Thursday, May 22, 2008

For 10 years, Roxene Hill has sold high-end fabrics and trim for a fraction of the retail price at Haute, her no-frills, 4,000-square-foot shop in Middleburg.

Those deep discounts draw designers and savvy shoppers seeking deals on Scalamandre, Brunschwig & Fils, Robert Allen, Stroheim & Romann, Vervain, Lee Jofa, Ralph Lauren and other top-name textiles designers. Tapping sources from fabric mills to furniture manufacturers, Hill buys low and sells reasonably, $20 or $25 a yard for goods originally $100 to $300 a yard.

Fabrics include velvet, silk, faux suede, microfiber, chenille, linen, faille, cotton and wool. They come in florals, tweeds, toiles, stripes, dots, solids and geometrics. Leather, including zebra-print cowhides, are $100 to $125. For decorative touches, cotton rope runs $3 a yard, while beaded, feathered, tasseled and fringed trim is $12 to $32 a yard.

"We try to get the best and most beautiful fabric, so you feel you are going into a design center," Hill says.

Once a year, she marks it all down. Today through Sunday, fabrics in the outdoor tent are $10 and $12 a yard. Indoors, fabric is 20 percent off and trim is reduced 25 percent.

For more information, call 540-687-4646.

Annie Groer