I come from a family of Russian-Ukrainian tailors, notion peddlers plus a milliner or two and I am fairly certain my ancestors would hold me at least partially responsible for the bankruptcy filing of a major sewing craft store chain this week. Joann Fabrics and Crafts, founded 81 years ago when my seamstress grandmothers still had young children at home, blamed a post-pandemic sales slump for the downturn. The lockdown saw sales of sewing machines soar and stock sell out.
That’s not to say that plenty of Americans still don’t make plenty of stuff. After all, Joann, known as Jo-Ann Fabrics back when home sewing was more in style, is reorganizing its finances, not closing its 800-plus stores nationwide. While sales are also down at craft chain Michaels, it still operates almost 1,200 stores throughout the country. For its part, Hobby Lobby continues to operate 1,000 stores despite controversies and boycotts surrounding the chain.