topstitch

It is not uncommon for a specialty store to "rent space" in a big box store or even a department store. My DH was in retail for lots of years and many of the book, fabric and furniture departments were, sort of, sublet to specialty companies. JoAnn's will pay for the space and provide the product but Walmart will set the guidelines. That may be why Walmart, and others, let fabrics go, they didn't make the same amount of profit in these sublet depts. However, what they failed to realize is that fabric and crafts have a tremendous customer draw.
I keep remembering how many LQS closed when fabrics went into Walmart and how desperate we quilters became when several years later, Walmart closed that department. In my area it left us in a bind and they did not care one bit. It is all about the bottom line with them. We did everything but chain ourselves to the cutting table at my local Walmart in an attempt to get them to keep fabrics and no one even listened. I do hope we don't give them the chance to do that again. I know I will shop some in the fabric dept. we have been promised in our Walmart, but I also will keep shopping at my LQS.