The two Baton Rouge locations of Hancock Fabrics will close down, along with all other 183 stores in the national fabrics and crafts chain, after a national financial firm announced last week it was shuttering the stores.
Great American Group, a subsidiary of B. Riley Financial, Inc., bought the company at a bankruptcy sale and is holding a going-out-of-business sale at all locations and online, the company says in a news release.
Hancock Fabrics has Baton Rouge locations at 3464 Drusilla Lane in the Drusilla Village Shopping Center and at 11244 Florida Blvd. in Sherwood Plaza. Sales associates from both stores confirmed the closing, but say they have not been told when their final day in business will be.
Alex Knight, leasing agent for Drusilla Village Shopping Center on behalf of owner Donnie Jarreau, says they have not spoken directly with anyone from Great American Group or B. Riley Financial about the future of the store. They’ve only seen the court filings and read the news stories, he says.
Knight says they are preparing as if the store will close and leave Drusilla Village. But, he stresses they have not been directly told of that.
“If it happens, it happens,” Knight says. “If it doesn’t, great.”
On Wednesday, attorney Barbara Parsons with Steffes, Vingiello & McKenzie LLC, filed a Notice of Appearance on behalf of Jarreau and requested to be alerted to all bankruptcy hearings for the company. Parsons was not immediately available this morning for comment.
Hancock Fabrics occupies a 12,000-square-foot space at the end of the main building in the Drusilla Village. Knight says he thinks they might find a new tenant fairly quickly given that the space is currently in use, and not dilapidated. He adds that he has talked to some people about the space, but could not say any more about those conversations.
“There’s only so many 12,000-square-foot spaces in the center of town,” Knight says.
Jarreau purchased Drusilla Village in 2014, and Hancock Fabrics was there at the time of the purchase. A representative with Garry Lewis Properties, the former property manager, says they were unsure how long Hancock Fabrics had been in that location.
—Ryan Broussard
