By Sara Beth Williams–
The go-to retailer for fabrics has officially closed its doors in Citrus Heights.
A visit to the Sunrise Village shopping plaza by Sentinel staff on Wednesday, May 28 found JOANN shuttered and empty. A handful of customers stopped by the store in the time Sentinel staff was there, appearing to check to see if the store was open.
Employees from neighboring businesses did not know how long ago the retailer had closed. Online reports indicated that all remaining JOANN store locations were expected to close by May 31.
After escaping the first round of closures, JOANN in Citrus Heights had been named on a subsequent list of hundreds of store locations expected to shutter throughout the country following the beginning of bankruptcy proceedings.
The major retailer announced in mid-January it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for a second time within 12 months. Almost one month later, the company announced that 500 more stores, on top of six initial store closures, would shutter nationwide.
In court documents, the retailer blamed higher costs from shipping overseas products, as well as waning consumer demand, according to CBS News.
JOANN in Citrus Heights was located in the Sunrise Village shopping center at the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Madison Avenue, which underwent a major remodel in 2021 and 2022. Following the remodel, JOANN moved from one building to another and reopened in March 2022.
Since the shopping center’s revitalization, the plaza has seen multiple new tenants, including Club Studio Fitness, which opened in September 2024, and Amazon Fresh, which opened in November 2024. Previously, JOANN occupied the building that is now Amazon Fresh.
According to an update from Sunrise Marketplace Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter, more businesses are expected to join the shopping plaza soon, including Nothing Bundt Cakes and Juice Time, an international eatery focusing on natural, healthy fruit drinks and sweet treats.
“Since becoming a private company in April [2024], the board and management team have continued to execute on top- and bottom-line initiatives to manage costs and drive value,” Michael Prendergast, interim chief executive officer of JOANN, said in an initial press release. “However, the last several years have presented significant and lasting challenges in the retail environment.”
Prendergast also cited “constrained inventory levels” as influential in the decision to undergo a “court-supervised sale process.”
