Hi- I heard from one of my LQS around the end of 2011 that Wal-Mart had bought JoAnn's. I've not said anything because I didn't want to start any rumors. My local WM's fabric dept. never left and has doubled in size over the past few months with many of the same fabrics as JA's, with some of the those fabrics being the same high price as JA's...........go figure. Your guess is as good as mine.