[Update] Joann Fabrics shutting down

[bcla]

I'm not sure exactly who is their competitor these days. Possibly Michaels and Hobby Lobby in crafts, but I can't think of any major national retailers for sewing and fabrics.

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/joann-fabric-store-closings/​

Fabric and crafts retailer Joann announced Wednesday it will be closing about 500 stores nationwide, almost a year after filing for bankruptcy.​

​

The Hudson, Ohio-based company, which operates more than 800 stores, declared bankruptcy in March 2024 while reporting between $1 billion and $10 billion in debt. In court documents, the retailer blamed higher costs from shipping overseas products, as well as waning consumer demand.​

I'm not really that big into sewing, but I have bought stuff there because it was convenient (there's a really close store) and they often had 40-50% coupons off single items that weren't already on sale. But I think I've bought replacement buttons, glue, and a few arts/crafts supplies for the kiddo. Once I suggested them to my dad because they had blank long-sleeve T-shirts where they needed a generic "uniform" for an event.

 

[fla4fun]

It’s really getting difficult for people who sew to purchase fabric in person. I don’t like to purchase fabric online because you can’t really tell what you are getting a lot of the time. I need to know how heavy a fabric is, does it have any give or stretch, what does it feel like against my skin, etc., plus so many places sell it in precut or yard only increments when my pattern may call for a quarter yard or a half yard. I also miss going through the remnant bins and finding treasures. I have done a lot of shopping at Joann over the years and it makes me sad to see them closing.

 

[jdb in AZ]

The biggest competitor is the Internet, specifically Amazon and Ebay. It's just more convenient to shop in my jammies and have a whole variety of crafty items delivered to my door.

The quality of Joann's fabric has gone downhill over the past several years. I can find a better selection of fabric online, again on Ebay

 

[Disneefun]

We still have one walmart with a fabric section and it still sells it off the bolts and has patterns, too. They were going to get rid of it, but a local group of moms threw a fit and asked (rightly so) where they were supposed to get materials for school projects, home ec, booster crafts, school plays costumes, etc, etc. They won, and it stays. At least for now... But we live in an area without any other options. No hobby lobby, michaels, etc. Just walmart.

 

[CGB]

I saw this news today as well. It's sad to see and I'm hoping my local store survives. It seems crazy because 2-3 years ago it was always super crowded thanks to the pandemic and the Pinterest effect.

 

[RedAngie]

I remember when all the department stores and places like Woolworth’s and Kresge had fabric and sewing sections. Those were phased out in the 1980s or so.

The local Walmart Supercenter sells fabric, but I’m not sure if there even is a Joann nearby.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Joann’s was great for making costumes, party decorations and probably quilting to a certain extent but once upon a time, I had all of the Garment District available to me and what a game changer that was! As well, my Mom owned a fabric store concentrating on home decor and special occasion fabrics so she could co-exist nicely with the Joann’s down the street from her.

However, sometimes in the late ‘80s, less Americans sewed and slowly but surely the business shrank. The result is even the Joann’s of the marketplace can’t exist.

I buy everyday fabrics, like cotton jersey from online places based in FL which being closer to the Caribbean and South American markets still thrive. Home decor fabrics can be purchased online from the mills of Europe. Same for woolens and certain special occasion textiles.

So Joann is closing and another avenue to the past closes. Nowadays, I doubt the average American can even thread a hand needle and by their way of thinking why should they? There’s lots of less expensive clothing stores out there and when the poorly constructed items fall apart it’s easier to just buy a something new and the cycle continues.

 

[bcla]

When I was a kid, my mom took me with her to buy sewing supplies, fabrics, and patterns. What I remember were regional retailers, including one called "Home Yardage" as well as another one called "Yardage Fair". I even remember one large store where it was Home Yardage, but after it closed down Yardage Fair took over the building where they moved from an outdoor shopping mall. I looked around for any mentions of them.

https://jweekly.com/2019/07/25/deaths-for-the-week-of-july-26-2019/​

He moved to California, where he met, fell in love with and married Stephanie Freedman. They had two children, Sari and Harry. Years later after divorce, he shared a relationship with Carol Weitz. A dedicated entrepreneur, he and a partner built a successful fabric business called Home Yardage and he later struck out on his own with Yardage Fair. The first Home Yardage store on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco was a popular shopping destination at a time when families of all economic levels still made their own clothes. He dressed both socialites and working families, and took part in one of the first trips of American businessmen to travel to China after the Cultural Revolution.​

​

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-04-11-fi-11941-story.html​

House of Fabrics, which operates 760 stores in 47 states, also said it completed the purchase of Yardage Fair Inc. of San Pablo, Calif., which operates 12 retail fabric stores in the San Francisco Bay area, for an undisclosed amount of cash and notes.​

That article mentioned House of Fabrics, which was apparently acquired by Fabri-Centers of America, before being renamed Joann Fabrics. But I remember a local chain called (ironically enough) New York Fabrics. I guess they had a commercial with a jingle. This is the only one I could find, but their regular commercials were women doing the singing and girls taps dancing. I had no idea how big they were, but my research is that they were a small chain that ended up bought out by Joann or Fabri-Centers (not quite sure of the history).

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/eric-berger-93-owner-of-new-york-fabrics-2658151.php​

After the war, he married Sylvia Zimmerman and wanted to open a men's clothing store in Oakland, where he was unable to find an empty storefront. So the couple bought a downtown fabric store named New York Fabric and planned to make it a clothing shop. Steven Berger said his parents later found that the building's owner would not allow them to change how the space was used, so his father ended up in the fabric business.​

 

[bcla]

So Joann is closing and another avenue to the past closes. Nowadays, I doubt the average American can even thread a hand needle and by their way of thinking why should they? There’s lots of less expensive clothing stores out there and when the poorly constructed items fall apart it’s easier to just buy a something new and the cycle continues.

There are still some independent fabric and sewing stores. This place was almost gone when the landlord tried to evict it, but somehow it's still there. The location is right in Union Square, San Francisco near several high end retailers.

https://britexfabrics.com

But if you need to fix a button or do some emergency sewing, it might still be possible to get a cheap sewing repair kit at a dollar store. Won't be the same quality as most American or German thread, but it's not so bad if all you need is to repair a button.

 

[NYCgrrl]

This place was almost gone when the landlord tried to evict it, but somehow it's still there. The location is right in Union Square, San Francisco near several high end retailers.

https://britexfabrics.com

The name is very familiar. I think at one time they dabbled in wholesaling and jobbing . Have you looked at the prices of many of their goods now?
Woof.

 

[barkley]

I remember the stores mentioned above that had fabric departments. the last non dedicated crafty type store I was in that had a full service dedicated fabric department was our local Ben Franklin. a full 25% of a 22,000 square foot store dedicated to all things fabric and staffed by employees who knew their stuff (staffed by some who had been there all 31 years it was open). closed in 2010 and people still miss it terribly.

 

[mylilnikita]

That’s sad. Nothing against the other places, but the Joann’s near me has been in the same spot forever.

 

[barkley]

I did'nt realize we had 3 locations near us until the evening news announced 2 of them would be closing down (I knew there were allot of sewers in the region but dang for 3 to have had enough business to stay open this long is pretty impressive).

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Three of the ones within driving distance for me are closing. I just bought a bunch of 'fancy' and cosplay fabric for a doll I'm making. Joann's was the only place that carried these kinds of fabrics where I could touch it and see if it was what I wanted. Michael's has started carrying fabric, but it's mostly cotton and blanket fabric. I won't go to Hobby Lobby so I have no idea what they carry.

I guess when I need specialty fabric in the future I'm going to have to go back to Fabric Row in Philly, although it's not that easy for me to get there.

 

[CGB]

I just searched again and found the full list of closures. I'm feeling grateful tonight that my local store survived the cut (but wow that's a long list of stores!) I may have to go by there in the next couple of days and buy some celebratory yardage.

 

[tvguy]

We have four in our county and all four are closing. Including one that recently moved into a big new building, in the same shopping center their own locations was.

 

[BayouQueen]

Oh man. I saw this and found the list. Ours is closing. We go there a lot for projects.

 

[DodgerGirl]

My mom and I used to go to craft stores to buy Christmas decorations every December and we actually had a House Of Fabrics store in a shopping center and when Dad would get a haircut Dad would drop me and Mom at House Of Fabrics and we would look around at the amazing crafts to make. And that House Of Fabrics converted itself to Joann Fabrics and it was still a cool store until it closed and DD's Discounts is currently in the old Joann's building. Our Joann Fabrics store moved where Walmart is and although my mother and I haven't gone to it yet we used to enjoy shopping there. I personally think craft stores are dying because as previous posters have mentioned anyone can get sewing kits and crafts online. And with Hobby Lobby and Michael's being the top craft stores in the entire world I think Joann Fabrics was scared of being in competition with Hobby Lobby and Michael's

 

[FreeTime]

^^ Joann isn’t closing because they are scared of the competition. It is all about profitability.

 

[FreeTime]

@BlueStarryHat I am assuming I understand why you don’t shop at HL. No issues with that. I am curious how much their viewpoints do impact their business. Any idea? I haven’t seen any big article about this in several years and I am wondering if people have forgotten. Kinda like CFL. But for them, people said I’ll forgo my values as I like the product, whereas others have now forgotten. Which I really don’t get. If I have time later I will see if I can find any recent ones on HL.