Adiós JoAnn Fabrics

I spent $800+ in fabric in one day. Yes, the economy is bad, bordering on worse. Yes, much of it was an impulse buy. Yes, I will be broke for the rest of 2025. But Fairbanks is about to lose its only fabric store, and soon, my online ordering will be my only option. Buying fabrics online is how I mainly purchase fabric, but JoAnn Fabrics was great for those notions I forgot to order- buttons, needles, ribbons, snaps, and threads. Within 20 minutes, I could drive into the city to pick up what I needed versus waiting for a week or more after paying for shipping. 

Honestly, I'm probably part of the reason JoAnn Fabrics shut down. As my experience sewing garments increased, I became pickier about the quality of the fabric. JoAnn's fashion fabric isn't terrible. It aligns with the quality of fabric found in fast fashion, with maybe the exception of their denim. I had always had good luck with making garments with their denim that lasted multiple seasons. But anything outside of wovens was often thin and prone to damage after the first or second wash.

My haul of notions purchased during my
last trip to JoAnn Fabric's closing sale.

Likewise, experience also meant I'd gotten better organized. When I ordered fabric for the quarter, I also ordered the notions or at least checked that I had them on hand. This reduced the number of visits to JoAnn Fabrics. In fact, when they first announced the initial round of store closures, I realized it had been nearly a year since I purchased anything there. I had received the knitting needled for my current projects at Christmas and yarn from a local shop, again because the fiber was a much higher quality.  In the first round, the Fairbanks location had escaped the cut list.  But 14 days later (or so), JoAnn Fabrics announced they were closing all their stores.

So, what the hell did I buy for $800?

Several Remnants Purchased
in the Closing Sale of JoAnn Fabric

Denim. A lot of denim. It is the primary fabric I sew with. It's stable, durable, and easy to manage. I purchased bolts of heavy-duty fabric, some plain and some with cute designs. I also brought home lighter denim for shirts and skirts. I filled the basket with denim that would look great as jeans, shorts,  and jackets. I also picked up a lot of zippers, thread, and ribbons for a gift bag project I was finishing up. 

 Bolts of Heavy-Weight Denim for Jeans.

I've been back to JoAnn Fabrics two more times since my haul. Each time, it becomes more of an empty shell. And each time, I can see more and more why they went out of business. Despite the disappearance of fabrics from the shelves, the baking, art supplies, toys, and home decor are spilling over sales signs. JoAnn Fabrics, at some point, had veered too far away from the 'fabric' part of its name and tried to be too many things to too many people.  This is a different path than Michael's took over the years. They are an arts and crafts store, specifically art supplies, baking, jewelry, and photography.  There is home decor, but in lesser quantities, and definitely no fabric (at least in Fairbanks), and a tiny selection of yarn.

Lightweight Denim for Shits and Skits
Were Also Purchased in Bolts

People ask me if I think JoAnn Fabrics will ever return.  Well, I can't exactly rule it out. I remember mourning the closure of Toys R Us when my child was 8, and some 20 years later, it's back again. What I can say is that another fashion fabric store won't come to Fairbanks any time soon. This is a quilting community with 3 thriving quilting stores. Unfortunately, quilting fabrics don't work well for fashion. The weave isn't the same. So next quarter, ordering will totally be online, possibly with tariffs from  non-U.S. stores and expensive shipping to Alaska. But if I'm being honest, I can't say that my shopping habits would change if it was announced tomorrow that JoAnn Fabrics would remain open. Some friends you outgrow. But these are friends that you remember fondly.