READ MORE: UK restaurant chain bids farewell in emotional goodbyeThat has been the aim throughout at Freelance Fabrics, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary in Kidlington shopping centre, off High Street. A recent article in a trade magazine gave them a glowing tribute: “Under them, it has maintained its reputation for good-value curtain and upholstery fabrics while expanding its quilting cottons, dressmaking fabrics, wool, sewing machines and overlockers. He admits he knew “absolutely nothing” about the fabrics trade when he and his wife moved into it. He tells me: “We took over the shop just as Covid was ending, not knowing what was going to happen. “We have increased stock levels considerably, taken on sewing machine contracts and increased the range of fabrics and haberdashery.