On Feb. 25, JOANN Fabrics and Crafts shocked customers after announcing the closing of all of its stores, approximately 800 locations, after filing for bankruptcy. Due to declining sales and failure to find a new buyer willing to keep stores open, all locations will be closing.
In March 2024, the company filed for its bankruptcy with the plan of closing around 500 of their stores while leaving the “super stores” open. However, this past February, they announced their permanent closure of all of their locations throughout 49 states.
Robert Hayes, an employee of the Corte Madera location, said that ever since the announcement of permanent closure, this location has been losing employees rapidly.
“At this location we’ve lost about six people, but other stores I know of didn’t lose a single person,” Hayes said.
He also added that specifically, the Corte Madera store has been a challenge to keep staffed due to its odd location and high percentage of employees looking for part time jobs before going off to college.
Hayes also mentioned that JOANN’s rising success during the COVID-19 pandemic caused the company to overestimate the number of incoming sales once stores opened back up.
“People preferred ordering online rather than coming in in person, which we had expected. We needed to file for bankruptcy because Amazon and similar companies began to undercut their online sales,” Hayes said.
Hayes explained that online retailers began lowering their prices as a way to lure in more customers, leading to a massive decline in sales both in person and online.
Sophomore Sophia Taylor said that she knows of many current and past students who used JOANN’s as a starter job.
“A lot of my friends have worked there, or in the surrounding area,” Taylor said. She explained that her sister, a previous graduate, also knew many previous employees at the store.
Sophomore Eva Layton expressed her disappointment over the closure saying,“When I was younger, I was there [all the time]. I would always make little friendship bracelets for my family since they had everything there. I even think I still have some of them.”
Taylor reminisced about family bonding moments they had shared at the craft store, admitting to more than a few visits with grandparents and siblings over the years.
“I’m really sad because JOANN’s reminded me of my grandpa and how we would go together before he died,” Taylor said.
However Taylor expresses that the store closing is not all bad, especially for shoppers. “I was planning on going with my mom to buy some fabrics at a discounted price,” Taylor said.
Layton said the closure was understandable in the changing economy.
“It makes sense: not a lot of people actually went there and it always felt deserted. I think it’s really sad that they had to file for bankruptcy, but at the same time, I understand,” Layton said.
