Goodbye, Joann

I’m sure you’ve all heard that Joann is closing all of their stores. I wanted to take a minute to talk about it, because it’s a big deal for the craft world and for our area here in Northeast Ohio.

Let me get a few things out of the way- I still call it Joann Fabrics and I will probably refer to it that way in this post, but yes, I know they changed to Joann a few years ago. And just to be transparent I have never done any work for them. I am very clear about who I have worked with over the years and I have never done any sponsored work with them, so I will be freely sharing my thoughts and you know it won’t be influenced by a working relationship.

I have shopped at Joann’s for over 15 years now, even before I started the blog. When I was pregnant with my older son and I wanted to make him some things and I made a quilt for my sister, that’s where I got my first sewing supplies and fabric.

I have continued to buy a good amount of supplies from them over the years. Honestly, they do not have a ton of great, high quality fabric brands. They have some, but some of the fabric isn’t great quality. The prices are such that you have to play the coupon/sale game, but I got pretty good at that over the years. BUT I did shop there a decent amount of time because there is something to being able to shop in person that I like. You can’t replicate the ability to touch and feel a fabric and even just look at it in person. You can’t carry your fabric over to the threads and find just the right match when you’re shopping online. That’s harder.

I do buy some of my fabrics and other supplies online because I know which brands I like and trust but I do miss that tactile experience. We don’t have a ton of local craft supply places that carry fabric near me so while I will be checking those out more I will have to shop online even more.

And honestly to me, the saddest part of this whole thing is the impact on the Joann’s employees. I feel for the ladies who work in my local store who I have chatted with for years and I also feel for the employees at the Joann headquarters that it also not too far from my house. It is a hard thing to lose your job and have to start over.

I made probably my last shopping trip yesterday to Joann’s. There’s not a ton of fabric left that I’m interested in and the sales aren’t very good yet. I have a lot going on right now and I am not sure I will have time to go back again before they close in about a month or so. I might try again, but if not I walked through the store and said my goodbyes just in case.

When I told my oldest about Joann closing he said that it was a part of his childhood ending. He’s 14 and the blog turned 11 this year so he remembers many a trip to Joann’s when he was little and I would push him in the cart down the fabric aisles looking at everything. In a way, Joann’s is a big part of my childhood as a beginning blogger and crafter and I’m sad to see that end as well.