Will I survive JoAnn’s closing?

How to Cope with Joann’s Closing: Tips and Alternatives

Will I survive JoAnn Fabrics closing? Yep. I will. Am I sad they are closing? Yes. Here is what I buy at Joann’s, what I see worth snagging before they go, and where I plan to shop after they are gone.

The Largest US Fabric Store Chain is Closing Nationwide

JoAnn Fabrics is the largest fabric store in my city, and the largest fabric store chain in the USA. There are four in my area. All four are closing. I’m sad, but not devastated. Here is what I might buy for puppet building, and what I looked for today as many items go on sale.

What I buy at JoAnn Fabrics for Puppet Building

I live in a large city, so along with the four JoAnn Fabric stores, I do have a local fabric store chain near me called Field’s Fabrics. Field’s is smaller than JoAnn’s, so I frequent JoAnn’s when I want a larger selection of fabrics for costuming my characters. JoAnn’s also carries poly foam, dyes, fur, and Gutermann thread. When I plan a character, I make a list of needed supplies. Joann’s only supplies a small fraction of those supplies. The majority of my supplies come from online sources. When it comes fur, my local JoAnn Fabrics rarely offers anything of interest. This isn’t true of all the locations. The quality of the fur varies by store. I’ll teach you a few tricks to evaluate the fur options. This may be handy if you visit a closing JoAnn’s to score some discounted yardage.

What I Saw Today (Early March 2025)

Staff at the nearest location said that the store will remain open until most of the stock is gone, and that the actual closing date may be closer to April. I roamed the store to see if any favorite supplies are priced low enough to tempt me to stock up. Here is what I found:

I checked out the polyfoam, dye supplies, Gutermann thread and fur. The foam was on sale but the 1/4″, 1/2″ and 1″ widths were gone. The dye was on sale, but only 20% off. There are other local and online dye sources I can choose from, and I don’t have any large gaps in my dye library. The fur and Gutermann thread weren’t discounted at all. I would have totally bought some thread if it was 40% off, but there was NO DISCOUNT. The fur selection wasn’t great. That is normal for this particular store. I left JoAnn’s having bought nothing. Nada. I love to shop, yet I bought nothing. If this were my only source for local fabric, I would have bought iron-on interfacing, sport fabric for neck tubes and some thread. I’d probably wait though. The sale prices weren’t that great yet. Where will I go when JoAnn’s is gone? I have some suggestions.

Dyeing Options Outside of JoAnn Fabrics

I used to visit JoAnn Fabrics exclusively for buying dyes for dyeing fleece. I still use the standard RIT or iDye Poly dyes JoAnn carries, but I now use the acid dyes suggested for dyeing F3 fleece. Prior to F3 (Dharma Trading) and Fuzzelle (Puppet Pelts) being introduced, there was Nylafleece from Georgia Stage. I still like Nylafleece BTW. I had a hard time getting Nylafleece to dye with RIT tan. It was my personal nemesis. There are a few odd workarounds, but they were harder to execute than using Jacquard Acid dye in Ecru. That was my first exposure to acid dyes, and it was easier than I expected. You just add vinegar. So easy. I have no problem mixing and matching standard dye with acid dye, so I keep a stock of both. JoAnn’s doesn’t carry acid dye, so I buy it online, but JoAnn’s is were I would run when I had a hot dye bath that needed color correction and my current dye library lacked the proper color to correct. Imagine me with gloved or with partially dyed hands, rushing to my local JoAnn’s. If this is you, than Michael’s and Hobby Lobby can be your substitute local dye source. Online options abound as well. Google “acid dye”. I have used Jaquard acid dye and Dharma acid dyes with success. I have a decent dye library at home now, so I do less rushing. Another option to avoid rushing out, is to assume the dye bath will need color correcting and buy extra base colors. For example, if you are dyeing green, buy extra green, but also extra blue and yellow to shift the bath a little yellower or a little bluer.

Dharma Trading Company has its own acid dye brand that is very reasonably priced. If you use the Dharma brand, I have a few tips. It tends to clump in the water and leave color blobs on your fleece. To avoid this, dissolve the dye in a separate cup and mix with a hand-held immersion blender before adding to your dye bath. Always, always, always do a test swatch before committing the full yardage to the dye bath.

Foam Options Outside of JoAnn Fabrics

Try other fabric stores near you. If they carry home decorator/upholstery fabric, then they will likely carry poly foam. One unique source in my area is Luxury Fabrics. They cater specifically to designers and upholsterers. They have a variety of foam types of varying firmness and cut it to your desired thickness. I wish they carried reticulated foam, but they only carry a coarse, dry fast foam, so I had to source my own through a factory outside my state. I placed a large order of high-quality 1/2″ reticulated foam that will hopefully last for a while. It wasn’t cheap, and they only sell to businesses, so you can buy some from me if you can’t find another 35ppi source online. To find a local polyfoam foam source for yourself, do a search for home decorator and upholstery fabrics. They may have polyfoam as well.

Fur Options Outside of JoAnn Fabrics

Good sources for fur shift over time. Mendel’s has been around for a while. Fabric Empire is good. Etsy has been a surprisingly good source. I usually Google my color choice with the words “Mongolian shag” to find long, good quality furs for puppets. Before buying yardage, get a sample. You’ll need that to determine if the quality, length, and color work for your puppet. Your sample will help you determine whether you can trim the fur without the backing material showing through. Here are some photos of JoAnn furs to illustrate the differences in quality, along with checking for stretch.

Stretch fur allows for movement in the neck area or will function similar to fleece in a pattern that calls for fleece. Unfortunately, most stretch furs have a loose backing that is difficult to sew, creates a weak seam, and has a visible backing that doesn’t allow for trimming. You can see this illustrated in the pink fur above. The two tan furs in the other image illustrate fiber density. The tan fur on the left is thick and dense, allowing for trimming without showing the base material showing. The fur on the right has a backing that shows when the fur is examined near the base.

Why I Prefer Gutermann Thread

Gutermann thread is made in Germany. It was recommended to me by the technician who services my vintage sewing machine. I had issues with my old machine that were resolved when I switched to this thread. Apparently, it creates less lint. I am a serious fan. My mentor, Pasha Romanowski, is also a fan. I can still buy this thread at another fabric store near me. You can often find it at quilting shops or stores that carry nice sewing machines.

I Will Survive JoAnn Fabrics Store Closing

With all the alternate sources available online and locally, I know that I won’t be devastated by the closing of JoAnn Fabrics. Am I sad? Nostalgic? Yep. I used to run through the bridal section with my hands outstretched as a small child when my mom went to JoAnn’s. My own kids did the same. If you visit a JoAnn’s before they close, check out the potential puppet building materials I suggested and see if you can find them discounted low enough to make them a good option for you.