Episode 234: Who killed Jo-Ann?

What happened to Jo-Ann (the massive fabric/craft store chain)?  In many places, it was the only game in town.  It had a captive audience.  And sewing and mending are on the rise.   So Amanda set out to find out who killed Jo-Ann.  It’s a lot more complicated than you think! In this episode we take a journey full of twists and turns:

• Was it just private equity? And WTF is private equity anyway?
• What do Jo-Ann and Red Lobster have in common? Unfortunately it's not Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
• How has society's relationship with sewing changed over the last 80 years?
• Who is Faith Popcorn and why is Amanda obsessed with her?
• Where are the mechanized hugging booths?
• Does anyone remember Cargo Express?
• Where did Jo-Ann's leadership go wrong?
• How would Amanda "save" Jo-Ann?
• What is the future of fabric stores? And how are we all a part of it?

So many sources and so many links for this episode.

First: some suggested fabric stores from Amanda:
Firecracker Fabrics
L'Etoffe Fabrics
Nacho Ann's Fabrics
Make & Mend

Check out Oddly Specific with Meredith Lynch

Sources and additional reading:
"How private equity rolled Red Lobster," Gretchen Morgenson, NBC News.
"How trend forecasting keeps the biggest brands on top," Peter Firth, City AM.

"Faith Popcorn’s predictions five years later," Patrick Kevin Day, Los Angeles Times.
"The Essence of Cocooning," Beth Ann Krier, Los Angeles Times.
"Cloth World stores sold to chain," Alan Goldstein, Tampa Bay Times.
"Fabri-Centers Agrees to Pay $3 Million to Settle Charges," Leslie Eaton, The New York Times.
"Staff Said The Free Mask Kits At Jo-Ann Fabrics Are Just Scraps From The Clearance Bin," Amber Jamieson, Buzzfeed.
"Did private equity kill Joann fabrics?" Sam Becker, Fast Company.
"How Joann Fabrics went from a cult-favorite retail darling to a bankruptcy disaster," Lila Maclellan, Fortune.
"Sixty-seven years of fabrics and crafts," Janet H. Cho, The Plain Dealer.
"Sixty Years of Serving Creativity," Marsha McGregor.

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If you want to share your opinion/additional thoughts on the subjects we cover in each episode, feel free to email, whether it’s a typed out message or an audio recording:  amanda@clotheshorse.world

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