After sewing for most of her life, Julie Karasek fulfilled her dream and purchased a quilt shop in Elm Grove, Patched Works, in 2006. Although the nationwide closure of all Joann Fabrics stores translated into increased sales for her shop, she said she was still unhappy with the retail chain’s closure.
Joann made crafting in general more accessible, Karasek believes. She said in her time as a business owner, she has seen Joann act as an entryway into the craft of quilting, often leading people to her shop.
The closure of Joann has woven its way into the fabric of local craft shops in the Milwaukee area over the past few months, creating slight changes in customer base, sales and product demand. At the same time, Joann’s former leading competitor, Michaels, has made clear efforts to sweep up the business of previous Joann fans.
Karasek’s goal now is to “fill the void for the quilting space,” she said.
With this in mind, she’s increased the selection of budget-friendly fabrics in the shop, knowing Joann offered a more affordable lineup. She’s also added additional products, like batting and sewing interfacing, that she otherwise would not have carried because of the demand.
Joann Fabrics officially closed all stores nationwide on May 31
The closure of all Joann Fabrics stores was official on May 31 after the retail chain filed for bankruptcy, leaving Joann regulars in the greater Milwaukee area looking for alternative shops.
The specialty craft and fabric chain had over 800 stores nationwide, offering a wide range of fabrics and all kinds of crafting products.
Shoppers could purchase supplies for their scrapbook, yarn for a new scarf, fabric for a quilting project and beads for self-made earrings, all in one trip.
Many local craft shops have seen a slight increase in sales since the nationwide Joann closure
Besides Patched Works, other locally owned fabric, bead, yarn, textile and specialty craft stores have noticed a slight uptick in new customers in the past few months.
“We’ve definitely had a few more people looking for the things that they carry,” owner of Planet Bead, Keith Seib, said, referring to Joann, but not enough to make a major impact on revenue.
Seib knows this to be true because he asks every customer that comes to Planet Bead how they found his shop, he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The owner of Cream City Yarn in Brookfield, Nicole Anderson, has had a similar experience.
“I think that they’re just not really certain where to go,” Anderson said about former Joann shoppers.
Anderson, Seib, and Karasek did not have the resources to identify the exact metrics of their sales increases; they based it on the expanding product demand and customers coming in looking for things Joann typically carried.
‘The quality is here,’ shoppers say about Planet Bead
Shanna Wilson and Kerianna Valuckis of northwest Indiana visited Milwaukee in June 2025 and stopped by Planet Bead. The pair both handmake jewelry that they sell on Etsy and at local markets for their small business, Lemon Drop Jewelry.
Wilson said they don’t have local bead shops near their town, so occasionally, somewhat reluctantly, they needed to stop by a Joann Fabrics for their business. Anytime they travel, they look for local bead shops to check out.
“The quality is here; it’s never been at those other places,” Wilson said, referring to Joann and other retail chain craft stores.
Locally owned craft shops offer a product niche
Compared to Joann’s wide selection, most local crafting stores have a particular niche of products for sale.
Cream City Yarn offers high-end, natural fiber yarn and knitting tools. Manhattan Textiles of Wauwatosa provides specialized fabrics for their residential and commercial interior design services and products. Planet Bead is stocked with beads of every type and style.
This leaves shoppers with a more limited selection of products to choose from, compelling them to check out multiple stores or to shop online.
For over 30 years, these best friends have supported local quilt shops all over Wisconsin due to higher product quality
Karen Noll and Debbi Levandoski met when their children were going to grade school together and have been best friends ever since. Over 30 years ago, they decided to take a beginner’s quilting class together at Patched Works.
They still quilt to this day and have never been regulars at Joann, but frequent local shops, like Patched Works, all over Wisconsin.
Noll told the Journal Sentinel that she recently wrapped up an ambitious and intricate quilting project that took her over a year to complete. A typical project can take the quilting duo about 40 hours to finish, Noll and Levandoski said.
“If you are going to spend that much time working on a gift for someone, you want it to be good quality,” Noll said.
As quilters, Levandoski and Noll were never fans of the fabric sold at Joann’s because of the quality, and say local shops supply a much superior product.
They acknowledge that Joann’s products were less expensive than those at most local shops, but say the quality of fabric is what makes their projects last the test of time and prevent regular wear and tear.
Seib and other local craft shop owners believe that as time goes on, the previous regulars of Joann’s will become regulars of Michaels, while the local craft shops’ longtime customers will stay loyal.
Michaels obtains Joann’s brands, hoping to acquire its leftover business
Michaels is the largest arts and crafts retail chain in North America, with over 1,200 locations, according to its website.
A June 5 news release from The Michaels Companies, Inc., announced the company acquired Joann’s intellectual property and private label brands, including the popular Big Twist brands.
“JOANN was a beloved destination for creators for generations, and Michaels is honored to serve this community with a dedicated landing page featuring the latest updates and a curated assortment of products,” the release said.
The search term ‘fabric’ on Michaels.com has increased by 77% over the past year, the release said.
Michaels is expanding its fabric, yarn and sewing products for sale to include typical Joann’s merchandise, adding over 600 products to its inventory, according to the release.
“It will be interesting to see how it plays out,” Karasek said about whether the customers she has gained since the closure of Joann’s will stick around or end up a Michaels regular.
Joann customer disappointed by the retail chain’s closure, heading to Michaels
Not all former Joann customers are switching to small, local shops. Some are taking their business to Michaels.
Kelly Kassander of Thiensville was a regular at Joann Fabrics and was disappointed by the nationwide closure, she told the Journal Sentinel.
She would often shop for flannel fabric at Joann to hand-make flannel blankets, along with checking out local shops. She preferred Joann to local specialty craft shops because flannels were much more affordable there, she said, and plans to check out the new selection of flannel at Michaels soon.
Local craft shops work to offer expertise and community
It is common for local craft shops to offer a ‘third space’ and product expertise to the community through classes, clubs and open studios.
Seib and his wife started Planet Bead from their home in 1990.
“He knows way more than I ever will,” Wilson said about Seib and his bead knowledge.
Ellen Bayshore is one of the three owners of Unraveled Fiber Studio in Racine. Anytime the studio is open, and there is not a class in session, people are welcome to come in and knit, crochet or work on any craft, she said.
Crochet, spinning, needle felting, punch needle and knitting classes are all available at Unraveled.
The business also hosts biweekly open craft nights and multiple free bring-your-own project craft clubs, including a queer craft club for LGBTQ+ community members in Racine.
“That’s been a really amazing group for us, and has built a really big community,” Bayshore said about the queer craft club. “That really surprised us; we weren’t sure how successful that would be in a smaller city.”
Locally owned arts and craft shops to check out in the greater Milwaukee area:
- Planet Bead, 710 N. Milwaukee St., Milwaukee
- Fiber Fever, 2224 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee
- Cream City Yarn, 15565 W. North Ave., Brookfield
- Eclectica Beads, 21420 W. Greenfield Ave., New Berlin
- My Material Matters Quilt Shop, W62N244 Washington Ave., Cedarburg
- Manhattan Textiles, 10505 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa
- Patched Works, Inc., 13330 Watertown Plank Road, Elm Grove
- Sew Much More, 2140 W. St. Paul Ave. L, Waukesha
- Sew n’ Save, 3701 Durand Ave., Racine
- Unraveled Creative Studio, 614 6th St., Racine
Liliana Fannin is a 2025 summer intern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covering the Milwaukee suburbs. She can be contacted at lfannin@gannett.com.
