Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Joann is closing all its stores after filing for bankruptcy, impacting Utah customers.
- Utah shoppers expressed sadness over losing a beloved craft store with a unique in-person experience.
- Customers remain hopeful the closures may create opportunities for new craft stores to fill the gap.
SALT LAKE CITY — Annette Malen has been shopping at fabric and craft giant Joann for about 30 years.
When news broke Sunday that the retailer is going out of business and shutting down all brick-and-mortar locations after more than 80 years, Malen, along with other crafters of all varieties, was heartbroken.
"I was really sad. When I come in this store, there's always a lot of people in here," she said while scouring fabric and thread for a knitting project at the Millcreek location. "I was talking to my mom today, actually. She called me, and my daughter called me, and they were like, 'Did you hear Joann's is closing?'"
The announcement came after the Hudson, Ohio-based retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January, the second time in a year. It cited sluggish consumer demand and inventory shortages. At the time of the filing, the store vowed it would keep all of its stores open.
Earlier this month, however, Joann's leadership said it planned to close 500 stores — more than half of its nationwide footprint. Then, on Sunday, the company announced that financial services company GA Group, together with Joann's term lenders, was the winning bidder in a recent auction to "acquire substantially all of Joann's assets" and planned to start winding down the company's operations, including going-out-of-business sales at all store locations.
The Beehive State is home to 13 Joann locations, from Logan to St. George, and shoppers were out in force at the Millcreek location on Tuesday.
Jaiden Robinson said she and her family have always been crafters and have shopped at Joann her whole life. "It's really sad, honestly. It's definitely the best place for fabric, which is why I like to come here," Robinson said. "There's nothing like it, so it's a bummer."
At the same time, Robinson expressed optimism that the closures could open the door for another craft and fabric store to fill the gap left by Joann closing.
"My first thought, I was like, 'I think I need to open a fabric store,'" Robinson said, adding that she shops at Joann for banners and signs that she sews.
In a question-and-answer section on its website, the company said its stores, Joann.com and the mobile app will remain open and operational as it conducts going-out-of-business sales. The retailer said the dates for store closures or changes to the website will be posted as soon as possible, and it expects it will take a "number of weeks to complete our final sales."
Joann previously sought bankruptcy protection in March 2024 and later emerged as a private company. But after operational challenges continued to pile up, Joann filed for bankruptcy again in January.
"Joann leadership, our board, advisers and legal partners made every possible effort to pursue a more favorable outcome that would keep the company in business," Joann said in a statement posted on its website. "We are committed to working constructively with the winning bidder to ensure an orderly wind-down of operations that minimizes the impact on all our stakeholders."
Even in a time when online shopping is more popular than ever, some Joann customers say they'll miss the in-person experience.
"Some things I can buy online, but you want to be able to match colors and things. I buy a lot of yarn online and, you know, it's kind of risky to see what colors you're going to get. So, I was really sad," Malen said. "I'm just really surprised they couldn't find a way to downsize or, you know, get rid of things that aren't really moving."
