Great Lakes Fabrics

What Great Lakes Fabrics does

Great Lakes Fabrics, Inc. is a family-owned specialty distributor and e-commerce retailer of upholstery fabrics and related supplies, founded in 1978 and headquartered at 1904 S Wenona St, Bay City, Michigan. The company operates a single warehouse and storefront serving both individual consumers and professional buyers across four product categories: Upholstery (residential fabrics and tools/supplies), Marine (Sunbrella, Top Gun, Top Notch, Aqualon canvas; marine grade vinyl; marine hardware), Commercial (heavy-duty contract-grade fabrics and vinyls with flammability and emissions certifications), and Outdoor Fabric. Its catalog includes branded components such as Sunbrella marine canvas and YKK zippers alongside proprietary recycled-leather product lines under a "Suits & Suites" sustainability collection.

The business runs a B2B/B2C hybrid model through the glfi.com e-commerce storefront and phone ordering (1.800.652.2358), with same-day shipping for orders placed before 3pm Eastern. Pricing is unit-based across per-yard fabric, per-roll bulk (e.g., 150-yard zipper rolls), and per-unit hardware, with fabric prices ranging from roughly $3 to $130+ per yard and hardware from under $1 to over $500. Customers are segmented across Residential Consumers, Marine/Boat Owners, Commercial/Contract specifiers, and Professional Upholsterers, with no named enterprise anchors or subscription contracts disclosed in source data. The company carries multiple third-party certifications (Cal 117-2013, NFPA 260, UFAC Class 1, Greenguard Gold, California AB-2998, Prop 65, ASTM E-84, BS 5852) to qualify for commercial and institutional procurement.

Revenue is generated exclusively through one-time product sales on standard retail/distribution terms; there is no subscription, SaaS, licensing, or recurring revenue model. The company is privately held, has no disclosed funding, parent, subsidiary, or acquisition activity, and operates without publicly disclosed headcount or revenue figures. Distribution is entirely direct from a single Michigan warehouse to US customers, with no third-party retail, marketplace, or international channel presence indicated.

Name

Great Lakes Fabrics

Legal name

Great Lakes Fabrics, Inc.

Website

https://glfi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Fabrics is a family-owned e-commerce distributor founded in 1978 that sells upholstery, marine, commercial, and outdoor fabrics plus supplies to consumers and professional upholsterers, with same-day shipping from Bay City, MI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Textile and Fabric Distribution

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (45913)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

General Fabric & Textile Stores (CRALADAA)

Keywords

• Upholstery fabric distribution
• Marine canvas supply
• Commercial vinyl fabrics
• Outdoor patio fabric
• Wholesale textile distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Bay City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Great Lakes Fabrics generates revenue through one-time product sales of fabrics, vinyl, marine canvas, upholstery supplies, and related accessories. Products are priced per yard, per unit, or per roll depending on the item. The company operates on a standard retail/distribution model where customers purchase products directly through their e-commerce platform or by phone. No subscription or recurring revenue model is indicated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Great Lakes Fabrics is a wholesale distributor of upholstery fabrics, marine canvas, commercial fabrics, vinyl products, and upholstery supplies. Family-owned since 1978 and based in Bay City, Michigan, the company stocks brand-name materials such as Sunbrella, Top Gun, Top Notch, Aqualon, Haartz, and Naugahyde, and ships qualifying orders same day when placed before 3pm Eastern. Its products are targeted at professional upholsterers, marine fabricators, commercial outfitters, and outdoor/patio specialists.

Product overview

Great Lakes Fabrics is a family-owned fabric and upholstery supplies e-commerce company in business since 1978. The company operates as a single unified online retail platform offering first quality upholstery fabric and supplies, organized into four main product categories: (1) Upholstery - including residential fabrics (Chenille, Velvet, Polyester, Cotton) and upholstery tools/supplies; (2) Marine - featuring marine canvas (Sunbrella, Top Gun, Top Notch, Aqualon), marine grade vinyl, and marine supplies (zippers, binding, mooring poles); (3) Commercial - heavy duty stain resistant fabrics and commercial grade vinyl for high-traffic applications; and (4) Outdoor Fabric - indoor/outdoor fabrics for patio and exterior applications. The company sells directly through its website at glfi.com with same-day shipping available for orders placed before 3pm Eastern.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Upholstery Fabric

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Seattle Fabrics: Seattle Fabrics is an online and retail fabric supplier specializing in outdoor, marine, and technical textiles including Sunbrella, Cordura, and insulation materials. Comparable to Great Lakes Fabrics' marine and outdoor fabric categories and similar DIY/contractor customer base.
• Sailrite: Sailrite is an online retailer specializing in marine canvas, sail hardware, outdoor fabrics, and upholstery supplies. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Great Lakes Fabrics, overlapping on Sunbrella marine canvas, upholstery fabric, tools, and supplies for DIY boaters and upholsterers.
• Canvas Etc. Canvas Etc. is an online retailer of canvas, marine, and industrial fabrics including Sunbrella products. Similar product specialization and e-commerce go-to-market as Great Lakes Fabrics.
• OnlineFabricStore: OnlineFabricStore sells upholstery, home décor, and outdoor fabrics by the yard to consumers and small businesses via e-commerce. It mirrors Great Lakes Fabrics' core residential and DIY upholstery offering with similar per-yard pricing and broad material selection.
• Rockywoods Fabrics: Rockywoods sells outdoor, marine, and technical fabrics online, with strong overlap on Sunbrella, marine canvas, and Cordura. Closely comparable to Great Lakes Fabrics in product mix and e-commerce distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Sunbrella (Glen Raven): Sunbrella is the leading manufacturer of solution-dyed acrylic outdoor and marine fabrics and a key supplier brand carried by Great Lakes Fabrics. As a brand-direct channel and the upstream producer, it is the most material incumbent shaping the category Great Lakes competes in.
• West Marine: West Marine is a national retailer of boating supplies, parts, and accessories with stores and a strong e-commerce channel. It overlaps with Great Lakes Fabrics' marine customer base on boat covers, hardware, and accessories, though it is broader and not fabric-specialized.
• Joann: Joann is a national big-box retailer of fabrics, sewing supplies, and craft materials with both online and physical stores. While broader in scope, its upholstery and home décor fabric assortment directly overlaps with Great Lakes Fabrics' residential customer use cases.
• Hobby Lobby: Hobby Lobby operates large-format craft and home décor stores carrying fabric and sewing notions. Comparable to Great Lakes Fabrics on the residential DIY fabric side, though it does not specialize in marine or commercial-grade products.

Emerging players

• MarineVinyl: MarineVinyl is an online specialist in marine-grade vinyl for boat upholstery and exterior marine applications. Direct overlap with Great Lakes Fabrics' marine grade vinyl product line and similar e-commerce direct-to-customer model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FabricsGreat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/great-lakes-fabrics

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Great Lakes Fabrics