Crafters in the Milwaukee area may not have Joann Fabrics to shop at anymore, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have options.
The closure of Joann has woven its way into the fabric of local craft shops 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.
Michaels has several stores in the area, including Milwaukee, Brookfield, New Berlin, Germantown and Grafton, according to its website.
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.
Here are some of them to try:
Planet Bead, 710 N. Milwaukee St., Milwaukee – Every type and style of bead, novelty yarns
Fiber Fever, 2224 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee – Yarn, needles & hooks, books, notions
Cream City Yarn, 15565 W. North Ave., Brookfield – Yarn, accessories, needles, books, notions, kits
Eclectica Beads, 21420 W. Greenfield Ave., New Berlin – Thousands of beads in an endless array of designs and sizes
My Material Matters Quilt Shop, W62N244 Washington Ave., Cedarburg – Fabrics, wool, machines, notions, patterns, books
Manhattan Textiles, 10505 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa – Interior design services, window treatments, fabrics, area rugs, furniture and upholstery
Patched Works, Inc., 13330 Watertown Plank Road, Elm Grove – Fabric, kits, books & patterns, notions
Sew Much More, 2140 W. St. Paul Ave. L, Waukesha – Sewing machines, machine repair
Sew n’ Save, 3701 Durand Ave., Racine – Sewing machines, sewing accessories, notions, threads, quilting fabric, sewing machine repair service
Unraveled Creative Studio, 614 6th St., Racine – Yarn and fiber supplies
Many of the shops also offer classes and in-store activities. Check the store websites for details.
Liliana Fannin is a 2025 summer intern at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covering the Milwaukee suburbs. She can be contacted at lfannin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: With the closure of Joann Fabrics, here are other Milwaukee area craft stores to check out
Reporting by Liliana Fannin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
