The Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts Store at 2201 NW Barry Road in Kansas City’s Northland is closing. The retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in less than 12 months on Jan. 15. The company could not find a buyer to keep its stores open, so its approximate 800 stores will close. The stores are expected to be closed in about nine weeks. The fabric and craft retailer carries an assortment of knitting material, iron-on patches, fabric, jewelry, and artificial flowers. The first storefront was opened by German immigrants Hilda and Berthold Riech, and Sigmund and Mathilda Rohrbach in Cleveland, Ohio in 1943. The store’s name changed from the Cleveland Fabric Shop to Jo-Ann’s in 1963.
Photo by Valerie Verkamp
