Juneau’s Joann arts and crafts store is one of more than 500 locations across the country slated to close their doors.
On Wednesday the Ohio-based company filed a motion in bankruptcy court seeking to close nearly two-thirds of its stores as a part of a restructuring plan. Only Juneau and Anchorage’s locations are listed for closure in Alaska. Joann also has locations in Wasilla, Soldotna and Fairbanks.
Juneau’s location in the Nugget Mall has been a go-to staple for crafters, sewers and DIYers alike. Diana Wright, a crochet hobbyist, was at the store Wednesday afternoon to get yarn for a crochet project. She said the closure will be a huge loss for crafters in town.
“I also do embroidery and cross stitching and they also have stuff for baking,” Wright said. “So it’ll impact me a lot if they close because then I don’t really know another place in town that sells the stuff they do.”
Another crafter getting supplies at the store was MJ Goedeken. They said the store’s closure will make it harder and more expensive for people to do creative projects.
“It is definitely going to have an impact on everyone, because we need hobbies to get through the dark times, and it’s hard to do that when it’s not cheap,” Goedeken said.
The craft store chain — formerly known as Jo-Ann Fabrics — filed for bankruptcy last spring amid financial turmoil. At the time of the announcement, the company’s chief financial officer assured customers that stores would remain open as it restructured its finances. The company filed for bankruptcy again in January.
A background summary of the case states that “right-sizing the store footprint is a critical part of the efforts to ensure the best path forward for JOANN.”
It’s unclear when Juneau’s store will close or how many employees will lose their jobs. Employees at the store in Juneau declined to comment and the company has not responded to KTOO’s request for more information.
