Online orders will no longer be accepted
A.C. Moore stores will close at University Town Centre in Morgantown and at Eastpointe Shopping Center in Clarksburg.
An employee at the Morgantown store said they were told of the closing Monday. They were not told a closing date, he added.
When that will happen is anyone’s guess. Its rival craft supply competitor, The Michaels Companies Inc. will assume leases at 40 A.C. Moore locations, as well as a lease on an East Coast distribution facility.
Michaels has a store in Glenmark Centre, Morgantown. It also has locations in Parkersburg, Huntington, South Charleston and Martinsburg. A.C. Moore’s third West Virginia store is in Barboursville in Cabell County.
Officials from Michaels could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
A.C. Moore’s parent company, New Jersey-based Nicole Crafts, said Monday it is closing all 145 of its stores. It opened its first location in 1985.
“For over 30 years, our stores have been servicing the creative community with a vast selection of art and craft materials, with one common focus, the customer,” Anthony Piperno, CEO of A.C. Moore, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, given the headwinds facing many retailers in today’s environment, it made it very difficult for us to operate and compete on a national level.”
Plans for closing specific A.C. Moore locations will be made public in the coming weeks, the company said.
Online orders will no longer be accepted by A.C. Moore. Orders placed prior to Monday’s announcement will be shipped, the company said.
A.C. Moore is not the only retailer to close or announce closures in recent months. Both Kmart and Sears have closed stores. Payless ShoeSource closed its remaining stores in June. Bed Bath & Beyond is closing stores as is Forever 21, including its location in the Morgantown Mall. Forever 21 declared bankruptcy in September.
