The Brief
- Small fabric businesses in the Tampa Bay area have worked to fill the gap in demand since JOANN Fabrics and Crafts announced its closures nationwide a year ago.
- Gigi’s Fabric Shop and Sew Pinellas have logged an increase in foot traffic and interest in classes.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A big corporation can often put the small shops out of business, but when JOANN Fabrics and Crafts closed its doors for good across the country last year, it allowed small businesses to fill that gap for crafters and sewers.
Local perspective:
Stitch by stitch, the vision comes together at sewing classes in St. Petersburg’s Sew Pinellas, giving locals an opportunity that wasn’t always there.
“It was the day after they closed that we decided to be open six days a week,” said Jennifer Fairbanks, the owner of Sew Pinellas, a fabric store and sewing studio.…