For more than 20 years, millions have been able to step inside Mood Fabrics just by turning on their TV thanks to its presence on the reality fashion competition "Project Runway," which premiered on Bravo TV. Now, Chicago fabric lovers will get the chance to experience what the company calls the “ world’s most famous fabric store.” Mood plans to open a Loop showroom at 109 S. State St., sharing the block with the Palmer House. It's their first Midwest location.Elana Cohen, Mood Fabrics’ director of retail operations and experience, said the showroom will have a soft opening in mid-August, with a grand opening planned for September.The nearly 2,000-square-foot showroom will have more than 10,000 fabric swatches and thousands of accessories such as pattern paper, sewing supplies and zippers.But “Project Runway” fans won't get to dig through bolts of textiles. Instead, fabric samples will have a QR code attached so customers can scan and order directly from Mood's website. Shipping is typically three to seven business days, and there is a store pickup option. “We see that the modern creator [doesn’t] necessarily want to walk through a warehouse with 15,000 square feet,” Cohen said. “It can be overwhelming for people, as well as having to lug all of that fabric home. Sometimes if you're working on a big project or multiple pieces, it's not always convenient.”Shopping online for fabric can “notoriously be hard,” she said. “You can't feel or drape the fabric. You can't test the stretch [and] can't accurately gauge the colors of the fabrics. So the showroom is really like a tactile playground.” Inside the Mood Fabrics Atlanta showroom, which opened in April.Provided by Mood Fabrics Mood opened its first showroom in Atlanta, a 1,400-square-foot space that offers paid classes and community events since opening in April.The company wanted to bring Mood to “underserved areas,” especially after fabric and craft retailer Joann shuttered in 2025.Cohen said its showroom locations have been chosen with nearby colleges and schools in mind. The Chicago site is near the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College, making it an opportunity for collaboration, she said.The pandemic also prompted the company to pilot new concepts.“There was this feeling that brick-and-mortar were done with, and everybody was shopping online,” Cohen said. “But fabric especially is one of those things where you really need to have a tactile experience with it. … People also just really wanted to get back out there, and that's why it's important for us for it to be a community space as well and to be a place for people to connect with other creatives. I think that that's really what, culturally, people are seeking right now.”The Atlanta showroom hosts free meetups, where people can bring their own machines or use one at Mood to work on their projects. There are also workshops including making tote bags and instructional demonstrations, like introduction to patternmaking for $5.45 and business of fashion workshops for $10. Mood plans to offer similar events and workshops in Chicago.The showroom concept is a move away from what Mood has largely been known for.“There are different types of customers. There are some who like the dig and the exploration, and it’s fun,” Cohen said. “And then there is a type of customer who's maybe more novice, and so it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. We've heard feedback, but definitely going into any one of the flagships is, I think, an amazing experience.” The Atlanta showroom of Mood FabricsProvided by Mood Fabrics Mood was founded in 1991 by Jack Sauma, who later passed the business over to sons Philip and Eric. The company has stores in New York, Miami, Houston and Los Angeles, as well as its Atlanta showroom.Originally operating as a fabric wholesaler, Jack Sauma pivoted to retail. By 2001, he expanded to its 40,000-square-foot warehouse in New York's Garment District. Soon after, Sauma was asked if the pilot of a new reality TV show, Project Runway, could be filmed at the store. The series quickly became an Emmy-nominated hit and one of Bravo TV’s most successful series at the time. Many scenes were filmed in the crowded store, where more than 90,000 fabrics were piled on top of each other, and desperate contestants searched for fabrics to make clothing for an episode’s challenge that was then presented on the runway. Former Project Runway judge Tim Gunn’s catchphrases like, “Make it work!” and “Thank you, Mood!” — the latter of which Mood turned into merchandise — seeped into popular culture and helped cement Project Runway, and Mood, as a hit. The show is now on the Walt Disney Co.-owned network Freeform.After the show premiered in 2004, Mood became a destination with “global recognition,” Cohen said. “They've been partnered with Project Runway since the beginning,” she said. “They say there's been only two constants on Project Runway since the beginning. It's [judge] Nina Garcia and Mood.”The company wants to open more locations, including showrooms. Cohen said the showrooms will help Mood test markets and determine if a flagship store can be added.“This is more like how can we get as many people access to fabric as possible and as quickly as possible. So the showroom model rolls out very fast,” she said. “Everything is neat and orderly, and it's more like a library of fabrics, and it's definitely still a creator space.” Related Chicago designer Utica aims to bridge drag and high fashion as first ‘Drag Race’ alum on ‘Project Runway’ ...read more read less