In any industry, there are names that are just powerhouses and you think to yourself, “One day, I hope to be anywhere near that level” I am so blessed and fortunate to have gotten a phone call from my good friend Jessica, over at The Hook Nook, to invite me on the trip on behalf of Joann! Jessica screen recorded my reaction and let me tell you, I was stoked. After exchanging some emails with the company, it was official; I was to leave in two weeks! My brain went a little bit on vacation mode and I was just enjoying the euphoria.
The morning came and I woke up a little early after being restless and was picked up by Jessica. We were both bundles of “Oh my gosh, this is happening!” and we went off to the airport. It was one of our first rainy days in a little bit, so it was a bit weird for a Portland native like myself to see rain and get away from it! It was nice to see, but was excited to see palm tree’s again, which is a rare sight for Oregonians! I was planning on heading into California with my new jeans that I had just Yarn Punk’d the night before – the addition was a Pokeball!
After a plane ride with my friend Jessica, we finally landed in LA! After taking our lyft to our hotel, the gravity of “oh my gosh, I’m here” were starting to settle in. The hotel was so so cute and it felt very homey. After laying down to rest my back and getting settled in, I said my farewells to Jessica as she had plans with an old friend. I think it’s so easy to enjoy life when you can take a walk and just enjoy your music. I took a walk around, looking for a taco cart (I hear California has the best Mexican food!) and played Pokemon Go. I ended the night perfectly before a big day; Mexican food and taking a bath.
The day was here! We walked to the Joann in the morning (notice their clean name change?) and we got to meet the team that was there – this was my first time meeting them and they were all so warm and welcoming which was really nice to walk into! The very first thing you notice when walking into the store is beautiful wall of crocheted leaves – we even got to add our own to the wall! We were given our little name tags and then Jessica and I took to adding some content to the Joann Instagram Stories. We had the opportunity to walk around the store and show off some of the highlights of the remodel they did for the store. Joann is aiming to target a younger audience and I think they are heading in the right direction with it. We tried to add a touch of humor to our marketing skills for the day!
We took a few breaks and took some time wandering area the local area and came across this stunning wall on the outside of the store!
Towards the evening was the big event! We were assigned to share a Facebook Live on the Joann Facebook group showing everything off. The top floor was closed off for a media event with the one and only, Sutton Foster! Want to learn more about her? Head HERE! She is a singer, Broadway star, and actress who currently plays on the show “Younger”. We had heard so much about her before the event that I was pretty nervous to be in the presence of an actual celebrity. She showed up and was so bubbly and kind to everyone she talked to – she had even just finished her own crochet bag that she made to show off! So cute! Jessica and I were able to sit down and talk with her as well. So much fun to have this wonderful craft as something we have as a common interest. It was also lovely to meet all the other content creators that were attending the event and talk with so many like minded people. I also can’t leave out how great the catered food was! They even offered chicken in a waffle cone – YUM!
I am still so humbled to be invited to this event and be one of the faces for the Joann Social Media account for the day. It’s a company many of us already respect for what they offer in their stores for crafters (and their generosity when it comes to coupons!) But after being with them for the day, it’s apparent they are trying to separate themselves from the classic “craft” store to a more modern approach that allows the younger generation to see crafting as something that is cool. It’s something that I think is so important and I am so beyond excited to see where the company takes it! Thank you Joann for making crafting cool and accessible for so many people!
