Fabric and crafts retailer Joann announced last month that it would be going out of business and closing all of its stores nationwide — news that came as a disappointment for some culture bearers and others who participate in the traditions of New Orleans.
Now, those who relied on Joann for materials to create Mardi Gras costumes and carry on masking traditions are looking for alternatives to the national retailer, which has two locations in Metairie and Gretna winding down operations.
“Honestly, with Joann closing it’s gonna be so much harder for me to find fabric and materials,” said Reuben Battley, a member of the Zulu Walking Warriors.
Battley learned Joann is going out of business during a trip to the store. That day, he was looking for acrylic paint to finish decorating coconuts that he planned to throw on Mardi Gras in the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club parade.
“When I went in, I saw the ‘store closing’ [sign]. I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ So I Googled the articles and I saw that they were all closing,” he said.
Battley has been a member of the Zulu Walking Warriors for three years. He said all of his costumes so far had been fully made with materials from Joann.
He’d often get inspiration from his costumes by walking around Joann and seeing what was on the shelves. Now, he has to pivot. He’s not sold on buying from online sites like Amazon, which he said are “hit or miss.” Instead, he’s planning to check out small businesses in the city.
“My costumes are very, very special to me,” he said. “And honestly, just the time and effort it takes to make it, and to put into it, to be able to display that in front of such a large crowd, it’s an amazing experience.”
Joann filed for bankruptcy in February – its second filing in 12 months – and a private firm successfully bid to acquire all of the company’s assets.
Now in the process of shutting down operations, Joann stores are conducting going-out-of-business sales at all of its 790 locations. The company said it expects the sale to last approximately 12 weeks – until the end of May – or until supplies last.
Rochelle Reimonenq has been making parasols for the New Orleans Baby Doll Ladies for ten years. She’s confident that the people who shop at Joann will be able to find an alternative in the city.
“99% of the people that deal in that kind of stuff, they know where to go,” Reimonenq said.
Some popular small businesses patronized by New Orleans-area crafters and creators include Jefferson Variety Store, Broadway Bound and The Bead Shop.
When Reimonenq lived in New Orleans, she primarily shopped at Jefferson Variety for the materials she needed for the parasols, an iconic part of the Baby Dolls’ costumes.
“You could walk in that store and get anything that you wanted to make an umbrella. So it made it convenient for me,” Reimonenq said.
But Joann was reliable when she needed them in a pinch, she said. She has since moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, which has a Joann location.
“If I can’t find it, then I’ll go to Joanns and see if they got it,” she said.
Kendell Trepagnier, big chief of the Black Eagle tribe, called the closure of Joann stores disconcerting and a “huge loss.”
“It’s not just with us and the Mardi Gras Indian culture, and the second line culture, but you have the Baby Dolls, you have several different [groups] throughout the city that depend on [Joann] throughout the city, throughout this culture, who go there and frequent there,” Trepagnier said.
With this year’s Mardi Gras having just passed, he’s already planning his suit for next year.
In the past, he’s relied on Joann as a one-stop shop for all the materials he needs: from fabrics like velvet and satin to beads and expensive items like feathers.
“Now we have to find another avenue to get those materials from, and it is not going to be easy,” he said.
And for his Indian suits that can sometimes cost over $10,000, pricing is an important factor.
In his experience, materials at small businesses are more expensive than at Joann. He’s also bracing for a potential recession in the economy and tariffs that could impact materials imported from other countries.
“I’m expecting that this year here, for the next year, is going to be kind of costly. Everything’s gonna be marked up,” Trepagnier said.
Tyrone Casby Sr., big chief of the Mohawk Hunters, doesn’t rely on Joann entirely for his Indian suits. But he sees the closure of the business as a loss of yet another store where people could find what he needed for Mardi Gras costumes.
The closure of Joann comes after last year’s closure of Gary’s, a small business selling arts and craft supplies in Metairie. Casby had relied on both stores for beads.
“That’s two bead stores in a row that we’ve lost,” he said.
He doesn’t expect the closure of Joann to change the Black Masking Indian tradition – only change where people get their materials. Casby, who’s been masking since 1967, already does a lot of his shopping on Amazon.
“It won’t impact it as much because it’s going to push it more toward the internet,” he said.
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