On Valentine's Day, friends started sending texts about JOANN store closures:
"Oh no!!! That was my store!!"
"So many stores are closing."
"Where will I shop now?"
"I don't even sew but this is where I buy my yarn." "Patterns are so expensive. I wonder if anyone will carry them - maybe online?"
That got me thinking about how long I've been a customer of JOANN's. Over the years, I've used gift cards to purchase notions and specialty items like an OttLite desk lamp, high-density foam, and upholstery fabric for outdoor projects.
More recently, I've been setting up my new creative space - replacing 35+ years of sewing and quilting items that were taken by a wildfire. With each natural disaster, I often think of the crafters, sewists, and quilters who may have had a designated studio or a corner of their kitchen table set aside as their special workspace - now gone - and having to rebuild and start over.
“Crafts make us feel rooted, give us a sense of belonging and connect us with our history. Our ancestors used to create these crafts out of necessity, and now we do them for fun, to make money and to express ourselves.” ~Phyllis George
On February 14, a spokesperson for JOANN's stated: “As part of the ongoing Chapter 11 process and our efforts to maximize the value of the business, JOANN has received court approval to begin closing approximately 500 stores across the nation. We anticipate the store closures to occur over the next few months, although some stores may close within a shorter or longer time period.
This was a very difficult decision to make, given the major impact we know it will have on our Team Members, our customers and all of the communities we serve. A careful analysis of store
performance and future strategic fit for the Company determined which stores should remain
operating as usual at this time. Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for JOANN."
That same day, I received an email from Adina, the owner of a nearby fabric shop wondering what JOANNs closing means for our craft industry, and Cloth Carousel specifically.
Her letter read, in part:
First, even with 800 stores nationwide, not every town had a JOANN store so many independent shops won’t initially feel the impact. However, in California, there are 60 JOANN stores closing within the next few months. This will have a direct impact on your local independent fabric and yarn stores. While we carry different products and quality of goods, and obviously at different price points, we’ll still be impacted by this change.
My greatest fear is that the newbie or budget conscious crafter feels that they no longer have a place to shop, making the assumption their local fabric shop or yarn shop is out of their budget (or, probably more accurately, they don’t even know we’re here). I’m scared that some won’t even explore our crafts at all and won’t know the joy of creating something.
I consider JOANN a gateway to our crafting, whether it’s sewing, quilting, knitting, or crochet. This is where a lot of people enter the fabric and yarn world. Some stay there, but many grow to need a higher quality product or just different options. They may realize they are spending a lot of time on a project that isn’t going to last. That’s where we come in.
I have never considered JOANN as direct competition other than any notions we both carry and you might be able to get them cheaper with a 40% off coupon. Not a big enough ticket item to impact our store. Simply, we just carry different stuff. We have adjusted our margins over the past year to bring our fabric pricing down to assist with everyone’s budget. Are we in the same price range as what JOANN carries? No. But we carry a totally different quality of fabric and yarn so it’s comparing apples to oranges. We will continue to explore bringing more budget friendly fabric/yarn into the store, without compromising quality.
From Adina's Cloth Carousel website: When you come through our door, you will be delighted by a wide assortment of fabric, yarn, notions, books, patterns, and loads of inspiration, as well as a friendly staff that is always on hand to offer a warm greeting, along with attentive, individualized service.
Fabric: Among our ever changing inventory of over 3,500 bolts of fabric, you'll find an exciting selection of Batiks, current collections and novelties, brights, and blenders. Whether you're looking for a special color for your next project, or you need help selecting all of the fabric for a quilt, Cloth Carousel is happy to assist you!
Fiber: Currently offering yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, knitting & crochet books and patterns, and hand embroidery supplies. Are you a hand-stitch crafter? Let us know what you'd like us to carry and we'll see what we can do.
Fun! We're offering daytime, evening, and weekend classes in our on-site classrooms. Please view our current class list and don't forget to check back often.
Do we carry acrylic yarn? Yes, because we have a market for it. It’s a nice quality acrylic at a good (not cheap) price point. Will you ever be able to buy a ginormous skein of yarn for $5 here? Nope…because it’s just not good stuff. Why spend that much time making a project out of a product that’s not going to hold up well. And it’s going to get crunchy when you dry it.
We’ll expand our embroidery department and possibly add cross stitch if there’s interest.
We’re going to carry more notions and trims. More basic buttons, garment zippers, closures (think snaps, hook & eye, etc.) and ribbon. It won’t all happen at once because it’s real money out of my pocket to bring in inventory so we’ll do it incrementally.
How can you help keep us here? Tell your friends about us. Don’t assume they know about us. Remember that we have a webstore and ship for only $5 so even your out of town friends and family can support us. Let us know where we’re not meeting your needs or where we can make adjustments. We’ll continue offering classes but are they the classes you want to attend? Invite people into our hobbies. We’ve created a strong community by offering our shop for groups to meet for free. We’re committed to keeping this community going but the reality is we can’t do it if there’s not the shopping to support it.
She ends with: How will JOANN closing affect you?
“Two quilters who have just met will be strangers only until their mutual passion for quilting is revealed. Then they can talk for hours like the best of friends.” ~Jennifer Chiaverini
BENEFITS OF A HOBBY: Hobbies are a break. They are a break from work or a busy schedule full of to-dos. And, while adding a to-do of doing your hobby may seem counter-intuitive to some, most people find that focusing on something they enjoy and has a purpose makes them feel less stressed. When you focus on something that is not work related, you give your mind something else to focus on that you find to be fun and enjoyable. And, when you get into the flow of the hobby, you will find your worries and stresses fade away. As a result, your blood pressure and hypertension lowers, which is healthy for your heart.
Humans are wired to be social. We crave relationships and friendships with other people. And, many social connections and lifelong friendships occur around hobbies. In fact, you can find clubs for a lot of hobbies be it a nature walk club, a reading club, a music club, a quilting guild, and more.
I encourage you to visit a local fabric shop or yarn shop and see what they have to offer. Bring a friend and sign up for a class, share your artistic passion and the joy of creating something with others.
Thank you for stopping by.
XOXOX
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