K
anawha Valley quilters, knitters and other crafters will soon have one less place to shop for supplies after national retailer Joann, Inc. announced it is closing all its locations.
The shutterings come after the Hudson, Ohio-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year. In a press release from January, Joann officials cited sluggish consumer demand and inventory shortages as the reasons for the filing.
“The last several years have presented significant and lasting challenges in the retail environment, which, coupled with our current financial position and constrained inventory levels, forced us to take this step," Joann Interim Chief Executive Officer Michael Prendergast said in the release.
Earlier this month, the company announced it would close more than half of its nationwide locations — about 500 stores in all. Only two locations in West Virginia — one in Beckley and one in Parkersburg — were scheduled to close at that time.
On Monday, the Associated Press reported that the company "would begin winding down [its] operations and conduct going-out-of-business sales at all store locations."
Employees at the Dunbar store, located in a shopping plaza off of Dunbar Avenue, were notified of the closing on Sunday. A worker confirmed items would discounted as the store winds down its operation.
At the time of this writing, it was not clear when the Dunbar location would close permanently.
