‘We’ll have to hunt’: Utah craft makers start to say goodbye to a much-loved fabric chain

Kaden Staxx walked through shelves of marked-down fabrics at the Joann store in Millcreek, feeling sentimental about a place that is set to close soon.

“It’s weird that Joann is closing,” Staxx, 28, said Tuesday — the day after national news outlets reported the chain was closing all of its 800 locations nationwide, including the 13 in Utah. “It’s been around my whole childhood.”

Staxx said that when they were growing up, they spent hours at Joann stores with their mother, a seamstress for ballet companies who was in pursuit of tutu textiles. More recently, they said they have gone there to gather supplies for homemade clothing and plush blankets.

Now, as Joann stores prepare for “going out of business” sales, Staxx said they will have to shop somewhere else. Other shoppers at the Millcreek store Tuesday said they are still looking for options.

At the Joann in Draper on Tuesday, a long line of customers crossed several aisles. Some shelves carried signs noting discount prices, and were rapidly depleted of their inventory.

Joann, based in Ohio and operating for more than 80 years, made the announcement after its assets were auctioned to winning bidder GA Group, a financial services company, the retailer said in a statement Tuesday.

According to an FAQ page on the company’s website, Joann expects to begin liquidation sales at all locations immediately, pending approval from a bankruptcy court.

The sale follows years of financial turmoil for the company, including bankruptcy filings in March 2024 and again in January. In early February, the retailer announced it would close 500 stores as part of its latest bankruptcy plans.

“I don’t know what we’ll do,” said Lillian O’Neil, a Joann shopper for more than 50 years.

O’Neil said she is part of a charity that makes baby blankets and clothes — and buys “yards and yards of material” from the store. “We’ll have to hunt,” she said.

A few shelves away, Staxx and their friend, Han Wilcock, had filled their cart with colorful fabric for upcoming projects, including a “fun turtleneck” using textiles decorated with cartoon mushrooms and sea creatures.

Wilcock, a toy designer, said browsing fabric stores is part of their creative process, and the impending closures will be “rough” for last-minute craft needs.

“I get a lot of ideas for projects by visibly seeing the fabrics,” said Wilcock, who has been sewing since they were 10. “I worry that [it] won’t spark as many ideas.”

The two friends, navigating through streams of people also hoping for clearance-sale deals, said there were no carts available when they arrived. On a typical weekday, Staxx said, they will see maybe three other customers at a time. “Everybody is in the same mindset as us.”

Trudy Terry, from Holladay, said she has visited the chain “quite a lot through the years,” and has found affordable fabrics there. Terry described herself as a “late bloomer” to quilting, starting the hobby after her retirement as a fourth-grade teacher. Now, she is part of the national nonprofit Quilt for Kids.

“I hate to see it go,” Terry said as she exited the store, carrying a bundle of illustrated fabrics.

“Everybody’s been saying, ‘Look online,’ but it’s really important to actually get to see it,” Terry said. She recalled once when she ordered a fabric online, and what arrived was in a different color than what was advertised. “I don’t know how happy me and my friends will be with online [shopping],” she said.

Sophie Taylor and her brother, fashion design students at Salt Lake Community College, arrived at the Millcreek location Tuesday ready to “get what they could” before the store’s closure. Sophie Taylor, who remembers visiting Joann stores with her grandma, said she would miss the outlet’s “accessibility.”

“This has been the most accessible place to get cheaper fabrics and just all the supplies we need,” said Taylor as she carried a bundle of linen under her arm. “We’re pretty sad it’s closing.”