Empty shelves. Fewer employees. Reduced hours in some locations. Joann filing for bankruptcy last year and the company’s announcement last week that more than half of the fabric and craft stores across the country would be closed did not come as a surprise.

“I went into a Joann‘s yesterday, and it literally looked like a tornado had gone through,” an X user named Great Aunt Fermildahyde posted in January. “Piles of merchandise everywhere, but lots of empty shelves. Sale stuff was overflowing a bin and laying about on the floor. I got out of there as fast as I could.”

On Bluesky, Kim Madsen said, “Shelves empty, out of stock on many craft etc, items. Few employees here. Sad. Not many ‘craft/fabric’ stores left.”

According to the retailer’s restructuring website, on Friday, Feb. 14, Joann received approval to begin closing about 500 of its 800 locations. California will be hit hard, losing 61 locations and retaining just 14 of 75 locations.

The struggling retailer filed for bankruptcy in March 2024 after securing around $132 million in new financing to put towards its $1 billion debt. The company stayed afloat then by choosing to go private. However, a rash of store closures followed before the company again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January to “facilitate a sale process to maximize the value of its business.”

“This was a very difficult decision to make, given the major impact we know it will have on our Team Members, our customers and all of the communities we serve,” Joann said in a statement to USA TODAY last week. “A careful analysis of store performance and future strategic fit for the Company determined which stores should remain operating as usual at this time.”

When are the Joann stores closing? When do the going-out-of-business sales start?

Going-out-of-business sales were scheduled to begin Saturday, Feb. 15, Joann spokesperson Amanda Hayes told the USA TODAY Network. “We do not know how long they will run. Additionally, any timelines are subject to change and could shift on a store-by-store basis.”

“We anticipate the store closures to occur over the next few months, although some stores may close within a shorter or longer time period,” the restructuring site said.

More:Joann in Redding among hundreds of stores to close in wake of bankruptcy filing

Is Joann accepting Joann gift cards? Can I return purchases?

According to the restructuring site, Joann is currently not accepting gift cards. Discounts for Girl Scouts, teachers, military and healthcare are also paused.

Joann is not accepting returns.

Which Joann stores are closing in California?

According to Joann’s restructuring website, the following California locations will be closing:

1. 2115 W Commonwealth Ave, Alhambra CA, 91803
2. 3010 Ming Ave, Bakersfield CA, 93304
3. 5885 Lincoln Avenue, Buena Park CA, 90620
4. 2485 Notre Dame Blvd Ste 310, Chico CA, 95928
5. 5545 Philadelphia St, Chino CA, 91710
6. 5489 Sunrise Blvd, Citrus Heights CA, 95610
7. 1675 B Willow Pass Road, Concord CA, 94520
8. 2250 Griffin Way, Corona CA, 92879
9. 245 Tamal Vista Blvd, Corte Madera CA, 94925
10. 19765 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino CA, 95014
11. 423 Westlake Center (Second Level), Daly City CA, 94015
12. 7177 Amador Plaza Road, Dublin CA, 94568
13. 300 El Cerrito Plz, El Cerrito CA, 94530
14. 8509 Bond Road, Elk Grove CA, 95624
15. 510 Harris St, Eureka CA, 95503
16. 1010 East Bidwell Street, Folsom CA, 95630
17. 26742 Portola Parkway, Foothill Ranch CA, 92610
18. 8062 N Blackstone Ave, Fresno CA, 93720
19. 3300 Yorba Linda Boulevard, Fullerton CA, 92831
20. 1000 South Central Avenue, Glendale CA, 91204
21. 2981 West Florida Avenue (Unit G1), Hemet CA, 92545
22. 12779 Main Street, Hesperia CA, 92340
23. 9901 Adams Ave, Huntington Beach CA, 92646
24. 2170 Barranca Pkwy, Irvine CA, 92606
25. 11 N State Highway 49-88, Jackson CA, 9564
26. 2160 Foothill Blvd, La Canada CA, 91011
27. 2086 Foothill Blvd Ste A, La Verne CA, 91750
28. 5255 Lakewood Blvd, Lakewood CA, 90712
29. 3588 Palo Verde Ave, Long Beach CA, 90808
30. 2210 Daniels St, Manteca CA, 95337
31. 225 Tennant Sta, Morgan Hill CA, 95037
32. 19819 Rinaldi St, Northridge CA, 91326
33. 2227 S El Camino Real Ste C, Oceanside CA, 92054
34. 1411 N. Tustin Streets, Orange CA, 92867
35. 2351 N Rose Ave, Oxnard CA, 93036
36. 12313 Poway Rd, Poway CA, 92064
37. 72765 Dinah Shore Dr, Rancho Mirage CA, 92270
38. 1175 Dana Drive, Redding CA, 96003
39. 1625 W Lugonia Avenue, Redlands CA, 92374
40. 308 Walnut St, Redwood City CA, 94063
41. 3635 Riverside Plaza Dr. Ste.240, Riverside CA, 92506
42. 425 Rohnert Park Expy W, Rohnert Park CA, 94928
43. 3130 Arden Way, Sacramento CA, 95825
44. 1425 N. Davis Road, Salinas CA, 93907
45. 3633 Midway Dr, San Diego CA, 92110
46. 699 Lewelling Blvd Suite 230, San Leandro CA, 94579
47. 177 South Las Posas Road, San Marcos CA, 92078
48. 1948 S El Camino Real, San Mateo CA, 94403
49. 26583 Carl Boyer Drive, Santa Clarita CA, 91350
50. 3620 Industrial Dr, Santa Rosa CA, 95403
51. 13730 Riverside Drive, Sherman Oaks CA, 91423
52. 2242 Tapo St, Simi Valley CA, 93063
53. 1151 Sanguinetti Road, Sonora CA, 95370
54. 10916-B Trinity Parkway, Stockton CA, 95219
55. 40462 Winchester Rd, Temecula CA, 92591
56. 21800 Hawthorne Blvd Ste 100, Torrance CA, 90503
57. 2717 Countryside Drive, Turlock CA, 95380
58. 2051 Harbison Dr, Vacaville CA, 95687
59. 375 W Main St Ste E, Woodland CA, 95695
60. 22914 W Victory Blvd, Woodland Hills CA, 91367
61. 704 West Onstott Rd, Yuba City CA, 95991

How many Joann stores will California have left?

Of the 75 locations in the state currently listed on the Joann website, only 14 were not named on the restructuring list, including Clovis, Covina, Modesto, Rancho Cucamonga, El Cajon, Laguna Niguel, Los Angeles, National City, San Jose, Visalia, Roseville, and Thousand Oaks.

The post Joann begins going-out-of-business sales: See list of California locations closing appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The Chesapeake, Va.-based company, which operates hundreds of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores in California, announced Wednesday that it had taken control of the leases at 170 recently shuttered locations of 99 Cents Only, which announced last month that it was going out of business.

As part of the deal, which Dollar Tree executives said was approved by a bankruptcy court in Delaware, it also acquired 99 Cents Only’s North American intellectual property and some furniture and equipment from inside its stores.

“Dollar Tree looks forward to welcoming customers from 99 Cents Only Stores as early as fall 2024,” the statement reads.

The development, first reported by the Orange County Register, involves a handful of stores in Arizona, Nevada and Texas, but the vast majority are in Southern California, including in Lancaster, North Hollywood, Burbank, Long Beach and Riverside, according to a LinkedIn post from Bill Read, executive vice president of the real estate firm Retail Specialists.

A representative for 99 Cents Only could not be reached.

The 99 Cents Only chain — a longtime icon of L.A.’s discount retail world — started in 1982 with a single store on La Tijera Boulevard and expanded rapidly.

Before the City of Commerce company abruptly announced its closure in April — citing several factors, including shifting consumer demands and inflation — the chain had 371 locations.

But shelves quickly emptied out during liquidation sales, and several of the locations today are covered in graffiti.

Dollar Tree has faced financial turmoil of its own.

In 2014, Dollar Tree Inc. announced a plan to buy its big rival Family Dollar Stores Inc. for more than $8 billion — an acquisition that, according to the company’s website, brought its total to 15,000 stores. But this year, Dollar Tree announced a plan to close nearly 1,000 locations, including about 600 Family Dollar stores, in the first half of 2024, as well as several other Dollar Tree stores in the years ahead.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The post Dozens of shuttered 99 Cents Only stores to reopen under a familiar name: Dollar Tree appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.