Joann, the once popular crafting chain with recognizable stores in strip malls across the country, announced Wednesday it plans to close hundreds of its stores as part of a recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
The move comes approximately one month after Joann — also known as Joann Fabrics — which describes itself as “the nation’s category leader in sewing and fabrics with one of the largest arts and crafts offerings,” said it aimed to keep stores open during the process.
According to the Wednesday announcement, the 80-year-old fabric store will seek court authority to begin closing approximately 500 stores across the nation. Going-out-of-business sales are expected to begin Saturday, Feb. 15, a website dedicated to the filing said.
A court hearing to approve the closures is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 14, the site said.
“This was a very difficult decision to make, given the major impact we know it will have on our Team Members, our customers and all of the communities we serve,” a spokesperson said in a statement to NBC Chicago. “A careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the Company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time. Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for JOANN.”
According to the site, Joann’s website is expected to operate as normal through the process, though gift cards cannot be used online and will be accepted in-store only. Returns are still being accepted.
“A lot depends on the outcome of the court-supervised sale process and our policy may be further updated
as we progress through this process,” Joann said.
The filing comes as a number of major chains announce closures.
Walgreens announced plans to close up to 1,200 “underperforming stores” by 2027, including some in the Chicago area. Kohl’s announced 27 closures set for April of this year, two of which are in the Chicago area. Party City, a popular party and balloon supplies store, is closing hundreds of stores as it goes out of business.
Most recently, stationary store Paper Source, owned by Barnes & Noble, will cut more than 100 jobs and close its suburban Chicago warehouse this spring.
The stores set to close span states across the U.S., with more than 60 closures planned for California stores alone.
In the Midwest, as many as 20 stores are set to close in Indiana. More than 45 stores across Michigan and Wisconsin are also set to close, the site said.
Illinois is set to see 26 Joann store closures, the site said, with the majority of stores located in the Chicago suburbs. A full list of Illinois Joann stores set to close are below, and the full list of store closings across the U.S. can be found here.
- Champaign
- Crestwood
- Wheaton
- Niles
- Norridge
- Countryside
- Naperville
- Bloomingdale
- Vernon Hills
- Geneva
- Orland Park
- Arlington Heights
- Chicago (2 stores)
- Joliet
- McHenry
- Algonquin
- Danville
- Moline
- Quincy
- Carbondale
- Galesburg
- Sterling
- Peru
- Freeport
- Mattoon
