Joann Fabrics Closing All Stores – Impact on the Tampa Bay Area and Florida’s West Coast
Joann Fabrics Closures Leave a Void in Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida’s Retail Landscape
Tampa Bay area and Florida’s west coast, affecting crafters, hobbyists, and small business owners who have long relied on the retailer for fabrics, sewing supplies, and crafting materials. With stores in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Port Richey, and Venice among those shutting down, customers will be forced to seek alternatives, often at higher prices or with more limited selections.
However, the loss of Joann’s extends beyond the crafting industry. The closures will displace employees and may negatively affect surrounding businesses that relied on the store’s consistent foot traffic. Shopping centers that once counted on Joann Fabrics as an anchor tenant will now face the difficult challenge of filling large retail spaces in an already struggling commercial real estate market.
The closures will have a significant impact on the Tampa Bay area and Florida’s west coast, where several Joann locations have long served as essential hubs for crafters, hobbyists, and small businesses. Stores shutting down in the region include locations in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Port Richey, and Venice, among others. The loss of these stores will leave a void for the crafting community, forcing customers to seek alternatives, often at higher prices or with less variety.
A Broader Challenge for Malls and Shopping Centers
Florida, especially in regions like Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida, has seen an increasing number of vacant retail spaces due to national chain store closures. The challenge is twofold:
- Finding retailers willing to expand in a shifting retail economy. Many traditional retailers are downsizing as e-commerce and shifting consumer habits reduce the demand for large, physical storefronts.
- Reinventing commercial spaces to attract foot traffic. Many shopping centers now opt to repurpose large retail units for experiential businesses, such as gyms, entertainment centers, medical offices, or local boutique markets instead of relying on national retail chains.
Joann’s closure follows a pattern seen with Bed Bath & Beyond, Sears, and other legacy retailers, where once-popular shopping centers are left with large vacancies that can be difficult to fill. This trend is particularly pronounced in Southwest Florida, where some malls and retail plazas have already been struggling with declining foot traffic and rising operational costs.
An Opportunity for New Retail & Local Businesses
While these closures create obstacles, they also open the door for small businesses and new types of tenants to take advantage of vacant retail space at potentially lower lease rates. Independent craft stores, specialty fabric retailers, or even community-driven creative spaces could emerge as new options for displaced Joann customers. Additionally, pop-up stores and local artisan markets could bring in fresh energy to these locations, catering to the community’s needs in ways that national chains could not.
The liquidation sales are already underway, with gift cards only accepted through February 28, 2025, and most stores expected to remain open until May 2025. Joann Fabrics’ closure is not just a loss for crafters—it is part of the larger retail evolution, forcing malls and shopping centers in Florida and beyond to adapt or risk further decline.
Source(s): https://www.npr.org/2025/02/25/nx-s1-5307907/joann-closing-stores-bankruptcy.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/02/24/joann-closing-stores-locations/80022854007.
