‘Customers are devastated’: Joann Fabrics’ closure leaves craft vacuum in Carson City, surrounding communities

Joanne’s Fabrics in Carson City on March 5, 2025.
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Joann Fabrics and Crafts in Carson City is currently in the process of closing and liquidating its stores nationwide which, according to a spokesperson for the Carson City location, is going to leave a “huge vacuum” in the community. 

Joann’s is the only fabric seller within Carson City and the surrounding communities, while Reno contains Mill End Fabrics, another fabric store in Carson City that was shut down a few years ago. 

“This store’s departure leaves a very large hole for our crafting community,” they said, adding that many customers have been purchasing materials in anticipation of limited future options, in what they called “panic buying.”

This is because the closure leaves very few alternatives in the local community, according to the spokesperson. Other craft stores like Michaels and the incoming Hobby Lobby do not carry fabric, and have a limited inventory of other items like yarn and knitting supplies that Joann’s carries, they said. 

Update: Some Carson Now readers reported that Michaels recently began supplying fabric, though in smaller quantities and variations than offered at Joann’s. Others said Hobby Lobby locations also supply some fabric stock, but it’s not known what the Carson City location will or will not carry.

While there are some local quilt shops in the area, “a lot of people complain about the higher prices,” because small businesses aren’t able to provide the lower prices that a larger store like Joann’s can offer, they said.

The location of Joann’s within the Carson Mall has been selling fabrics, crafts, and sewing supplies for around three decades now, first as House of Fabric, and then as Joann’s. 

According to the spokesperson, some staff members have been working at the location for nearly thirty years. 

There is no closing date announced, the spokesperson said, which is typical of a liquidation. 

Despite this, none of the staff members have left since the announcement, and morale remains high, which is “sometimes a difficult position when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.” 

“We have a great team, we’re a family, and we’re just trying to do our jobs,” the spokesperson said. “We need to be strong for the customers; we treat them like family, too, as they deserve. Everybody here loves their job.” 

While the staff is understandably upset, especially those who have spent a majority of their life working at the location, the spokesperson said it was nothing compared to the community. 

“It’s a sad day for us; we get nothing but people all day saying ‘We just can’t believe this is happening,’” they said. “They need to be acknowledged. They’re devastated, they don’t know where they’re going to go. While other industries were hurt by amazon, that’s not the case for us, because people need to touch fabric to know what they want. We never had to compete against online companies.” 

The spokesperson said that their store has always done well, and the demand is still here. 

“[Joann’s] serves a niche, it has no competition from places like Amazon, and you have the one thing here that a lot of other [industries] can’t produce: demand,” they said. “So that demand is going to be a vacuum here.” 

At this time, the store could close at any time, but until then, the  spokesperson said the team is going to continue doing what they’ve always done: be there for their customers. 

“Our team did our job, and our customers did their job; we can walk out of here with our heads high.” 

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