Dive Brief:
- Michaels has expanded its Knit & Sew Shop to over 1,200 stores. The company has incorporated over 1,600 new products across fabric, yarn, sewing and needlecraft, according to a company press release.
- Fabric is now available at nearly 90% of Michaels stores. The retailer introduced over 400 new fabric products in quilting, cosplay and special occasion, among other categories.
- The company is celebrating National Sewing Month with in-store events, community meetups, product demonstrations, online classes, free sewing experiences and more.
Dive Insight:
Michaels is cutting a wide swath with the expansion of its Knit & Sew Shop.
The craft retailer acquired Joann’s IP and private labels in June 2025 after the fabric retailer filed for bankruptcy at the start of that year.
By the fall of 2025, Michaels introduced the in-store concept Knit & Sew, which was co-branded with Michaels and Joann logos. At the same time, Michaels introduced The Party Shop, which was meant to capitalize on Party City’s 2024 bankruptcy.
“The first thing that we concluded was there was tremendous disruption in the marketplace with the exit of Joann Fabric and the exit of Party City — and that job one was to go after that,” Michaels CEO David Boone said at the ICR Conference in January.
The company is making good on positioning itself to take market share, in part with the availability of fabric at most of its locations.
"We're investing in The Knit & Sew Shop to give today's shoppers more of what they love, while making these crafts more approachable for anyone who wants to learn," Stacey Shively, chief merchandising officer at Michaels, said in a statement.
Along with the acceleration of the retailer’s Knit & Sew Shop, the company is also introducing new shop-in-shop experiences based on the brands Big Twist and DMC Embroidery Threads.
The craft retailer recently debuted new store formats at three of its locations, which incorporated revamped department layouts, new personalization services and a self-checkout queue exclusive to rewards members.
Michaels plans to open additional concept stores this year.
