WMUTeach

I will miss JoAnn's if they indeed close. My store is clean, well stocked and I see employees that have been there for years. Not all stores are the same. Staff changes in some store and so does the quality of the products they sell. Perhaps they will go to an online only company. I would still purchase from them. I get my batting by the roll, spray baste and home decor items at JoAnn's. I used to get muslin by the bolt, but the best quality is no longer available.

JoAnn's is not limited to fabric and sewing but sells crafting materials for everything from candle making to jewelry making to knitting and painting. A loss of this store would be a loss for many craft folks. They are usually at a price point that most folks can afford. I find Hobby Lobby fabric to be of a lesser quality and items like batting are only in smaller cuts in the shop near me. That may be convenient for them but not for me. They get my business for other things, not fabric.

ekuw

In my suburban area there a couple of stores. One is brand new in fact. Very nice, thought when I went the other day (I really don't go often anymore because I hate their coupon system) many people in line and only one cashier. Pretty typical. The other location is a wreck. My daughter went the week after Christmas and says it looked like the store had been looted. Like a bomb went off! While I don't shop their often, it would be sad to see it close.

SusieQOH

What is it with JA fabrics and their nasty employees? Ours is close by and I haven't gone in for years. Very unorganized, rude employees, etc. About 5 years ago they did a complete remodel and it's just as unorganized as ever. Besides all this I don't like their fabrics.

WMUTeach

This news made me curious and I went searching and found that JoAnn's NOT closing stores as a whole.

I found this at https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...s/77548740007/ with a date of January 5, 2025.

"Which Joann locations are closing?

At least eight stores across Iowa, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts are closing, according to Retail Dive, local news reports and confirmation provided to USA TODAY. The retailer did not provide further details on other future plans.

• Maryland: 10377 Reisterstown Rd, Owings Mills
• Massachusetts: 2267 Northampton St., Holyoke
• New York: 2309 N Triphammer Rd, Ithaca
• North Carolina: 2102 US Hwy 70 SE, Hickory
• Iowa: 3200 Agency Street, Ste 110, Burlington
• Pennsylvania: 2481 E State St, Hermitage and 1746 E 3rd St, Williamsport."

Guess we all need to double check sources. If I am incorrect, please post your source of information so we all can be informed.

zennia

This is sad if true. My Joanns just went from bare walls to a well-stocked store over several months. They have some pretty new fabric lines too. I have a good store, I hope it stays.

sewbizgirl

The report I read also said only 6 stores would be closing. They seem to be closing only these few, unprofitable stores.

Anniedeb

I hope they can re organize, or get an offer of purchase. There are 3 Joann's within fairly equal distance for me, and one of them just remodeled and re-opened before Christmas. That store is awesome. Brightly lit, fabric galore, and friendly employees. I'd hate to see that one close. I need to make a trip over there, but so many other things are keeping me going in different directions, seemingly all at the same time!

dunster

Read the article that MKC provided. It explains what is currently happening.

I shopped a lot in JAF when I first started quilting, and I learned right away that some of their fabrics were good quality, but many were not. I also learned to only shop there when there was a good sale and I had good coupons. It was my go-to place for quilting tools. Now I buy most of my quilting supplies, including fabric, online, and seldom from JAF. Since I moved back to CA almost 10 years ago, I've only been in JAF a handful of times. My local store is clean, and the people there seem friendly, but I find it hard to find what I want, and I don't want to mess around with their coupons.

I've been in some JAF stores that were messy and disorganized and some that were clean and orderly, some where the staff was rude (or nowhere to be found when needed) and some where the staff was friendly and helpful. I think it all depends on the local managers, but it's the company's fault if they keep bad managers. I think their pricing system, using those ridiculous coupons, hurts them in the long run. If they go out of business I won't personally miss them. But I'm glad they were around when I started quilting, and I realize that JAF is the closest, or only option for many.

KalamaQuilts

I was in ours yesterday and it was a bit disheveled, but many stores are like that after the holidays. all batting was 40% off and all the holiday fabrics were cut price. As a scrappy quilter I don't buy fabric hardly ever anymore, but the items I went in for were all in stock.
Staffing varies, always but it's been years since I've seen a long line at cutting or check out. And I always make a point to be the friendly one at check outs everywhere, it is a hard job. I keep some of my have a hug hearts in my purse and gave one to the clerk at Target yesterday and she cried. It doesn't take much to be the nice one.

Our Michales just has little bits of crafting fabric and Ill never set foot in Hobby Lobby. I hope JoAnns pulls out of it.

Quossum

I read the Joann’s subreddit and the kind of issues Deb and others have noted are not the poor employees’ fault, for the most part. The stores are in terrible financial trouble, and the corporate overlords have decreed extreme cost-cutting methods, which of course include severely understaffing the stores.

The majority of the employees are trying their best, but they can only do so much. Even the managers are pretty helpless. No doubt the business is going to go under, so yeah, go take advantage of the going-out-of-business sales, but be prepared with patience!

If you want to get some insights into what’s going on, check out that subreddit; it has a lot of frustrated employees writing in about their experiences lately.