Former Joann Employee Opens New Fabric Store After Chain’s Bankruptcy

After six years at Joann Fabrics, Vicki Kirby started her own business. This March, she opened Kirby's Fabric Korner, a small shop located at 4549 Tamiami Trail in Port Charlotte, Florida.

Joann Fabrics filed for its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2025, closing 500 stores nationwide. Port Charlotte's fabric shopping options disappeared when the local Joann store closed. Encouraged by her former coworkers and seeing a chance, Kirby decided to fill the gap.

“Everybody that was coming in was crying and lamenting because there's nowhere else to go for fabric,” said Kirby to Fox 4 News. “My partner [Petrovich] said, ‘This is your golden opportunity if you want to open a fabric store.' So we started tinkering with the idea.”

Along with selling fabric and crafting supplies, Kirby hopes to host workshops and classes in the future.

Kirby's Fabric Korner is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.