This glass casting project I’ve been working on can be a pill sometimes. It’s a large piece, 26″ long and for me the holy grail is fingers and toes. You see it’s a diver. When he’s complete he’s stunning…even incomplete he’s pretty cool. But overall this project makes the average challenge seem like a cake walk. Normally I steam out the wax for this lost wax casting but did try melting it out in the kiln. Then there was that burning out the wax extravaganza. Yikes! Can you say smoke? So back to steaming. But I busted the mold…can I swear here? When the mold breaks you must start over. Yikes again. Casting angst. Did I say how cool the piece is when it’s done? Gorgeous! Anyway, looking for information I went over to warmglass.com and over to the tips page…warmtips.com. There is more information about kiln forming than you thought you needed. I got a tip I’ll use when I start this over tomorrow. Thanks warmtips.com. And I’ll keep you all posted on the outcome.
Have you read?
Craft Retailer Joann Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
In an expected move, craft store chain Joann has filed for bankruptcy to help the company deal with debt problems.
According a news release issued by the company, Joann has “received commitments for approximately $132 million in new financing and related financial accommodations and expects to reduce funded debt on its balance sheet by approximately $505 million.”
“This agreement is a significant step forward in addressing JOANN’s capital structure needs, and it will provide us with the financial resources and flexibility necessary to continue to deliver best-in-class product assortments and enhance the customer experience wherever they are shopping with us,” chief financial officer Scott Sekella said in the release.
According to a story in The Washington Post (link is free to read), Joann will become a private company after the bankruptcy proceedings, which could be complete as early as next month. The company says it currently has no plans to close stores or make any changes to its website. The release says the company, which was founded in 1943, has 829 stores in 49 states and “95 percent of which are cash flow positive.” And I literally got an email from them while I was writing this post.
(As an aside, the headline on that Post story suggests Joann’s problem is they have lost sales as people “pull back on essentials,” but if they’d ever met a crafter they would know craft supplies are always essential, we just might be buying them from different places, or buying less that we used to.)
Joann has set up a website, Joann Forward, with more details on their restructuring, including FAQs for customers, suppliers, landlords and team members. According to those pages, “this agreement is a significant step forward in addressing JOANN’s capital structure needs. It will provide us with the financial resources and flexibility necessary to deliver best-in-class product assortments and enhance the customer experience wherever they are shopping with us.”
You can also find case filings and information for claimants here.
As someone who does most of her in-person craft shopping at Joann, I’m certainly wishing them well and will update as needed with more information on the Joann bankruptcy filing.