor serving quilt and craft retailers with cotton, novelty, and licensed-character collections. Comparable to Maywood Studio's wholesale fabric brand model.

Direct peers

• Bennett Direct (formerly Notions Marketing): Bennett Direct is one of the largest wholesale distributors of sewing, quilting, and craft supplies in North America, with a comparable product breadth, indie-retailer customer base, and B2B distribution model. It is the closest direct competitor to EE Schenck in the wholesale sewing-supply channel.
• Clothworks: Clothworks is a wholesale fabric distributor serving independent quilt and sewing shops with branded fabric collections. It mirrors EE Schenck's wholesale-distribution-plus-exclusive-fabric-brand model (with its own Studio E Fabrics line), making it a direct peer.
• Pellon: Pellon is a leading manufacturer and distributor of interfacing, batting, and stabilizer products sold through quilt/sewing retailers. EE Schenck distributes Pellon as a key vendor, and both companies serve the same indie retail channel with overlapping product categories.
• Prym Consumer (Dritz): Prym Consumer, including the Dritz brand, is a major manufacturer and wholesaler of sewing notions, cutting tools, pins, and craft supplies. As one of EE Schenck's key brand partners and a competitor for shelf space at independent retailers, Prym/Dritz is a directly comparable notions supplier.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EESchenckCo
• Facebookfacebook.com/EESchenck
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ee-schenck-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/eeschenck
• Pinterestpinterest.com/eeschenck

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EE Schenck Company