Welcome to Market Friday, @cmplxty. It's a great community and initiative run by @dswigle. Be sure to get to know her and add her name to your blog. And if you haven't yet done so, be sure to add your post link to her latest [Market Friday blog post](@dswigle/market-fridays-countdown-to-christmas-fifty-one-days-and-counting, which also has the "rules of the road" for Market Friday. :-)

This post is awesome. I agree, it is so sad when iconic stores go out of business. I would have loved to be that guy's heir and take it on! I think you're right that several big craft stores have gone out of business. You might be thinking of Hancock Fabrics. I think JoAnn is still alive and kicking, and Michael's is definitely thriving.

Happy Market Friday!