Beloved Joann Fabrics is to Close All Storefronts

Nora Geoghegan

Staff Writer

After nearly a year of bankruptcy rumors, Joann Fabrics announced on Feb. 25 that they are closing all 800 of its locations after 80 years of business.

This announcement has had a particular impact on fiber artists and crafters as a whole. It also threatens the life span of in-person shopping.

Emily Holzman, a fiber artist, had this to say about Joann’s closure: “I am personally very saddened by the closure of Joann’s. Largely they were a store with more options specifically for fiber arts compared to other big box crafting retailers, so going in person always allowed for more variety in my shopping experience.”

In addition, Holzman said, “Losing a store that focused more on a wide variety of yarn, it’s likely that I will have to shift to shopping more online and running the risk of getting supplies that weren’t what I had in mind because I wasn’t able to shop in person.”

“Joann’s was also generally more affordable due to the frequencies of their sales, coupons, and reward programs,” she continued.

In conjunction with the massive loss fiber artists and craft people are facing, Joann’s closure begs the question of what it means for the future of shopping. With other businesses closing and online stores dominating the market, it takes away many things about the shopping experience and impact.

Being able to shop in-person allows for quality control of the items you buy. In the case of Joann’s, if you are not able to feel the yarn before buying it, it increases the likelihood of receiving the wrong type of yarn for your project.

In-person shopping also offers more personalized customer service. Being able to interact with an employee helps you gain better insight into the product you’re shopping for. In addition, you don’t have to pay any annoying shipping or delivery fees!

With Joann’s now out of business, it joins a list that has long questioned how much longer in-person shopping will be around.