Local perspective<\/p>\n
Stitch by stitch, the vision comes together at sewing classes in St. Petersburg\u2019s<\/a> Sew Pinellas, giving locals an opportunity that wasn\u2019t always there.<\/p>\n READ: Gulfport celebrates reopening of Hurricane Eddie’s as storm recovery hits new milestones<\/a><\/p>\n “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>, a fabric store and sewing studio.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a year since JOANN Fabrics and Crafts announced the closure of all its locations. In that time, Fairbanks watched her business fill the gap left behind.<\/p>\n “We have a lot of people who come here, they don\u2019t fit into things in the store. So, they want to learn how to make things on their own,” said Fairbanks.<\/p>\n MORE: St. Pete food hall begins phased opening in downtown<\/a><\/p>\n Dig deeper<\/p>\n Fairbanks said she\u2019s been selling out sewing classes and stocking more fabric in the last year. Her physical store location offers the one thing you can\u2019t get online.<\/p>\n “You\u2019ve got to touch everything. When people come here, even the kids that come to our afterschool program, I tell them just go around and feel everything in the store. Just make sure your hands are clean,” said Fairbanks.<\/p>\n In Brandon<\/a>, Gigi\u2019s Fabric Shop sits across the street from the former JOANN location. With 14 years in business, owner Carmen Wilson said she\u2019s also seeing more customers.<\/p>\n “Oh my goodness, they\u2019re coming from all over! And we usually ask them, \u2018Hey, where are you from?\u2019 And we see them coming from St. Pete, Wesley Chapel, Sarasota, just about all of Central Florida,” said Wilson.<\/p>\n READ: Clearwater business incubator aims to spark revival in once thriving North Greenwood neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n What they’re saying<\/p>\n While Gigi\u2019s Fabric Shop in Brandon primarily stocks supplies for quilters, but Wilson, who also goes by Gigi, said that changed.<\/p>\n “I saw a lot of Gasparilla people. They were coming in here and they were wanting to do pirate costumes, and they were like, \u2018Where\u2019s the red chiffon, and where\u2019s the black chiffon?\u2019 And like, I don\u2019t have that,” said Wilson. “So, I started kind of scrambling a little bit and I started changing the way I do my fabric purchases.”<\/p>\n Wilson said she added more apparel fabric to her stock, extended her shop hours, and hired another worker. She also brought back sewing classes and offers local pickup for online orders from the store\u2019s website, Jukijunkies.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n In-person shopping options are slimmer today compared to what Fairbanks said she grew up seeing around the Tampa Bay area.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately, even just two years ago, the biggest fabric store in the area, Jay\u2019s Fabric, they closed, which is sad because I had been going there since I was a teenager,” she said. “Being in this area, there were a lot more fabric stores back then. And once they closed, it\u2019s like, okay, where do you go to buy garment fabrics anymore?”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/e3d8c7be212851403a01c566a4b6462e.jpeg\"\/)
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