Normally, this time of year, Juneau’s largest craft store would be full of plastic pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts, and, of course, fabric. But instead, the former Joann store in the Nugget Mall sits dark and empty — a spooky reality, say local costume makers.

Months after the chain closed across the nation , the gap in craft supplies is being put to the test at a crucially creative time of year: Halloween.

Elizabeth Bauer makes her five-year-old daughter’s Halloween costume every year, and usually, she wants to be something a bit unusual.

“Last year, she knew for months she wanted to be a white bat,” Bauer said. “So it’s like, you can’t find a white bat costume anywhere.”

Bauer found white furry fabric at Joann, and made wings and a headband with bat ears for her daughter.

But this y

See Full Page