Two Popular Boise Craft Stores Are In Their Final Days, See Inside the Stores

Earlier this week, USA Today reported that April 28 would be the final day for more than 100 of the remaining JOANN Fabric stores. A retail liquidator, GA Group, was awarded the right to run the Joann’s store closing sale process, and to facilitate the sale of its other assets as part of the court-supervised bankruptcy process.

I noticed that none of the eight Idaho JOANN locations that were still standing at the end of February were in the USA Today’s searchable database of stores that closed in April.

READ MORE: JOANN Fabrics No Longer Accepting Gift Cards at Idaho Stores

However, this video from the Lewiston Tribune popped up on my Facebook newsfeed the very same day. It showed shoppers milling around a nearly empty JOANN location.  If you look closely, it looks like the sign on the windows says “Last 2 Days.” 

While the media outlet didn’t identify which location this was, we think it was the one in Clarkston, WA (an 11 minute drive from Lewiston) since it has been removed from the JOANN directory and the Moscow location is still listed as open for liquidation. The directory page has also removed the Nampa location at District 208. 

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Both Boise locations, Milwaukee and Federal Way, were still listed as open for liquidation. After seeing the Tribune video, I got curious to see if those locations were just as desolate. 

What’s Happening at the JOANN Fabrics on Milwaukee?

That was my first stop and I was stunned as soon as I walked in. While the store definitely looks picked over and some of the sections have been moved/consolidated, there was a significant amount of merchandise in the store. The jewelry section was pretty picked over, but the fabric counter was still bustling with people trying to score closeout deals on fleece and other fabrics. 

Toward the back of the store there were TONS of yarn skeins waiting for shoppers, including the big chunky kind you’d use to hand knit a blanket. Several Cricut machines were still available and there was a surprising amount of vinyl products you’d use with them available. 

I asked an employee at the counter “how many days do you have left?” They told me they had to be out by May 31, but don’t know when their last day will be because merchandise keeps arriving daily. She thinks that stores that have already closed in other locations across the country are sending the Milwaukee store their unsold merchandise, adding “we have thousands of boxes in the back.” 

Here’s a look at what the store looked like on Tuesday, April 29. 

What’s Happening at the JOANN Fabrics on Federal Way?

You need fleece? You need fabric? Visit the Federal Way store. There’s still a ton of it, however some of them are marked with a minimum number of yards you need to purchase. Signs around the store let shoppers know that new warehouse inventory is arriving daily and there was quite a bit to choose from. You’ll see some of that selection in my pictures below. 

READ MORE: Idaho Shoppers Warned About New JOANN Scams as Stores Close

If you have a move coming up, it might not hurt to stop by the store for boxes. They’re giving those away for free at the front of the store. 

When I asked an employee in the fabric section if she knew how much longer the store would be open, she told me “about another month.”