It’s quiet now. If you drive past 12550 Elm Creek Blvd N in Maple Grove today, you won’t see the familiar green and white logo or the bins of discounted fleece spilling out near the entrance. The Joann Fabrics Maple Grove location—a place that survived the rise of Amazon and the chaos of the 2020 mask-making craze—has officially shuttered its doors.
Honestly, it feels like the end of an era for local makers. For years, this was the spot. You’ve probably been there yourself, clutching a 40% off coupon on your phone while waiting in a line that stretched past the seasonal decor and deep into the yarn aisles. It wasn't just a store; it was a sort of community hub for quilters, cosplayers, and nervous parents trying to finish a school project at 8:00 PM on a Tuesday.
What Actually Happened to Joann Fabrics Maple Grove?
The news didn't come out of nowhere, but it still stung. In early 2025, Joann Stores filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in less than a year. While the first filing in 2024 was supposed to be a "restructuring" that kept all 800+ stores open, the 2025 sequel was much more final. By May 31, 2025, the company moved to close all remaining brick-and-mortar locations across the country.
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Maple Grove was part of that final wave.
The signs were there if you looked closely. Shelves grew thinner. The lighting felt a bit dimmer. Customers started noticing "out of stock" tags on basic items like Gutermann thread or specific Cricut vinyl colors. According to reports from liquidation experts at GA Global Partners, the wind-down was aggressive. They needed to clear $615 million in debt, and that meant everything—from the fabric bolts to the heavy-duty cutting tables—had to go.
The Real Reasons for the Collapse
People like to blame the "retail apocalypse," but it’s more complicated than that. Joann was hit by a perfect storm.
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- Supply Chain Nightmares: Between 2021 and 2023, ocean freight costs inflated Joann’s inventory expenses by over $150 million. Because they relied so heavily on imports, they couldn't pivot fast enough.
- The Post-Pandemic Slump: During the lockdowns, everyone was a crafter. Sales skyrocketed. But as soon as people could go back to concerts and restaurants, the demand for tie-dye kits and sewing machines cratered.
- Internal Debt: After being taken private by Leonard Green & Partners years ago, the company carried a mountain of debt that made it impossible to compete with leaner rivals like Hobby Lobby or even the craft aisles at Target.
Looking Back: What the Maple Grove Store Offered
Before the "Going Out of Business" signs went up, the Maple Grove location was one of the larger "superstores" in the Minnesota circuit. It spanned roughly 46,000 square feet. That’s a lot of floor space to fill.
You could get custom framing done in the back corner. They offered classes ranging from "Learn to Sew a Zipper" to advanced quilting techniques. It was one of the few places where you could actually touch the fabric before buying it—something you just can't do on a website. Most regulars knew the staff by name. There was a specific kind of expertise there; you could ask a floor associate which stabilizer to use for embroidery on denim, and they’d actually have an answer.
That human element is basically what’s missing now.
Customer Frustrations in the Final Days
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows toward the end. If you check Trustpilot or local Google reviews from late 2024, the vibe was turning sour. People complained about "ghost orders" where they’d buy something online for in-store pickup, only to arrive and find the item didn't exist.
The staff was spread thin. One reviewer mentioned waiting 20 minutes just to get two yards of cotton cut because only one person was working the cutting counter. It’s hard to run a 46,000-square-foot store on a skeleton crew.
Where Do Maple Grove Crafters Go Now?
With the Joann Fabrics Maple Grove location gone, the local landscape has shifted. If you’re still looking to scratch that creative itch, you have a few remaining options, though none of them are a "one-to-one" replacement.
Michaels (Maple Grove): Still standing in the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes. Good for yarn and general crafts, but their fabric selection is practically non-existent compared to what Joann offered.
Hobby Lobby: Located nearby, they have a decent fabric section, but they don't carry the same variety of high-end apparel fabrics or specialized notions.
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Local Quilt Shops: This is the silver lining. Smaller shops like Quilted Goods or various boutiques in the Twin Cities suburbs are seeing a bit of a resurgence. They’re more expensive, sure, but the quality of the "quilt shop grade" cotton is miles ahead of the mass-produced stuff.
What’s Next for the Elm Creek Boulevard Space?
Big-box vacancies in Maple Grove don't usually stay empty for long. While the Joann space is large and specifically built for retail, rumors have circulated about national brands like Burlington or even Hobby Lobby expanding into former Joann footprints.
In some states, Burlington has already signed leases for 45 former Joann locations. Whether that happens in Maple Grove remains to be seen, but the city’s Planning Commission is notoriously picky about what goes into that high-traffic corridor.
Actionable Next Steps for Local Makers:
- Check Your Gift Cards: If you still have a Joann gift card tucked in a drawer, it’s likely worthless at this point as they stopped accepting them during the liquidation in early 2025. However, keep an eye on class-action news, as there is occasionally a small window for debt claims in bankruptcy cases.
- Support Local: Visit independent fabric stores in the Twin Cities like Lakes Makerie or SR Harris Fabric in Burnsville/Brooklyn Park. They have massive warehouses that dwarf what the Maple Grove Joann used to carry.
- Join a Guild: If you miss the community aspect, the Minnesota Quilters' Guild or local sewing circles on Facebook are the best way to stay connected with other makers who used to frequent the Elm Creek location.