So last May I started a new job in a nearby city (Meadville, PA) that I had never really ventured into often. We live 30 minutes from 3 midsize cities and 1-2 hrs from 3 big cities so you can see how you might get into the habit of doing your shopping mostly in one or two of them. One of the big draws though of Meadville was they had this really nice Joann's less than a half a mile from work. I mean what more could I ask for right? Until I walked in and saw that the store had gone into liquidation.
I did know that Joann's had filed for bankruptcy in 2024, taking a loan and closing some stores, but that was not enough to save it from the auction block. Come 2025, they filed bankruptcy again and the store has been put up for sale. I won't get into the nitty gritty of the process but I'm very familiar with it since I worked for a company that it happened too twice. The biggest thing to know is that it's the company's intention is to make itself the most profitable as possible to attract the biggest buyer (or bidder). With that in mind it's closing over 500 of its 800 stores nationwide. The complete list is here.
So the liquidation process has begun here in Meadville. They started out very slow with the whole store being on sale but only for 20-30% off. No coupons or gift card will be accepted. New sales and discounts will happen weekly. No rhyme or reason was given and the store already looked pretty drab.
Remember how I said I live near 3 cities? All three had Joann's and by the grace of God, one of them was chosen to stay open. Also, there is an excellent one in Mentor, Ohio that is staying open. But if I was being honest, I don't shop at JoAnn's all that often anymore. My more expensive fabric purchases will go to independent quilt shops while my notions will be bought on sale en masse at JoAnn's online store or through Amazon. At this stage in my quilting journey, I know what I like, and I tend to just stockpile it up from the vendors online to get a free shipping discount.
And really, maybe that's the issue. The retail world is every changing and it takes a smart hand to keep up with it. I really don't think JoAnn's did a good job with that especially through the early 2000's.
!OPINION ALERT!
In the late 90's, it felt to me like JoAnn's went through an identity crisis and never quite came out of it. Was it a fabric store? An Art Store? A Craft Store? Honestly, by trying to be all three, it's kinda failed miserably. Instead of reading the room and realizing that online shopping was the wave of the future, they muddled their base. In fact, if I was going to be honest, I have a habit of doing my shopping at specialty stores online - I have a needle site - a thread site - my favorite online quilt shops - a notion site. That way there is a lot of choice in that niche. Shrug - but like I said - I like what I like.
Not to mention, the staff. Honestly, so many times the service has been terrible - just truly terrible. What cracks me up is that at one point, they were hiring and I thought I would apply for a second job. They didn't even give me an interview. So, I'm bias. But more than once, the service was so bad, I put everything down on the counter and walked out. And this isn't in one store - this is over multiple stores.
I think that JoAnn's really missed the boat by not specializing in quilting and sewing. They should have fostered a new generation of sewers through classes, clubs and sew-in's. That way you build a following, you get to know your customer and create a unique brand.
But what do I know - I've only been a quilter for 33 years and been in retail for 12.
To me the whole thing is sad. There are so few fabrics stores now in the country that this will create fabric deserts. I remember when I first started quilting, JoAnn's was the first place I could explore that wasn't too intimidating. In the last few years, I've found all these crazy specialty fabrics that I can explore with not break the bank. Like I said sad.
Honestly, it will take a lot, but it could survive this latest round of Bankruptcy. My old employer did but is actually a shell of itself (not to mention laying us all off!). Or it could be a Barnes & Nobels success story where it gets its act together and does what it needs to do to stay relevant to today's consumer.
What do you think? Will you miss it?
8 comments:
That was an excellent summation of what happened at JoAnns. I really didn't consider the impact on the new sewer until I started reading about how others felt about it. I was pretty snarky about JoAnns but now I realize they really did have a place in the market.
JoAnns felt like whiplash over the last few years. Remember that they were going to have classes and were hiring teachers? Now they care Liberty of London? Amidst all that cheap fabric? Whaaaat?
I hope that they pivot, get good management and thrive. I am not hopeful.
Oh, you mention your fav stores for various items - perhaps there could be a future post sharing your favs?
Great review of what's been going on at Joann, Nina-Marie. I'm sorry that we're loosing our local Joann, even though it was beautifully remodeled in 2020. (It has become a mess in the last year.) One thing I'd add to your comment about Joann being a fabric, craft AND art store--also a decoration store. When I walk into ours, the whole front area is decorations for the latest holiday or season.
Hi Nina-Marie, I live in Canada so I've never been to a Joann's although I've heard a lot about it. It reminds me of White Rose some 25 years ago. It tried to be something to everyone and ended up not really pleasing anyone except for plants in the spring. We only have Fabricland here and it's one of the last places I got to except for some notions, thread or specialty items. Everything there is double the price but comes on sale - it's nuts. Not sure if it will last also.
I agree with everything you said. I became very disappointed with the quality of their fabrics also. I did buy some good quality fabric there once, only to find it cost more than the fabric of that in my local quilting shop. I thought I would buy some backings for Christmas quilts this year. The clerk took my quilt measurements and cut three different pieces. Two of them were not large enough. Argh! I am saving one for a different quilt in the future. One was a white fleece that I had to rebuy in a much larger piece. It turns out it was a bear to sew together. I gave the first piece away! So, it turns out the clerk was poorly trained and gave me very bad advice. I love JoAnn's for getting DMC floss or needles though. That is not enough to keep them. in business! I always feel badly for workers who will lose jobs even if they have made mistakes. I have made errors and I still make them. You can ask anyone who knows me! Best wishes to everyone involved with JoAnn's!
Jo-Anns was my go to store when I started quilting. I used to take advantage of their sales - say solid colored cottons for 50% off. Like you, I got frustrated by the caliber of staff and how fabric seemed to be a sideline vs. a focus. I never did find a quilt store that stocked what I wanted. It is sad not to have a dependable local fabric store to shop at. Like you, I have turned to online shopping. I get convenience, a good price and good quality fabric. The online store(s) have knowledge staff on the rare times I need human to human help.
I have a different origin story with the store, dating back to the 1990's. I wasn't really quilting then, still looking for fabric to make clothing and especially silks. Was very frustrated that the store in Janesville WI did not have any. That is when I was told about the different tiers of JoAnn stores. I think A was the highest, carrying top quality fabrics and notions of all kinds and yes, those silks I was looking for. B stores carried less, and not as high quality, and C stores were almost like discount stores carrying low grade fabrics. (It was later that I learned about the different quality of quilting fabrics based on the griege goods and how many colors used in the printing.) So my store in Janesville was not an A store and there was nothing they could do about it. Management had determined that customers in that area were not looking for what the A stores offered.
Sorry - I got signed out of my google account and my comment went out as Anonymous, which I am not!
Post a Comment