Update on Joann Fabrics Bankruptcy (What It Means To You) 

How do you feel about this news?

They need to sell quality fabrics, really good products and offer real sewing education!

The downward spiral of Joann’s over the past 10-12 years has led to this. I frequent locally owned fabric shops and happily pay more for high quality fabric. If Joann’s started getting decent quality fabric again, ditched the crappy home decor, 75% of the fleece inventory, and increased staffing to appropriate levels they might pull through

Yup, JoAnn's makes the bulk of their money on fabric. Sooooo they need to improve their offerings. Cheap quality and overpriced fabrics aren't going to cut it. I remember when their quilt fabric wall was filled with beautiful merchandise, their apparel fabrics were solid with good assortments. They had lovely interior dec fabrics and a good selection of the basics. At my local stores the selection and quality of the fabrics went into the toilet well before covid and they effed up their sales/coupon promotions as well. Add on poor customer service and long lines at the checkout and cutting table. I've heard excuses from that company for the last 10 years, everything from 'women don't sew anymore' to 'we can't compete, fabric sales went online' to 'we can't get help'. Nonsense. JoAnn's needs to up their game and listen to their customers for a change. We know what we want to buy.

Joanne’s need to clean up there stores. Always so messy. Prices way too high for not the best quality of fabric. Never enough help either. No wonder they’re in trouble. Listen to your customers.

I'm surprised my local Joann's is still open. I know the lack of buttons is not their fault - but I go there and just leave disappointed - I don't really care about candles and throw pillows. I want to make stuff, not buy stuff already made, if that makes sense.

I am a long time sewer and have been continually disappointed by the closing of the good fabric stores in my area. Joannes has always been a last resort for fabric. I only come when they are having a sale on notions or patterns. Their stores have always been a disappointment, few employees, ridiculous prices, poor quality fabric, long lines and long waits. I see why people stopped patronizing the stores but it’s still too bad that Joanne’s may go away completely.

Patterns have always been "loss leaders", but pattern sales bring in customers and if they don't have patterns, they won't be sewing. In my area JoAnne's is a hot mess. the crafts sections is always a jumble and half the shelves empty. There are never enough sales people and the ones they have for the most part don't know about sewing. I never see a soul in the framing department so they could cut that out altogether because there is a lot of competition in that respect. I think they are trying to sell too many things and should promote sewing with classes etc and keeping things more inviting.

Hopefully they’ll recover and become healthy and viable.

I worked for So-Fro /House of Fabrics in the 1990s when they went under. Same thing. Head Shed isn't listening to employees on the floor and the customers. Like doctors, they're so sure that they know more than we do, that they don't bother to listen to the obvious. 🙄

OMG….fabric stores are literally nonexistent where I live..except for JoAnnFabrics. I’d loose my mind if that store were to close. Seriously. I’d break down and cry like a baby. I LOVE JoAnn Fabrics…….over the last couple decades I think home sewing has withered and faded as did all the lovely fabric stores that used to be around …..whereas today, JoAnn is the last (woman) standing, as it were. Please stay strong JoAnn….we need you!!

The problems with the stores wasn’t because of slow downs due to mask making slowing up! The problems were the management cut back staffing hours, so: 1) trucks bringing in merchandise got unloaded, but the boxes were either unopened in the stock room or out on the floor, 2) stockers and other personnel who replenished various sections had to stop whatever they were doing to assist either in cashiering or at cutting counter, so stock stayed in boxes or the back stock room, 3) sales and coupons on fabrics, fleece and yarn continued, though the stock may still have been in boxes and not on the sales floor. I worked two years at my local store, and loved the ladies who came in for fabrics and yarn. With all the cutbacks on hours, there was just more to do than the time allowed.

Now we need to patronize them, if we do not want to loose Joann stores. Thank you Byrd for the update.

Thank you Byrd! Yes, for those of us who sew we appreciate the info!

I LOVE MY JOANNS I COULDN'T IMAGINE WHAT I WOULD DO IF IT DIDN'T EXIST.

I took a part time job at JoAnn’s after I retired. It was my dream job that became a nightmare. Having experience in management I can say the manager was incompetent. He did not know the product lines. He could not cut fabric. His appearance did not meet dress code guidelines. The store was dirty. Spools of thread fell to the floor, sat in dirt and were eventually returned to the displays. The button aisle was a nightmare. JoAnn’s got greedy expanding into home decor, linens, seasonal decor, baking and cake decorating, and multiple crafts. Advertised picture framing except not adequately staffed with knowledgeable people. Staffing patters especially at check out inadequate. This store may as well close. Working there was just rearranging the chairs on the Titanic!

My daughter & I love Joann's & hope they stay open & get more fabrics in.

Thanks for your update Byrd. Much appreciated 😊

Joanns was circling the drain for years, but I recently went in to check it out and was so happy to see how much they stepped up their game. I'm talking about the paper crafting stuff. The store was clean.

I hope Joann's stays open. Its my favorite fabric store. Just bought some really beautiful fabric there a couple weeks ago.

Great news! Thanks Byrd!

Thanks Byrd for the update!😊

Thank you for the updates! I really hope my store stays open!

Thank you for the update. I love my Joann's store.

Thank you so much for keeping me informed!

Thank you for the update - I love how you make it plain

Ooooh, I like that fabric with the roses about 15 seconds from the end. Thanks for the update!!

I asked my local Joann’s if they were going to close, and they absolutely said NO! I go there for fabrics, notions, etc. not for patterns as I’m a quilter, not a seamstress!

Thanks for the update!

I really hope that Joann Fabric stays open. It is a great place to pick up fabric supplies. A fun source of inspiration for a lot of projects!

Thank you so much for this info!

When I grew up in KC MO we had 5 fabric stores & TG& Y to buy fabric. Now there's so many more people here but only Joann's & Hobby Lobby (I rarely shop Hobby Lobby due to their attitudes about women). One store taught a multitude of classes-tailoring, how to sew knits etc. I wish we had a sewing store that would teach fitting patterns. So many people give up sewing garmets because they do not fit properly. Typically, headquarters (comprised of mostly guys) refuse to listen to their customers and workers (mostly women). Michael's doesn't appear to fare well either. The shelves have a lot of empty spaces, the bathroom never has soap, & the prices have gone up.

My local store is looking sad and I didn’t recognize any of the very few employees I saw. I asked if they were still receiving shipments and heard that there’s lots in the back stacked up but not enough help to set it out. I bet they lost their good employees and managers in light to the poor prospects.

Thanks for the update

I used to love Jo Ann's, but they have stopped carrying a lot of yarn. They used to have a really good selection of yarn. Now, there is hardly any. I'm glad things seem to be getting better, but they would be better still if they didn't overlook the yarn community. God bless you, and thanks for the update. Jan

In San Diego, one of the Joan stores is a block from a continuing education program that offers Sewing, patternmaking, drafting classes. They need to upgrade their fabrics

I think they should make deals with crafting influencers online to get young people into crafting.

Contrary to some commenters who just can't be pleased, I am very happy Joann Fabrics is staying. They are the only fabric store in my area. I also do a lot of buying of other stuff. Thank you for keeping the updates coming. HAPPY CAMPER HERE, LOL!

Thanks for sharing I always wondered what inside looked like. I'm from Australia and it looks very similar to our spotlight stores!

I do love my local Joann’s store, bc I am a Viking sewing machine owner, Viking has their center inside Joann’s. But the employees at my store are not pleasant, in fact two are downright rude. I’m polite to them and smile as I collect my cut fabric and head over to checkout and will continue to be. I hope they are able to stay open. But luckily I have two Hobby Lobby’s and 2 quilt shops a short driving distance, if they don’t.

I shopped Joanne Fabrics while in Fashion Trade School in Miami in the 70’s . They were a good source for upbeat fabrics ! I worked for them in the 90’s. They diversified into crafts and started their Superstores . To both gain a broader customer base and to generate more revenue. I think perhaps bringing in the crafts contributed to their over extending themselves, although crafting is fun . It’s also convenient for the customer to have one stop shopping. It’s a regional thing , I understand. However I now find that when I shop at Joanne’s , the service is poor . I sometimes end up helping customers as a result, simply because I enjoy doing this .

Love your videos so much

JoAnn's is the only major fabric store near me. I don't quilt, but I do make costumes, pajamas, and some basic casual clothes. So I want that kind of material. For me, JoAnn's started a downward turn years & years ago when they decided to stock over half of their stores with cheaper crafting merchandise. I don't go there to buy baking goods, patio furniture or artificial flowers. That said, my store is nice, neat, tidy and fairly well stocked. Save for one wall which used to house the cheaper printed cottons. - that one is empty.

I used to live near a Joann’s store where I would buy remnants, thread and notions, for quilting. Sometimes their coupons worked out, but the overly complicated system is annoying. After moving, I ordered two rolls of batting online and one was the entirely wrong product. Returning it was a hassle. The experience turned me off of ever ordering from them online again.

My local Joanns is crap!! The selection is poor with an abundance of winter fabrics and a minimal offering of Spring fabs. The quality is very poor and the prices are high! I havent seen pattern sales in at least 8 months! I was there this past weekend and noticed there were NO Vogue pattern books. When I asked a clerk where were the books, she replied "Oh, I know we're still selling the patterns but I don't know what happened to the books". When Joanns first became super popular in Southern Cali, they put a lot of local fabric businesses out of business. Not many local stores left. As an alternative, I'll have to drive from Riverside to the downtown LA fabric district. Considering the alternative, I'll make that 70+ mile drive.

Thanks so much!

The Joann’s I shop at closed the first of the year. Really upset me. It was 5 minutes from my house. Now I Ave to drive 40 minutes. If I need any thing I I wait for free shipping and order online.

What drives me crazy is in my city we only have two Joann stores, and a couple of quilting stores. Unfortunately, the larger Joann’s store has taken out several rows of fabric and apparently they are not going to restock that fabric. I made a comment to one of the employees and she said that if enough people complain to the manager maybe they will do something. I have to drive at least 45 minutes to the bigger Joann stores. So frustrating. Walmart and Hobby Lobby do have a few choices, but not the greatest selections.

Just found out today that my local Joann's is going out of business. The ones in the big city are staying open. What this means for me is that i will have to drive 33 miles ONE WAY to shop there instead of the 2 miles I currently drive. Wjat this also means is that I will no longer shop at Joann's. Color me sad😢

My local store does have quality fabrics. By the way, the new patterns are in the drawers in the cabinets below the racks with the clearance sale patterns. I have found the same quality of fabrics sold at another store, but at higher pricing.

Their prices are too high! That makes us look elsewhere! Walmart has my business and I found an Amish warehouse that is packed full of beautiful fabric and much cheaper. Amazon is good too

I didn't even know about this until now!

They need to bring back the free sample swatches. My clients aren’t interested in investing in high quantity fabric without a tactile sample. And they hire me to save them from having to make the trip.

The store near me has a lot of square footage (high rent), but so much of the products offered are home decor, toys, hand lotions, and school supplies. The actual shelf space for crafts, notions, yarn, and fabric could fit in a store half it's size. Besides,most of the inventory can be purchased elsewhere for a better price.

The JoAnn fabrics in my area went out of business last month. The last visit I made the day before it closed, everything was 90% off. I spent $23 and on the receipt it said I saved about $239 but I will miss it. There is another fabric store in town but it's not easy to find a parking spot.

I've always thought that if they wanted to grow their customer base they should clear out all the crafting crap and host sewing and tailoring classes. Schools don't teach sewing anymore and plenty of women, young and old, want to make their own clothes.

My local JoAnn’s Fabric closed in 2020. I have to drive a few hours or order on line.

My local Joanns seems to cater more to quilters then those that are sewing clothes. Hopefully this will change.

As a vintage lady who used to sew, I recall the Good Old Days (can't believe I said that!) when there were many fabric stores. I'm just not sure how many people actually want to sew any more---women are working full-time jobs b/c households need 2 incomes & there is all kinds of inexpensive clothing made in China, Philippines, Pakistan India, some of it pretty good. Many people think they want to learn how to sew, thinking they can save money on clothing, but by the time you've bought a sewing machine, the fabric & notions, I don't really think you'll save much money. And sewing clothing is hard---it takes a lot of experience to make something look good, there is envisioning the finished product, finding the right fabric, choosing an appropriate pattern, fitting---it takes a lot of time AND some level of talent. I'm VERY lacking in the talent & I've given up on it long ago. It's just so frustrating wen you put hours of work into something & finally try it on and it doesn't look good for one reason or another. Well, I hope Joann can stick around b/c I do like to buy trims & ribbon & sometimes even I need fabric for curtains or something easy!

This company needs to have staff working in theur stores. I went to a Joann store the other day. There were 2 people working. One at the cash register and the other ar the cutting counter. There were 5 people waiting to get fabric cut. I left without buying anything.

My local Joann Fabrics has trouble finding staff, as do most of the other local retail stores. As for the fabric, I've been a quilter for fifty years and have seen their fabric improve. I don't think it's bad, and use it quite often.

I love my local Joann's. They moved locations and built a giant yarn wall and have 3 more aisles of yarn. Kind of limited selection of crochet hooks/knitting needles, but I have my own. And there is ALWAYS a sale..

That's is a very bad news... I love that store! I hope my store in Mobile , AL survive I agree with to get over some stuff, but please keep the fabrics and accessories. Also knitting , crochet, and embroidery are popular. Classes are a great idea, schools do not teach these skills, ( I m retired high school teacher). If you offer a subscription for classes monthly and a calendar with differents activities, I bet you will have a lot of people participating... (sorry my spanglish😁)

This is troubling as Joann’s is the closest/best fabric store in my area. There’s a Hobby Lobby near me, but they are closed on Sundays and Joann’s is not. Michael’s added a fabric section, but it’s minimal at best. I hope this Chapter 11 plan helps get them back on the right path so they can be profitable again.

What about the yarn???

TY much ❤ 💜🙌🏼👏🏽

The stores around me are always a mess. Merchadise never gets put out on the floor. The stockroom is always full. And very short handed on employees. So sad

This is great news

The two JoAnn’s in Southern MS have closed. There are two or three still open in the Northern part of the state. We now resort to Hobby Lobby and Walmart😥

as a business person seeing them "give away" profit in constant coupons and such has always made me shake my head- while I like a good sale I have been wondering how they even stayed open in the first place- and since they choose to sell crap cotton fabrics for quilting most have gone to actual quilt stores for the good stuff even at full price so quilts will "last" and not fall apart

Our local store has mostly quilting fabric. I want other fabric. My main gripe is that they have almost no sewing supplies. The thread rack has been almost empty for months and the binding section is completely empty. I would like to be able to run to the store and purchase quality needles and such but the Dritz stuff is crap. No notions at our local store. Most of the store is home decorating stuff and it is higher priced than the same stuff at other stores and doesn’t seem to selling. They have been driving people to shop online. I would prefer to purchase locally but cannot find what I need.

At the cost of patterns today who would buy them!

I use a lot of yarn and know which brand and weight I want. I can never find enough of same dye lot in store so I’ve been buying on line. It has worked out fairly well. After the announcement of bankruptcy I was hesitant to risk buying on line. I discovered other online yarn sources that have proven to be better quality than Joann without stretching the budget. Everything I make is for charity so cost is a factor. Premier yarns are great, as are yarns sold by Mary Maxim.

Wouldn’t miss them for fabric but sewing supplies are a good deal with a discount code/coupn.

As soon as I heard about the bankruptcy I talked to both my local stores and they said they would stay in business. HOWEVER I have been to both of them recently and WAS SHOCKED. The shelves are empty and many of the products I use are just not available anymore. The ribbon they carry now is the cheapest they can get. A person DOES NOT want to put cheap ASS ribbon on a wedding dress. Also, what happened to the feathers ??? Only a few are left in the floral section. Over by the jewelry they had flowers to put on hats and headbands. Its gone. Maybe the top dogs need to listen to their customers and see what the customers want. Right now they are just putting stuff that has a high mark up on the shelves. This will lead to Joanne's being ANOTHER store that goes out of business. I don't buy that Covid put them out of business either. It is the pay that the top dogs are getting. PERIOD !!!

They should focus more on fabrics of all kinds and trims and all things for sewing needs, Do away with all the home decor all ready made items, florals and kids crafts, they can get those at Michaels, Hobby Lobby. Make Jo-Ann's a proper fabric store. And have classes for beginners and more advanced sewers.

My local Joann’s is always a complete mess and understaffed. I went in today for some notions and had to use the restroom. Dirty, no toilet paper in either stall, only a couple of folded paper towels and no toilet seat covers. The store was in disarray as it has been the last several years. Very unpleasant experience all around. I couldn’t get the coupons to load so cashier used my dashboard, no discount. I left the store and was able to download 50% off coupon. I returned to the store to refund and repurchase with the discount. Horrible experience.

I noticed that’s lot of things I got at Joanns. I guess explains it!

I miss Hancock Fabric!

Today more and more are shopping on line. That being so local stores are wary of holding large amounts of stock that may be left unsold leading to loss. Running a business is a money pit these days.

I recently spoke with an employee, Joann's has about a year left before they start closing.

I would like to patronize Joann, but they don't carry the quality of fabric that I buy.

I shop a lot at Joanns and like the store a lot. I do wish they had a better selection of better brand of fabric .also they need to keep up with updated sewing notions

I decided to work part-time at a Joann's. I have been sewing for over 50 years and I thought it would be fun. It was just horrible. They just put me on a register, which I was not familiar with, and they told me to push this button. No training. I asked for training, so I was shown a video on how to climb a ladder properly. Several of the registers acted up. ALL the price checking machines in the store were broken. The phone up front which we were supposed to be answering, was broken. The vacuum, which we were supposed to be cleaning with, was broken.. I was not allowed to leave my register, yet I was supposed to be running orders outside, getting carts, and cleaning the front end of the store. Many things were not marked or were marked incorrectly. I asked for a manual so I could learn the register myself. The manager told me there could not be manuals, as that would make it easier for someone to break into a register and steal from us. They had an anonymous phone number in the break room, so I called it and asked about training. She said there has to be 3 manuals upfront in every store. The assistant manager was using a cart as a walker, and holding onto it and rumbling around the store yelling at people and insulting them in front of customers. The walkies we wore were broken, too, a lot. I got yelled at for not answering the walkie, but it had stopped working at some point. Then we all got yelled at for not checking our walkies, except that I had at the beginning of my shift. I ended up in the bathroom crying one day. A lady in there asked me if I was okay, and she said her daughter-in-law had ended up in the bathroom crying as well, had gotten no training, and had quit. They talked me into direct deposit, but never once did my check go into my account. There were definitely too few employees. Once there were only 2 of us running the entire store! I finally had had enough and gave notice. On my second last night I had an issue on the register, and called for help. The manager refused to help me and made the customer stand there while I just tried to figure things out, while she made snide remarks to me. I was humiliated and angry. After I cleared the lines, I turned in my apron and walkie, clocked out, and left. I do not want to be treated that way. And you guessed it, my last check did not go into my account, I had to go and pick it up.

I rarely go there anymore cause their fabric is too costly. I go elsewhere or buy online where it's cheaper. Their buyers need to get on the same page w/ home sewers, our pay checks aren't that big as to be able to afford Joann's.....🤔🤔🤔 Nowdays, it's cheaper to buy clothes than to make them. The trims, I buy once in a while when they are marked down, otherwise, I don't buy.😐

The actual happenings... A large conglomerate bought Joanns out and rescued them during bankruptcy. They will remain open. The patterns were not at $2.99 at any time. The prior sales were at one time 10 for $10. Now as they have been.... They remain at $1.99. for sale times . Merchandise was with held from the stores as their debt increased. Most stores have not received stock merchandise since 2023... Making the stores look bare and unkept. I live in Ga and stores are only just receiving stock that had been ordered yet with held. Hopefully soon the stores will be back and running as normal ... Hopefully too as the pattern sales are advertised.... They will ACTUALLY have the stock in the drawers..... 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

I love Joann's - pricing is reasonable compared to other local stores

My local store is great for certain things. The manager is a fabulously upbeat guy. Many of the staff have stayed for years. I would like to have a better selection of high quality fabric for both quilting and garment sewing. I mainly shop at Joann for batting, what little they have in higher quality fabric and notions. I very, very rarely buy any of the other craft stuff.

I went there today and came away defeated. It's now like a Michaels. I wanted a print cotton blend for a dress for my little granddaughter. I struck out. Only 100% Cotton (who wants to iron) fleece, flannel, and knits. Boohoo!

My store in southwestern VA is poorly stocked at the moment. Manager, who has had the store for years, seems highly stressed. All full-time employees have had hours reduced and lost benefits so most of them have left to take other jobs. The amount of cheap and ugly fabric they've carried over the past 6-7 years is mind-boggling. I agree with others in that I'd like higher quality fabric, especially natural fiber apparel fabric. Muted colors would be wonderful. I think my community would also support sewing classes, as I frequently get asked by others if I will teach sewing or if I know of anyone who will.

I was last in their store in Evansville IN and it looked as though they were out of everything

I agree with @Rozylass, get rid of the craft stuff it’s cheaper elsewhere and concentrate only on the sewing aspect of the company. The prices are too high for craft stuff.

I’m glad they’re not closing and liquidating everything.

Shop Joann’s to keep the store in your area. There are very few stores who carry all your sewing needs.❤️

I agree with other comments: carry quality fabrics and trims, teach people how to use them, and stop carrying all the stuff that distracts customers from the fabrics.

Where’s the yarn?

New patterns at my Joann's in Springfield, OR. Sales still go to $1.99.

When JoAnn’s cancelled our quilting classes they lost fabric sales.

Per Wall Street Journal...........Jo-Ann Stores Inc. agreed to be acquired by private-equity firm Leonard Green & Partners LP for about $1.6 billion, but the fabric and craft retailer has through Feb. 14 to weigh other offers.

Just gave them several hundred dollars business with my tax refund money. Bought a new sewing machine. A Singer heavy duty computerized one. The 6800c. Plus some notions and extension table. Love it. It's worth the money