So, all the buzz at the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA, seemed to be about all of the Joann Fabric stores closing down. Folks were all upset about where they would go now for their sewing supplies. I felt bad for them.
For years I have know that there’s was a HUGE discrepancy in the condition of the many JoAnn stores across the country. Many are horrible… filthy, stocked with junk fabrics in total disarray, with employees who knew NOTHING about sewing. Such was my local store as evidenced by my posts HERE in 2011 and HERE in 2014.
But you know what? In other areas of our country, JoAnn stores are highly revered… a total antithesis of our local store.
But the common denominator in almost every area, is that Joann Stores has made it their goal to run all of the local competition out of business, and in that regard, they have succeeded!
the Result….
A fabric/sewing supply “desert” is what has been left in the wake of these mass closings!
So… where does a Sewist go for their needed supplies now?
Here’s a few ideas!
- Make Contact with a Quilt Supply Shop Nearby: If you are lucky enough to have a small quilt store with 25-40 miles of your home, (the closest to me is over 90 miles away), DO make an effort to visit or at least call their store. DO let them know if there are supplies you need that you cannot locate now. I’m sure they would love to meet your needs, especially now, since NOW is the time for them to rise up, and attempt to fill the void the was left behind when JoAnn’s made their exit.
2. Search out an Internet Option: This may seem like a less than perfect option, and I guess it really is. There’s just something to be said about being able to see & touch fabrics in person, but if you’re in a “fabric/sewing desert”, I encourage you to branch out and give this option a try!
So what’s MY favorite Internet Fabric Store?
Hands down… it’s eQuilter.com
I totally understand that shopping online is a totally different experience than shopping in-person, but since I’ve had to resort to shopping online in this way for many years now, I can definitely say that the reason I like equilter.com the best, is for the following reasons:
- the eQuilter website is separated & divided into categories, like “Designer fabrics”, “Batiks”, “Color Palette”, “Holidays”, etc., and this makes it SO much easier to to shop and to maybe find a hidden gem you didn’t know was available!
2. A Unique Design Board which is actually my favorite aspect of this website! It allows me to see how various fabrics look when they’re paired up right next to one another. This is SO useful when I’m looking for a special contrast for that outstanding exterior fabric I found!
And now…. it’s YOUR turn!
And please, please, PLEASE… be on the lookout for something new to potentially fill the void that JoAnn’s will leave behind. It could be a store that’s interesting, a bit different that you’ve seen before, and maybe even a bit off-the-wall! So be ready to check them out, welcome them, and to communicate with the store owner(s) what your needs are! Believe me, they will WANT to provide you with the products and services that you need!
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Wawak Sewing Supplies is a great place to buy
Notions of all kind and they are way less than you will find elsewhere. Delivery is usually fairly quick because the focus of their business is professional, but they welcome home sewers.
Wawak.com
Wawa is the best for notions, pillow forms, zippers, etc.
I order a lot of my fabric from stores in Lancaster, PA. Lancaster Home and Fabrics has great selections of fabrics. They are also very helpful if you are looking for something specific.
I meant to say Wawak not Wawa.
Some areas have fabric warehouses. In my area, we have one called SR Harris that has at least a couple locations. You won’t find the latest and greatest fabrics because they buy the surplus and discontinued fabrics from stores and manufacturers—so you find everything from Robert Kauffman to Carhart and Ralph Lauren. I’m sure not every community has something like this but I know there’s more out there than just this one.
I mostly gave up on JoAnn’s long ago. Maybe I’d stop in a few times a year if I really needed something but I was always disappointed. Far too much home decor crap and way less actual sewing products. It’s unfortunate that they veered so far from JoAnn “Fabrics” that they appear to have shot themselves in the foot! I will stick with my local quilt shops!
I know we live in the same general area. Are you talking about something other than a quilt shop? There are 3 or 4 of those pretty close.
From what I’ve seen, the quilt shops in this area focus primarily on selling sewing machines and sewing classes. There’s very limited fabrics for sale and almost no notions or associated hardware. But here’s the deal… with JoAnn’s out of the picture now, this would be a great time for these shops to try to appeal to a wider variety of shoppers, right? 🙂