Local stores fill niche left by Joann closure
- Ellie Ruel
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Juneau craft stores pick up slack, expand stock after craft giant shuts down
By Ellie Ruel
Juneau Independent
After Juneau’s only chain craft supply retailer Joann closed permanently in May, local creatives felt like they were left in the lurch. No other retailer in town carries everything from cake decorating supplies and fabrics to clay and canvas alongside a veritable plethora of tools under the same roof.
Joann shut the doors of its “underperforming” stores including locations in Juneau and Anchorage after the chain filed for bankruptcy in the District of Delaware Bankruptcy Court. Since then, all store locations have shut down and the brand’s intellectual property has been sold to Michael’s.
While the central hub for art supplies no longer exists, local specialty stores are filling many of the voids. The consensus among art store owners is that the community still needs a similar one-stop craft shop. Right now, they’re adapting to what their customer base wants. This means picking up extra stock for some, while others will continue selling as usual.
Balloons by Night Moods - 9342 Glacier Hwy #74
“If you don't adapt, it doesn't matter what kind of business you have, if you don't adapt to your customers, and you only have a very focused view of, ‘This is the only thing I'm going to do,’ then you're going to die,” said Kathy Buell, owner of Balloons by Night Moods, a party store that boasts the largest latex and foil balloon supply in the state.
She’s no stranger to adaptability in Juneau’s unique business environment. In her 30 years of owning the store, it’s transitioned from lingerie to balloons to party supplies. Buell’s original venture was Night Moods, a lingerie shop she closed due to medical reasons. When she reopened, the store was relocated to the former Airport Mall location of Good Humor Balloons. Since people kept asking for balloons and the old supplier was looking to get rid of her stock, Buell gradually transitioned to a party and balloons store.
Buell added a new cake decorating section to her store and expanded her ribbon offerings. An alcove at the back of the building now holds cake pans, sprinkles, edible glitter, boxes, boards, and more. It’s a sizable expansion from the original catering section, and features an assortment of themed cake toppers.
“We've brought in cake boards, cake boxes,” Buell said. “We've brought in the Wilton line of cake decorating supplies of frostings, gel colorants, sprinkles, edible glitter.”
Spools of colorful silk and satin ribbons hang a few shelves away. Balloons by Night Moods already had a wholesale account with their ribbon supply company to do party setups, so when Joann closed, Buell bought every kind and color of ribbon she could find.
“We're not turning into a craft store, but people use ribbons for all kinds of reasons, so that you know, whether it's a wedding and they're doing little favors, or it's graduation season and they're making fun leis, things like that,” Buell said. “If I get three customers for different dates that want something, I'll bring it. If I can find it, I'll bring it in. So as long as it goes with the store.”
RainTree Quilting - 9105 Mendenhall Mall Rd Suite 350
Jodie Buck, the owner of RainTree Quilting, said her name might indicate a singular focus on quilt supplies, but her supply inventory runs the gamut of fabric usage. Thread, sewing machines, embroidery machines, needles, notions, and batting line her walls, and cheery fabrics fill the shelves.
“Unfortunately, the name is a little bit limiting, but we have fabrics for quilting, which are your premium quilting cottons, but we also carry a selection of really nice garment knits and some flannels,” she said.
Buck bought RainTree eight years ago after retiring from teaching home economics due to chronic migraines. She used her background in garment design to steer the store into a more wide-ranging market. Her staff has different specialty areas, and the store runs the only full-service sewing machine repair shop in Southeast Alaska with two technicians.
Since May, Buck has seen an influx of people she calls “misplaced Joann customers.” Some of them have inquired about general craft supplies, but she’s seen a trend of requests for hand sewing and clothing repair materials. In the coming months, RainTree plans to bring in more hand sewing supplies, embroidery floss, and licensed fleece patterns. Buck said she’ll be selective.
“Probably more ball teams like team sports,” she said. “Themes and maybe some kind of licensed fabrics like Harry Potter, for example, but we're going to start by pulling our customers to see what they're interested in.”
She said it’s important to have customer feedback since more supplies take up space and financial resources.
“If I can't sell it, it's not wise for me to bring it in, but I only want to bring in good quality, because poor quality fleece ends up in the dump really fast,” Buck said. “It just doesn't hold up.”
Changing Tides - 175 S Franklin St #203
Changing Tides also carries a variety of fabric patterns and some sewing supplies. A separate back section houses multicolored artisan yarns and some knitting needles and crochet hooks. In the heart of the tourism district, gift items like mugs are interspersed throughout the space and displays prominently feature “Alaskan” prints with salmon or bears. While they somewhat cater to tourists in the summer months, the store has seen an uptick in local traffic lately.
Owner Jan Nardone says that in the post-Joann era, Changing Tides plans to expand its yarn section to be more accessible to all levels of knitter and crocheter, without sacrificing quality.
“We started out as just hand-dyed in Alaska yarn, so it’s expensive,” Nardone said. “And so we've kind of lowered it a little bit. We won't go down to Joann's and get acrylic or anything like that, but we will get something that everybody can use.”
Crafty Girl Consignment - 1997 Dunn St Suite 3
Another local option for yarn is Crafty Girl Consignment in the Mendenhall Valley. Wendy Beebe opened her one-woman operation last year and accepts consignment craft supplies of all varieties. Most of her stock is still in its original packaging, and she carefully selects what goes on her shelves, rearranging the space based on what she’s carrying.
“With having so many craft supplies myself, they cost money,” Beebe said. “And when I wasn't using them, I was trying to find an outlet to sell them, so I came up with a craft consignment store.I get a little bit of everything. So it's nice.”
Aside from consignments, Beebe also brings in craft kits, home goods, watercolor books, and crochet hooks wholesale. Her crafting niche is paper and yarn, which she plans to bring in wholesale in the wake of Joann closing down permanently. She’s attempting to bring in acrylic paint, which isn’t readily available in town anymore.
“I mean yarn and paper crafting, that's kind of my passion, but I am moving more towards yarn, and I think a lot of people are really getting into crochet and knitting and stuff like that,” she said. “It's totally making a comeback, and so that's really what people are after.”
The space is also an arts classroom. Beebe intends to host more artists, who are welcome to teach whatever skills they please. Unconventionally, she pays artists to teach in her space, rather than charging for the usage. She has a similar setup for her local artist consignments, which change month to month. Right now, the main artist display features earrings made by a local middle schooler.
Lupine Leather and Beads - 9105 Mendenhall Mall Rd Suite 330
Lupine Leather and Beads might have a different specialty from Beebe, but it employs a similar method of community engagement. The regalia and beading supply store has recently relocated to a larger space in the Mendenhall Mall, where tables and chairs are now set up for customers to work on their projects. A kitchenette is also on its way to completion, which will be crucial to the store’s Wednesday Soup Nights, where beaders can get together and chat while they work on their projects.
“It was pretty much her home dream is what she called it, and so she made her living room dream come to life,” said Izabella Retallick, whose aunt Frances Andrews founded the store, originally called Regalia Arts and Beads.
Michelle Clark, Andrew’s mother, now manages the store. Bright glass seed beads hang from wall hooks, and spools of colored felt sit in the back. The opposite wall holds a variety of pelts and furs, and the front of the store features her husband’s silverwork. She says that the shop has seen more traffic since Joann closed, and while they might plus up their jewelry-making supplies like wires, they won’t carry the same type of beads the craft giant did.
“The foot traffic here is great and so I have been seeing an uptake in people that would go to Joanne's first coming here now, and we don't carry inexpensive or cheap things, so it's a little different for folks if they're not gonna order online, and lot of people like to see, touch, feel,” Clark said. “We're not gonna carry cheaper quality beads and stuff.”
Clark noted that she sources beads from the Czech Republic and Japan because of their uniformity, which is better suited for traditional beadwork. They’ve seen a 4-5% increase in price from their suppliers due to tariffs and higher shipping costs, which they’ve had to work into their pricing structure.
“You have to be creative in it, make sure you order what you need and find the best way to ship things,” Clark said.
Alaska Robotics - 134 North Franklin St
Another notable gap left by Joann is sketchbooks, pencils, markers, and pens. While on first glance, Alaska Robotics may seem like an odd place to find art supplies, the gallery features a nook on the left wall that holds a wealth of drawing supplies.
Ineri Kylanen, who’s worked there for 12 years, said that the store’s focus is portable supplies, especially given their downtown location.
According to Kylanen, the gallery tries to specialize in quality materials with a comfortable pricepoint, so people can buy “something that will last you and will serve you well, but it's not the exact, the best, like sort of the highest priced professional.”
“A lot of our customers are tourists, but we do also serve locals. So it's something like, we don't really have huge items just because we don't have space for it, but we try to have things that are for multiple ways of doing art that serve you well.” Kylanen said.
The gallery may not be a full-service craft store, but Kylanen said they’re willing to help local artists source and order whatever supplies they might need.
“So if you do something specific, like say you do your printmaking thing, and there aren't that many printmakers in town, so we probably don't carry that regularly, but you would like to have that item, you can order it through us,” Kylanen said.
Ben Franklin - 233 Front St
For more general supplies, Ben Franklin’s back section covers a lot of the bases. They have a general craft section with the basics like markers and pens, as well as some fabrics, yarn, and sewing supplies. Seasonal decorations like fake fall leaves and tinsel garlands are available on their back wall. They don’t plan to expand, since they don’t have the space.
Imagination Station - 174 South Franklin St
With back-to-school coming up, families are looking for entry-level art supplies for kids. Those supplies may be readily available at stores like Fred Meyer and Office Max, but local toy store Imagination Station also carries the full Crayola line as well as kids’ art kits and a few STEM kits. They’re also expecting a shipment of Faber-Castell supplies shortly, and carry nicer pens and adult coloring books.
“I did keep in mind that there was going to be less available in town when I bought for the fall, so we will have a slightly broader craft section this year and just put a little more effort into it,” said Alicia Smith, who owns Imagination Station. “We’ll be concentrating more on art items and craft kits.”
• Contact Ellie Ruel at ellie.ruel@juneauindependent.com.
