Walk into 1800 Skibo Road today and you won’t find the familiar hum of sewing machines or that specific, dusty scent of a thousand bolts of cotton. It’s quiet. Honestly, for the local Fayetteville crafting community, the silence is pretty loud. For years, this specific JOANN Fabrics Fayetteville NC location served as the primary nerve center for every DIY project in Cumberland County. Whether you were a Fort Liberty spouse sewing a "Welcome Home" banner or a Fayetteville State student hacking a thrift store find, this was the spot.
But then everything changed.
The story of the Fayetteville JOANN isn’t just about one store closing its doors; it’s a weirdly complex mix of corporate debt, shifting habits, and a retail landscape that basically left traditional sewists out in the cold. If you’ve driven by lately and wondered why the parking lot looks empty or why the "going out of business" signs finally came down, you aren’t alone. It’s been a rough ride for the brand that practically invented the modern coupon-stacking addiction.
The Reality of the Skibo Road Closure
So, let's get the facts straight. The JOANN Fabrics located at 1800 Skibo Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303, officially shut its doors following the massive corporate fallout of 2025. This wasn't just a local issue. JOANN Inc. went through a messy Chapter 11 bankruptcy process that ultimately led to the liquidation of its entire store fleet.
Kinda heartbreaking, right?
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By May 31, 2025, the Fayetteville location had finished its final liquidation sales. People were literally buying the shelving units and the fabric cutting tables. It felt like the end of an era because, for many, it was. If you go there now, you’re looking at a vacant shell. The 19,000 employees nationwide—including our local Fayetteville crew—were caught in the middle of a buyer group transition that didn't favor keeping the lights on.
Why Fayetteville Felt the Hit So Hard
Fayetteville is a unique town. We have a massive military population and a deep-rooted culture of "making do" and "doing it yourself." For the crafters here, JOANN wasn't just a store; it was a resource for specialized supplies that Walmart or Michaels just didn't carry.
- The Big 4 Patterns: Where else could you go to flip through those giant, heavy pattern books from McCall's or Vogue?
- The Upholstery Section: This store had a surprisingly decent stock of heavy-duty fabrics for those of us trying to fix up old furniture.
- The "Touch" Factor: You can’t feel the drape of a rayon challis through a computer screen. Online shopping just isn't the same.
The loss of this location left a massive hole in the local supply chain. While there are a few independent shops scattered around the Sandhills, none of them had the sheer volume of the Skibo Road giant.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Bankruptcy
There’s this rumor floating around that people just stopped sewing. That's just not true. Honestly, the "cottagecore" and "slow fashion" movements actually made sewing more popular with Gen Z than it has been in decades. The real problem was a "death by a thousand cuts" situation—literally.
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JOANN struggled with massive debt loads from private equity buyouts dating back to 2011. They were paying millions in rent every month—around $26 million for the whole company—and the Fayetteville store was part of that overhead. Add in some major supply chain issues where they couldn't even get the basic yarns or threads people wanted, and you have a recipe for disaster.
The Michaels Takeover (The Silver Lining?)
Here is something weirdly interesting: Michaels actually stepped in to buy some of JOANN's private label brands. If you were a die-hard fan of Big Twist yarn or certain JOANN-exclusive fabrics, you might start seeing them show up at the Michaels over on Glensford Drive.
It’s not a perfect replacement. Michaels is great for glue guns and picture frames, but their fabric selection has always been... well, thin. They’ve been trying to beef it up lately, even launching dedicated landing pages for "former JOANN shoppers," but for a serious quilter, it’s like replacing a steakhouse with a snack bar.
Where Fayetteville Crafters Are Heading Now
Since the JOANN Fabrics Fayetteville NC closure, the local "maker" scene has had to get creative. You’ve basically got three options now, and none of them involve a 50% off coupon from a glossy mailer.
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- Thrifting and Upcycling: The Goodwill on Raeford Road and local estate sales have become the new "fabric stores." It’s cheaper, but it’s a hunt.
- Online Giants: Sites like Wawak for notions or https://www.google.com/search?q=Fabric.com (which is now mostly swallowed by Amazon) have taken the lion's share of the business.
- Specialty Local Shops: Small quilt shops in surrounding areas like Hope Mills or Southern Pines are seeing a bit of a bump, though their prices reflect the higher quality of their "quilt-shop-only" cottons.
The Coupon Hangover
We have to talk about the coupons. JOANN trained us to never, ever pay full price. If you didn't have a 40% off code, you weren't buying. That model actually hurt them in the long run. Now, Fayetteville shoppers are having to adjust to "real" prices at smaller boutiques, and it’s a bit of a culture shock.
Actionable Steps for the Displaced Fayetteville Crafter
If you’re standing in your craft room looking at a half-finished project and realizing you’re out of interfacing, don’t panic. The Skibo Road JOANN is gone, but your hobby doesn't have to be.
- Check Michaels for "Big Twist": If you were mid-blanket with JOANN's house brand yarn, check the Michaels near Cross Creek Mall. They bought the brand rights and are stocking it now.
- Inventory Your Stash: Most of us have enough fabric to survive a small apocalypse. Now is the time to actually use those fat quarters you bought "just because" three years ago.
- Join Local Groups: Look for Fayetteville-based sewing or crochet groups on social media. People are doing "stash swaps" more than ever to help each other out with missing supplies.
- Support the Remaining Small Guys: Visit the independent quilt and yarn shops in the Cape Fear region. They might be pricier, but they offer the expertise and community that the big boxes eventually lost.
The era of the massive big-box fabric store in Fayetteville is officially over. It’s a bummer, but the creativity in this city hasn't gone anywhere. We’re just going to have to find it in different aisles.
Your next move: Take an inventory of your current projects and identify any specialized notions (like specific zippers or stabilizers) you usually bought at JOANN. Order these in bulk from a reputable online supplier like Wawak or check the inventory at the Glensford Drive Michaels to see if their new fabric expansion covers your needs before you start your next big sew.