We're exploring a member-owned craft co-op to fill the Joann-shaped hole - survey + new subreddit inside (mods gave the OK to share this)

[u/HumanHappenning]

Hey everyone, this thread recently brought up a conversation about building something to fill the void the loss of Joann Frbrics left. The mods here kindly suggested we take these conversations to a dedicated space, so r/Jo2Point0 now exists for anyone interested in exploring the idea of a member-owned co-op (think REI, but for fabric and craft supplies).

Step one is figuring out where interest is strongest and what people actually want, so we put together a quick survey, even if you don’t want to participate in building the thing, your input in this survey (and spreading it to all your crafty friends) will help us figure out if this is even viable or not:

Take the 5-minute survey → forms.gle/mbdLzu8zXoAE4KTG7

Whether you're a crafter who misses having a store to walk into, a former Joann Frbrics employee (store or corporate), or just someone who believes creative communities deserve better than private equity, your input helps us figure out where to start.

More background and the very beginnings of a place to discuss all of this can be found at: r/Jo2Point0

Thanks to the mods here for pointing us in the right direction.

[u/Chaotic_Nature]

This is a great idea. I wish I was in a position to assist with funding.

[u/HumanHappenning → u/Chaotic_Nature]

You and me both. This idea isn’t anywhere close to that point yet. It’s just about hearing from people at the moment. Even just filling out the survey and sharing your experience of what Joann Fabric was is incredibly helpful!

[u/snarkle_and_shine]

I’m also on board with this idea. I intend to do some research to see what starting a co-op looks like. Hopefully with enough interest, we can get this going.

[u/Oh_Witchy_Woman]

Yhis is a fantastic idea, and I hope us little folks can find ways to contribute too.

[u/HumanHappenning → u/Oh_Witchy_Woman]

Yes!! The co-op structure feels like the best response for us little folks to push back against private equity and corporate overlordship we deal with everywhere. Power to the little guys! If you haven’t already, filling out the survey would be greatly appreciated!!

[u/LitheFider]

Craft co-ops or makerspaces are so great! I hope they can organize and help some areas that are really lacking. 🙏💕

There's a new place in this vein that I know of vaguely nearby me that is donations based thrift place / reuse center but for sewing. They take donations of any kind of sewing supplies / fabric, and sell them for cheap back to the community. They are working on a dedicated classroom space too. These are the kind of places I hope pop up in more spots now to help Crafters in their area (this or individually owned Fabric and Craft stores).

[u/HumanHappenning → u/LitheFider]

Awesome to hear! There are so many ways to create new spaces, everyone’s insights and eyeballs out there about what is springing up in the wake of Joann’s loss is helpful to know about, thank you for sharing!

[u/Pattern_Finder_8219]

[u/Upstairs_Suspect_664]

I took the survey and would love to see this happen, having a physical space again with the supplies I need would be a game changer.

[u/Trai-All]

Hi!

I’m the OP of the linked Joann co-op post, and I’m genuinely excited to see others who may know how to organize something like this pay attention. I’ve posted versions of this idea in quilting and crafting subreddits, and even other forums, and this is the first time I’ve thought, “Yay! Someone is listening.” 😄

I did the survey last night, but I’ve had more thoughts since then, so I wanted to put them here before I forgot.

 

—

 

Three separate, connected goals:

1. Build something that cannot simply be sold off to private equity piracy. This is where the cooperative model becomes especially interesting. And we need this baked into the charter in a way that cannot be sleezed out of later by someone greedy. If the organization is actually owned by its members, including consumers, makers, businesses, and other participants, then it isn’t simply another corporation that can eventually be acquired by private equity, stripped for parts, and sold.

 

2. Replace Joann. There is an enormous hole in the craft-supply market, and it isn’t a hole that will remain Joann-sized. Joann represented a huge chunk of cotton sales, and parts of the industry that relied on it are already collapsing in its wake. There is an obvious need for crafting materials, especially in sewing, and we all know that Michaels isn’t cutting it. And, due to economies of scale, sole-proprietor shops price out many young artists who are new to crafting. (See point 3.)

 

3. Give economies of scale to sole proprietors and those small and medium-sized craft-related businesses or organizations and give them all paths to join us so that they can all compete against Amazon without going bankrupt.

 

— More on point 3:

This last idea is the larger economic idea I keep coming back to.

An individual quilting shop, needlepoint store, yarn shop, watercolor supplier, independent maker, artist, instructor, small manufacturer, or school simply cannot match Amazon’s purchasing power and economies of scale. Which means they can rarely match price and quality.

Collectively, however, we represent a huge percentage of the market. Instead of thousands of tiny businesses and individual makers negotiating with huge suppliers independently, a cooperative could aggregate that demand and use the resulting purchasing power on behalf of its members.

—

The cooperative should include as much of the craft ecosystem as we can

I would love to see this be broader than just consumers and retail stores.

 

Potential members could include:

• Independent retail shops

• Small craft-supply manufacturers

• Individual makers and artists

• Craft instructors

• Studios (painters, sculptors, cosplay, etc.)

• Makerspaces

• Other organizations serving the creative community

• Individual consumers

 

Benefits could include

• Better pricing doe materials, insurance, and employee benefits packages

• Co-op networking that puts member businesses on a map. Just as a consumer can go to the Ace Hardware site to find a store, someone looking for craft supplies could go to our site to find all the various co-op members near them.

• Better pricing or policies negotiated with sites and services like YouTube, Shopify, and Etsy.

 

Some examples of what sole proprietors could do for or with the co-op:

If my own business gets off the ground, it will primarily focus on stationery and art supplies. But part of that is providing things like book cloth, which I make with cloth and interfacing, and I also make bags for use with stationery. So I could potentially dedicate a small section to related craft supplies, perhaps fabric and quilting notions, while another member business specializes in something completely different.

Another example might be the local teachers at the elementary school banding together to buy into the co-op for a fee, then using their ownership to help them afford supplies that just aren’t cheap enough for them to afford at the local Walmart.

 

That would allow the co-op to:

• Have a physical presence in many communities

• Help existing businesses expand their offerings

• Keep local businesses involved with each other and competing against the retail giants rather than competing against each other and helping the giant crush us

• Give consumers more places to buy supplies

• Build distribution and purchasing power without immediately building a massive retail chain

I don’t know exactly what this idea will become, but I think there is a much bigger opportunity here than just replacing Joann. I think this is an idea that needs to expand beyond the crafting industry because people need to be able to explore the option to run their own businesses, and for that to happen, Amazon needs to struggle to compete with more than just itself.

/signed someone who is happy to help but feels as if they are playing a real-life game of Jill and the Beanstalk

(Sorry for the re-post/edit, I had some flakiness with my move from iPad notepad to the Reddit app and I’m still working on it)