A Farewell to Joann: A Family Remembers One of the Stores That Brought Them Together

Since 1943, Joann Fabric and Craft Stores has offered fabric and craft supplies to creatives and hobbyists through approximately 850 retail stores nationwide. According to their website, the fabric store will be closing all of these stores by the end of May 2025, but will be keeping their online site available for items at final sale.

After seeing the news, I planned to head to the nearest Joann store as soon as possible. With prices slashed up to 70 percent, it felt like a crafters sweet dream, but also a bitter goodbye.

I grew up surrounded by creativity. My mom, Lynette Ferraro, and her mom, Glendora Greenway, were always crafting and creating something remarkable. Greenway, a lifelong seamstress, raised Ferraro with her crafty touch and eventually their magic rubbed off onto me.

“My mom taught me to sew as a little girl,” Greenway recalled, “When I was in High School, they had a sewing class where I got a lot better, and I’ve been improving ever since.”

After hearing of Joann Fabric and Craft Store’s closing, Greenway was completely shocked and instantly wanted to stock up on some discounted supplies. She was happy about the deals but is frustrated with the change.

“I’m going to have to start driving 30 minutes to get fabric now,” she continues frustrated, “AND I REFUSE TO BUY FABRIC ONLINE!”

Upon arrival at the Cypress, California Joann store, I retrieved the mobility scooter for my grandma and helped her get out of the car. While we were heading in, she began to reminisce on memories from the store.

“You were still riding in the cart, that’s how little you were,” she said smiling, “And you wanted to touch all the different fabrics and loved the pretty colors.”

As we both entered through the narrow foyer, smells of fabrics, pinecones, flowers and paint filled our nostrils and memories began flying in. Before I could stop and think, I noticed the aisles somewhat barren with flickering lights overhead and ‘SALE’ signs scattered nearly everywhere. I began to realize that this is a completely different store than I remember.

“Wow. It’s really going to be gone… I cannot believe it,” I said to Greenway.

But walking those empty aisles, I didn’t think about just the store, but instead I remembered climbing into my grandma’s lap as she taught me how to thread a needle. I recalled the first time my grandma and I made a blanket together. I pictured the two of us giggling hysterically, tangled in yarn, hearing the wood crackle in the rusted brick fireplace at my grandma’s old house.

While we roamed, Greenway called Ferraro to see if she needed yarn for a project she is working on. To her surprise she didn’t even know the stores were closing!

“WHAT! Mom, how did you forget to mention that ‘Joann’s’ is closing?” she screamed through the phone, “I have been going to the Cypress store since the 90’s, when it first opened in that lot!”

Talking to store associated was emotional, to say the least. They wore their sadness quietly in their eyes and were trying to keep up with crowds.

When discussing the closure of the store, multiple store associates repeated verbatim, “Unfortunately, we were told not to talk about our experience.”

They said this shruggingly and went back to cutting yards, organizing inventory and preparing for Joann Stores’ farewell.

By this time, my grandma and I had filled our cart, so we headed to the checkout.

“They still have the ‘suckers’ that I used to love!” I yelped excitedly, grabbing one from across the checkout counter.

Like always during my childhood, my grandma bought me a cotton candy lollipop and for just a moment…I felt like that little kid riding in the cart again.