You’re driving down Columbia Crossing Circle, past the Target and the Dick’s Sporting Goods, and you look over at that familiar green sign. Or rather, where the sign used to be. For a long time, the Joann Fabrics Columbia MD location was the undisputed heartbeat of the local maker community. It was the place you went when your kid’s school play costume needed three yards of gold lamé by tomorrow morning. It was where you stood in that notoriously slow cutting line, clutching a bolt of fleece and chatting with a stranger about their quilting pattern.
But the doors are locked. The windows are papered over. If you haven’t been there in a while, you might be wondering what exactly happened to our neighborhood craft hub.
Honestly, the situation is a bit of a gut punch for those of us who grew up wandering those aisles. After decades of serving Howard County, the Joann Fabrics at 6161 Columbia Crossing Circle officially closed its doors for good in May 2025. It wasn't just a local thing, either. It was part of a massive, nationwide liquidation that saw the entire chain vanish from the retail landscape.
The Reality of the Columbia Crossing Closure
Most people thought the bankruptcy filings in 2024 were just a "restructuring" phase. We’d seen it before with other big-box stores. They file, they close a few underperforming spots, and they keep going. But the second filing in January 2025 was the nail in the coffin. By the time May 2025 rolled around, the Columbia location—along with every other store in Maryland—began its final descent.
The shelves at the Columbia Crossing store started looking pretty skeletal around April of last year. I remember walking in and seeing the "Store Closing" banners. It’s always surreal to see a place that once had "a bewildering amount of fabric," as one regular reviewer put it, reduced to empty metal racks and half-empty bins of clearance yarn.
The local staff, some of whom had been there for years, were essentially tasked with selling off the very fixtures they worked on. By May 27, 2025, the Columbia store had its final day of operation. If you go there now, you're just looking at empty real estate.
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Why the Columbia Store Couldn't Stay Afloat
It’s easy to blame the internet, but the story is more complex than just "Amazon killed the fabric store." In Columbia, we have a pretty high cost of living and, consequently, high commercial rents. The store at Columbia Crossing was huge. Keeping the lights on in a space that large requires massive, consistent foot traffic.
While the pandemic gave Joann a huge boost—remember when everyone was sewing masks and starting "quarantine quilts"?—that momentum didn't last. By 2024, people were spending less on hobbies and more on groceries. Inflation hit the craft world hard. If you’re choosing between a $40 yard of premium upholstery fabric and your electric bill, the fabric usually loses.
Add to that the inventory struggles. Towards the end, the Columbia store had a hard time keeping the "good stuff" in stock. People started complaining on Reddit and Yelp about long waits and empty pegs. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy: customers stopped coming because the stock was low, and the stock stayed low because the company was bleeding cash.
Where to Go Now That Joann is Gone
Losing the Joann Fabrics Columbia MD location left a giant, glitter-shaped hole in Howard County. You can't just wait three days for a shipping container when you need to match a specific shade of navy blue thread. So, where is everyone going?
Interestingly, Michaels stepped up in a big way. They actually bought out several of Joann’s private-label brands and intellectual property. If you head to the Michaels over on Dobbin Road, you’ll see a much larger sewing and fiber arts section than they used to have. They’re trying to capture the "refugees" of the Joann closure by stocking more fabric and quilting supplies.
For the hardcore quilters, local specialty shops are seeing a bit of a renaissance. Places like Bear’s Paw Fabrics over in Towson or the various quilt shops in Ellicott City have become the go-to for high-quality cottons. They’re more expensive, sure, but the expertise is there.
A Shift in How We Craft
The "big box" era of crafting might be pivoting. We're seeing more people in the Columbia area turn to community-based swaps. The Long Reach Village Center, which is currently undergoing its own massive redevelopment, has been a topic of conversation for local "maker spaces." There's a growing desire for smaller, more curated experiences rather than the warehouse-style shopping Joann provided.
The classes were another big loss. Joann used to offer those $20 to $40 beginner sewing workshops that were perfect for kids or adults who didn't know a bobbin from a buttonhole. Now, most of that has moved online to platforms like Skillshare or CreativeLive. It’s convenient, but you lose that hands-on "help me, my machine is jamming" support you’d get in-store.
What's Next for the Columbia Crossing Space?
The building at 6161 Columbia Crossing Circle is prime real estate. It’s nestled right near the intersection of MD-175 and I-95. While there hasn't been a confirmed new tenant for the exact Joann footprint yet, the area is constantly evolving. With the redevelopment of nearby areas and the high demand for "experiential" retail, we might see something very different take its place—perhaps a specialized fitness center or a multi-use furniture showroom.
For now, the era of the Columbia Joann is over. It’s a reminder that even the biggest staples of our weekend errands aren't permanent.
Actionable Steps for Local Crafters
- Check Michaels on Dobbin Road: They’ve integrated many Joann brands, so your favorite "exclusive" yarn might actually be there now.
- Support Local Quilt Shops: If you need specific advice or high-end fabric, Ellicott City and the surrounding Howard County area still have small boutiques that need your business more than ever.
- Join a Local Makers Group: Look for Columbia-based sewing or crafting groups on Facebook or Meetup. Community members are often the best source for where to find bulk supplies or how to get a sewing machine repaired now that the in-store tech is gone.
- Inventory Your Stash: Since we no longer have a "quick stop" fabric shop in the heart of Columbia, it’s worth keeping a better stock of essentials like needles, neutral threads, and interfacing at home.
The landscape has changed, but the creativity in Columbia isn't going anywhere. We just have to drive a little further and look a little harder to find our supplies.