Here’s What is Replacing JoAnn Fabric in Portland, Maine

About one year ago, JoAnn Fabric announced that the company was going bankrupt and would close all of their stores nationwide, including Maine.

All five locations in the state quickly went into liquidation mode and before long, the stores were done with JoAnn becoming a thing of the past.

But for a lot of shopping centers across Maine, the loss of JoAnn was both surprising and challenging. JoAnn stores operated with a large footprint and it simply isn't easy to find a replacement.

While most JoAnn stores across the country remain vacant, there will be something new going into the former Portland, Maine, location.

Crunch Fitness Takes Over Former JoAnn Location in Portland, Maine

Gone are the arts, crafts and aisles of yarn. Pretty soon, the old JoAnn space will be filled with treadmills, ellipticals and free weights.

The chain Crunch Fitness is set to make their debut in Maine. Crunch Fitness already operates in 8 other states across the country.

Their gyms feature standard equipment plus personal training, fitness classes and a push to make working out fun versus a chore.

Crunch is taking over 30,000 square feet of space and reportedly spending nearly $5 million to bring in top tier equipment and make the user experience feel elite.

Construction on the new Crunch Fitness location is ongoing. Crunch expects a grand opening this spring.

Crunch Fitness Will Be in the Same Shopping Center as Aldi

There's going to be a lot of draw to the Pine Tree Shopping Center in Portland, Maine.

The first Aldi location in Maine will be just a few steps away from Crunch Fitness.

Aldi is expected to have their grand opening in February.

Aldi and Crunch Fitness will join Jersey Mike's, Lowe's, Aspen Dental and O'Reilly's as key tenants as part of the shopping area.