Community Chat

[Cakers3]

I agree so many stores closing. I hardly craft/sew anymore but gone are so many well stocked and clean stores.

I remember Windsor Button was a favorite. No fabric but good craft inventory.

There are still many independent craft stores but fabric stores seem to becoming obsolete.

Not a fan of Michael's anymore, at least around here.

[Rockycoast]

Thankfully the JoAnn’s near us is not on the list. It is a clean well run store. Employees are helpful and knowledgeable about sewing. They just had a great sale on yarns. I let my daughter know as she needed to replenish her stock. Joann’s is my go to craft store.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:

I used to sew often (made my own prom dress back in the day), but it's been years since I've sewn anything.  Still, I'm sorry to see this about JoAnn's.  So many B & M stores are becoming vacant now.  

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@JeanLouiseFinch 

I'm a little fuzzy on the exact timeline, but it had to be the early 1970's.   My mother worked in a big fabric store that was always very busy.

Polyester double knits were HUGE and women would come in and buy enough material to make polyester double knit pant suits.   

Compared to that era, how many women still regularly sew their own clothes?  I honestly don't know anyone that does that.  

If Joann and others didn't sell sewing accessories (remember Notions?) they would have gone under a long time ago.

Anyone remember what a "Notion" is?

[bikerbabe]

I have no clue how to sew. Never interested. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My mom did make many of my clothes growing up.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:

I used to sew often (made my own prom dress back in the day), but it's been years since I've sewn anything.  Still, I'm sorry to see this about JoAnn's.  So many B & M stores are becoming vacant now.  

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@JeanLouiseFinch 

I'm a little fuzzy on the exact timeline, but it had to be the early 1970's.   My mother worked in a big fabric store that was always very busy.

Polyester double knits were HUGE and women would come in and buy enough material to make polyester double knit pant suits.   

Compared to that era, how many women still regularly sew their own clothes?  I honestly don't know anyone that does that.  

If Joann and others didn't sell sewing accessories (remember Notions?) they would have gone under a long time ago.

Anyone remember what a "Notion" is?

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I do remember "notions", @Tinkrbl44.  They were all the extra supplies; thread, trim, zippers, hooks & eyes, needles, pins, etc.

[AuntMame]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:

I used to sew often (made my own prom dress back in the day), but it's been years since I've sewn anything.  Still, I'm sorry to see this about JoAnn's.  So many B & M stores are becoming vacant now.  

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@JeanLouiseFinch 

I'm a little fuzzy on the exact timeline, but it had to be the early 1970's.   My mother worked in a big fabric store that was always very busy.

Polyester double knits were HUGE and women would come in and buy enough material to make polyester double knit pant suits.   

Compared to that era, how many women still regularly sew their own clothes?  I honestly don't know anyone that does that.  

If Joann and others didn't sell sewing accessories (remember Notions?) they would have gone under a long time ago.

Anyone remember what a "Notion" is?

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Gosh! The 1970s! I remember helping my mom sew those polyster double-knit pantsuits. They were the rage back then. Good times!

Seems like everyone I knew back then sewed their clothes for work or school to save money. 

The flood of cheap clothing from China and other low-wage countries that started in the late '80s brought an end to the days of sewing clothing in order to save money. It became more expensive to sew than to buy. Sewing turned into a pricey hobby and form of artistic expression. 

That's still pretty much the case. Although I see a lot of Youtube videos in which young people teach garment sewing. Many videos about how to turn thrifted garments into fashionable ones, a trend so much gentler on the environment than buying new clothes and buying new fabric. I hope it continues. 

I still sew clothing and home dec items, and I have a few friends that do as well. But our numbers are not large enough to keep Joann's in business. 

[AuntMame]

Here, in the Arts & Crafts Show-and-Tell thread is a pic of my knock-off of a Stan Herman TSV caftan. I had ordered his TSV caftan then a few days later it was backordered. Annoyed, I made my own. Bragging shamelessly. 

Rather than heading to my local Joann's for the fabric, I ordered "designer deadstock" from a fabric store in California. 

https://community.qvc.com/t5/Among-Friends/Arts-and-Crafts-show-and-tell-thread/m-p/8012296/highligh...

[Katrinka23]

When I sewed,  I used to order a lot of fabrics by mail. The shops would send out swatches of fabrics monthly. I always had beautiful fabrics. But my favorite store was Britex Fabrics in San Francisco. I could go there and spend hours. I see they are still open.

[AuntMame]

More bad news for Joann's. According to the news today they filed for bankruptcy for the second time in the last year. They have been unable to find anyone to provide a credit lifeline. The only potential buyer at this point is a company that plans to close all the stores and liquidate their assets. Since most of their products come from China they were hit hard by tariffs a few years back. The prospect of higher tariffs in the future makes their future especially grim.

According to a news story, they have been hemorraghing customers due to their inability to stock higher-quality fabrics due to supply-chain problems, and their stores in general looking messy and shabby.