My local Joann's store remodel = YARN!

#1

I’m so excited! I just got home from my local Joann’s. It’s always had the best needle selection of the big box stores in my town, but their yarn selection was really lousy. I went in today for DPNs and was happily surprised to see the yarn area has grown to about 3 or 4x what it was before!! They had yarns I’d never seen, like Mode Dea Bamboo Wool, Bernat CottonCorn blend, and a bunch of JoAnn brand yarns. They have much more wool and wool blends than ever before.

It was like a little slice of yarn heaven… just thought I’d share :happydance:

Is anyone else getting a remodel at your local Joann’s store?

#2

Yay! I always loved Joann’s for having a lot of great yarns that are beautiful and affordable! My local Joann’s Etc never disappoints! Glad your Joann’s has improved! I will have to check out my local Joann’s and see if they, too, have those new yarns you mentioned!

#3

My local JoAnn’s stinks. There is absolutely NO needle selection to speak of and only a few bins of yarn and nothing special in those. I gave up on them long ago.

#4

I haven’t been to Joann’s lately but last week when I went to the HobbyLobby I usually go to I noticed their yarn selection had shrunk! Bad enough Wal Mart has chucked crafters out the door, but now this…and I drove an hour to go there. Very disappointed…will check out Joann’s next time I get to go to Springfield and see what they have.

#5

I have noticed the same thing at my Hobby Lobby. It seems that they have narrowed their selection to their own brand of yarn along with a small selection of red heart and caron.

#6

When you list your locasl JoAnn store could you say where it is?
I have 2 near me in Massachusetts–Saugus and Middleton.

Has anyone been to Playtown for yarn? I haven’t been there yet. Its in Arlington, MA. I was wondering about their selection of yarn. I heard they have a huge selection of craft supplies.

A friend picked up the sew-on google eyes for me for sweaters I was making. I could not find the sew on anywhere else.

#7

I live in VT, and my local Joann’s has enough of a selection, I suppose, but the prices are waaay higher than Michael’s. At Joann, a skein of Paton’s Classic is $6.99, and it’s $4.99 at Michael’s. I will continue to go to Joann in a pinch (it’s 40 miles closer), but I do my yarn shopping at Michael’s. Plus, Michael’s has great sales!
With that all said, I have recently become addicted to yarn.com. SUPER DEALS!!

#8

Sunshine’s Mom, my Joann’s store used to have a yarn selection about like your local store-- very few bins and most of it was Vanna’s Choice and Homespun - not much variety. I was so happily surprised to see several aisles now dedicated to yarn, including some fingering weight wool in solid colors and some yarns in fibers I hadn’t seen before, like the cotton/corn blend. Some stores may already have this kind of selection; I was just curious if Joann’s was doing a widespread remodel or if I just got lucky.

Jomac30-- my store is in Bloomington, IN. It’s old selection was very similar to the selection in my parents’ town a couple hours away. I’m not sure if they’re getting a remodel, too or not.

The # of aisles of yarn at my local hobby lobby also shrunk, but the selection seems better to me. They got rid of a lot of the novelty yarns and added several wool blends. I really like Hobby Lobby’s baby yarns, too.

I’m just happy to be seeing new and better (maybe that just means more appealing to me) yarns in my local stores. Hope you all start seeing positive changes in your stores, too. :thumbsup:

#9

Wow, My HL has their brand plus quite a lot of yarn by Bernat, Caron, RH, Vanna’s Choice/Lion (though not woolease worsted), Patons, and Deborah Norville’s Premier yarn brands. They’ve made the section smaller, but they got rid of a lot of fuzzy, furry yarn for the sock yarns and the other new ones.

#10

I find that in my area, AC Moore has, by far, the best selection of yarn - at least as compared with Michael’s and JoAnn’s. Jomac, there is an AC Moore in Somerville, Danvers and Woburn - if you haven’t been there, maybe you could check it out.

I do find they vary a bit by location though. I tend to hit up the one in Framingham during lunch, and have been pleased with both their needle and yarn selection. I’ll have to give Joann’s another shot next time I am near one. Though, I gotta say, hitting up a LYS kinda takes the fun out of the box stores for me lol!

#11

My local Joann’s, in western MD, still has what I think are the same skeins of yarn it had 6 years ago when I started knitting, and lately it seems like they have less and less yarn. However, I went in a few weeks ago and noticed that their selection of needles and accessories has improved significantly. Maybe that means there’s yarn on the way??? I can dream. :teehee:

#12

LadyJessica, I think it’s hopeful! I’ve heard via Ravelry that Joann’s has introduced several new yarns under their house brand, so maybe you’ll get some of those, at least. The new ones I saw I really liked.

At my store, they not only got the new house yarns but also the entire store was remodelled–which increased the size of the yarn dept to 3 or 4 times its old size. :happydance:

Sounds like your store, or at least the yarn dept, is due for a remodel, too… Crossed Fingers

#13

I’ve noticed the new yarns at my JoAnn’s as well. The cost is higher than Micheal’s and the selection not as big. As far as needles go, neither store has a good selection. I’ve gotten so I buy a lot of needles on line to get the size/lengths I need. Good to see them revamping the stores.