Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft

Poorly staffed. Stand in line forever waiting for a cutter. No floor help (experienced or otherwise) available in fabrics. Staff seems demoralized. Not a pleasant experience. Unfortunately they are the only available source on this side of town. Probably why they can operate so poorly.

I walked out. The lines were very long with few cashiers. The management is terrible. Yes they have a nice selection but don’t try to get fabric cut. You’ll be waiting at least an hour. It’s not changed even with contacting regional office which tells me they don’t care. I went to hobby lobby on sawmill and it was so much better with what seemed like good mngt.

This place is the worst! Their customer service is terrible. Completely understaffed, so slow and so rude. My husband and I visited this location to buy a few frames. We got in line with 8 other people and 1 cashier. We waited a minute to see if other another cashier would show and they never did so my husband went to ask for someone else to help out. He found Melanie, and explained the situation and she ordered him to go back to his spot as she was on it! He comes back up– no one else does so he asked her again and she is rude again. He asked her name and she ignored him. So he called corporate.
Their business model is the worst. Let’s sell way overpriced items that are cheaply made and give out «coupons» like crazy to make you feel like you are getting a deal. I don’t understand this concept as it very snakey and disingenuous. Why not sell items at their proper price and give out an occasional 10 or 20% off coupon. That’s seems like a much more respectable business approach.
Don’t get me wrong, joanns does have some great deals but 75% of their products are so cheap it’s unbelievable!

I don’t make my own clothes. I was an unmitigated in home economics class. And as a little kid I remember counting the hours waiting for my mother to settle on a fabric and pattern for some new creation. So why would I hang out in a JoAnn Fabrics today? Simple: this isn’t your mother’s JoAnn’s.
Sure, about half of their floor space is still set aside for the devoted consumers of fabrics and patterns, with the same restless kids asking when can they go home. But JF has come a long way since those days, and has, quietly and without fanfare, branched out considerably, become a solid source for crafting supplies, home décor, and science-​based toys for kids, the likes I haven’t seen since the demise of Zany Brainy.
Prices are moderate, perhaps a bit on the high side, but sales are frequent. Signage can be a little misleading at times, however. They post little signs which state 30, 40, 50% off, which leads one to believe the product behind the sign are on sale, but all the sign really is is a little paper calculator which lists prices of items, then what the price would be at half price (which is a sad statement about our collective intelligence if we need a sign to tell us that 50% of $ 10 is $ 5).
At the end of the day, JF may be the last retail establishment of its kind standing, as online shopping has devoured most of the mom and pops in town, which I’m thankful for because JF’s best value is its knowledgeable staff. It’s like the old geezer at the hardware store who can impart more information about circular saws or weatherstripping than you would ever need to know. These people know their stuff, so it’s nice to make it worth their while.

I have left this store three times in the last month because of the long wait at the cutting counter. Their policy is that clerks must clean up, put away fabric, even roll remnants before waiting on the next customer. I asked one to cut fabric for me and she said she was rolling remnants. She and another clerk were chatting. I complained to a manager who just shrugged and said that they’ve been told to clean up before waiting on the next customer. The manager did not ask if she could cut the fabric for me! I wish Columbus had another type of large fabric store. The wait seems interminable. But the worst thing is the condition of many of the fabrics. Because of the drape over the top of the bolt, there is sometimes a deformed area in knits and even linen blends. Oh and about the restrooms… ugh. I read sewing blogs and seamstresses across the country complain about JoAnn’s.

I’m not a big crafts guy, but I’ve been to a few craft stores over the years. Sometimes Sweetie has a project, sometimes I need something odd for a house project and I hear a craft store might have it, which was the case this time.
They had what I needed, at a good price. But I ended up leaving without it. The checkout arrangement is awful. On a weekday afternoon there were long lines, herded through a cattle pen. I’m not sure why they think this setup works, but it is very inefficient. They clearly know this, because they have to add a big sign telling you where checkout is, and then have more items alongside the line– because you’ll be there a long time. Trinkets, and food for sustenance. I imagine it’s worse on weekends– oh, wait! I’ve been there on weekends. It’s atrocious.
I avoid Hobby Lobby. I would go to Lowe’s if I thought they had what I needed. The prices here seem decent, for the odd little stuff I buy. But I won’t waste my time here again. Micheal’s is more convenient, the employees are more friendly, and I can actually get what I want in less than half an hour.

My boyfriend and I have been talking for forever about how we wanted hanging terrariums in our apartment. He first had the idea on urban outfitters, where one that he wanted was $ 20 plus shipping. I assured him that we could find them for cheaper elsewhere, and so began our Sunday adventure.
We started out at Target, then went to Michael’s, and finally arrived at JoAnn Fabric. Other places had terrariums, but they didn’t have an option to hang them, or they were extremely expensive. We finally found exactly what we were looking for and, for 50% off, they ended up being $ 7 a piece! We also ended up with a large glass bowl for a stationary terrarium that was $ 10.
Already ecstatic, we rush to the cash register. At first, we’re a little irked that the lines are moving fairly slowly. They had 8 registers and 3 cashiers working. But our cashier took the time to individually wrap each one of our terrariums, and seemed genuinely excited to hear about what we planned on doing with them. That customer service is relatively unheard of in our fast-​paced world today!
Overall, we were really pleased with our experience, and will definitely be back!

As I tried to check out at the front desk, and employee comes up, bringing another customer and starts talking really loudly about fleece. It was so loud, I could barely hear my own thoughts. Then the cashier didn’t give me correct change back, resulting in my loosing money and couldn’t open the drawer for me to get my change. They are too overpriced to have incompetent staff.
It’s a decent store, but has awful customer service. Go to the Polaris location! I’m never going back to this one.

This JoAnn store is so much better than the one at Easton. The staff is friendly and helpful. The cutting line actually has a number system so you don’t have to stand in line forever too!
I think that going forward, I will be visiting this.store. the onlu thing I wasn’t a fan of is how they do the checkout. Also, there was one lady working who took FOREVER to ring people out.

It seems I always need to run in here for something. If it’s craft-​related and I need it quickly– I’m here. Sometimes weekly. Sometimes more often than that.
You’ll find everything you need to get started on most projects. Beading, painting, cake decorating, etc. I love flipping through their clothing patterns and checking out the book area.
But, I strongly AVOID buying fabric here, unless it’s some kind of novelty thing (like cheap tulle). It smells like chemicals have been sprayed on it the second you walk in the door. The cotton is rough and poor quality. DO NOT BUY for quilts or quality clothes– go to a local store where the fabric is so much nicer. Your end product will be so much better for it! If you’re going to invest all that time, why waste it on poop fabric? And, Emily O. is right– the lines to cut are LONG and most of the employees don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to cutting fabric and they can give you innacurate cuts on smaller amounts with chewed grain lines. AVOID.
They give out great coupons… I get mine in the mail. I think they markup certain products so they look like a better deal during coupon blitzes, but it’s definitely helpful for some of those big-​ticket items like Ott lights.
I took a cake decorating class here with my mother awhile back. The supplies list was SO LONG and they didn’t even offer a class discount. It cost a fortune in materials, and the class itself also seemed overpriced to me. The woman teaching it was not really knowledgable… I could have taught the class myself after 5 minutes. Still the class/​project board behind the registers looks active and I’m always interested in at least one of the postings, if even just to look at for a moment. I may have just had a bad experience with this particular class. But, I do think that in a big store like Jo Ann’s, they should at least offer hefty class discounts because of all the sales they make off of it.
Despite all the complaining, though, I’m thankful for easy access to JoAnn’s (and therefore easy access to remedies for most of my crafting emergencies).

I am a long time fan of JoAnn stores, and this is a good location. The store is large, and there is quite a bit of selection of the fabrics and crafts mentioned in the store name. There are a variety of fabrics and prints, including home décor fabrics, plus plenty of sewing machines and other handy tools and items related to sewing and quilting. Craft supplies range from scrapbooking and papercrafting to kids crafts and crochet and knitting. There are wedding goods, cake decorating supplies, vases and floral, and a wall art and photo area. JoAnn also offers framing services from a desk in the art/​photo area.
In addition to the fabric and crafts, you can find a selection of cards for all occasions, courses offered in the classroom up front, and a rotating seasonal section when you enter that carries holiday items.
Employees are friendly and efficient. There are many weekly sales, plus you can find coupons in the paper or sign up for their mailing list online and via postal service. The coupons are frequently 40−50% off, and you can often use one per regularly priced item — making visits very affordable.
This location is especially nice because it is in the same area with Michaels and Hobby Lobby, making searches for just the right crafty thing much more convenient!

A crafters dream! Everything you want or need in 1 location. Plenty of staff to help out with questions as well.
My only gripe is the line is so loooong when waiting for fabric to be cut. Poo.

I am a guy reviewing a craft store and I can’t really say too much. The place is a little expensive from what my wife and I compared to other places. at least they usually provide decent sales and they usually send a weekly coupon in the Sunday paper which makes this place doable. They do have a great selection of anything one is looking for. The selection was a little shocking for me. I know my sister-​in-​law who is crafty loves this place so it must be pretty good. The line looked pretty long as I was lucky to escape sitting in line and headed out to the car. Clean place with enough service reps walking around the store in case one needs help.

Hi my name is Stephanie and I am a Craftaholic. It’s been approximately 10 minutes since I’ve crafted…
Jo Ann Fabrics is my #1 goto craft store. I am easily at this particular Jo Anns superstore at least once a week. I blame the 40 and 50% off coupons that they mail me. I mean, how could I NOT take advantage of buying an item for 50% off???
This enormous place houses supplies for every hobby you could imagine. There’s supplies for scrapbooking, knitting, cross stitch, needlepoint, wood working, sewing, jewelry making, stamping, cake decorating, and much more.
Jo Anns originally started as just my supplier for knitting yarns, but then knitting became a gateway craft into multi craft use. Before I knew it, I was scrapbooking, beading, and sewing with each spare moment of my time.
I prefer Jo Anns over nearby Michael’s Craft Stores and Hobby Lobby because it’s better organized with more open spaces. If you are looking to shop for jewelery making supplies, Michael’s has more selection. For everything else, I rely on Jo Anns.
Aggh I’m feeling the crafting itch already!

Growing up with a crafty Mother and Aunt, a Grandma who loved to crochet, and now a sister who will soon have her MFA in Metals and Jewelry I have been to an unreasonably large number of craft stores. In general, the places are drab, full of earth-​mother types, and loaded with things I couldn’t even fathom how to utilize in my daily life.
With that said, I don’t know why, but I dig this store.
Baking pans, touch up paints, fake plastic trees (alas not the song,) and a great photos/​framing section plus the routine 40−50% off coupons in the Dispatch make Jo-Ann’s Etc. a somewhat regular stop when I’m out and about on Sawmill and 161.
Not as cramped and dirty as Hobby Lobby and not as overpriced and annoying as Michael’s (if only all Michaels were as excellent as myself…) my only complaint would be the 16-​year old cashiers who lack both knowledge and smiles. Given, most of the customers there wouldn’t make me smile, but if you hate your job then quit.