A.C. Moore was an American

arts and crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

chain, owned by Nicole Crafts. It had 145 retail locations in the eastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, with corporate headquarters in

Berlin, New Jersey Berlin is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,489, a decrease of 99 (−1.3%) from the 2010 United Sta ...

. On November 25, 2019, A.C. Moore announced that it would wind down its operations, closing all stores, and selling selected leases and other assets to a competitor,

Michaels Michaels Stores, Inc., doing business as Michaels, is an American privately held arts and crafts retail chain. It is North America's largest provider of arts, crafts, framing, floral and wall décor, and merchandise for makers and do-it-yourse ...

. A.C. Moore sold a variety of arts and crafts products, including

scrapbook Scrapbook may refer to: * Scrapbooking, the process of making a scrapbook Software * Scrapbook, an early (1970s) information storage and retrieval system developed at the National Physical Laboratory in the United Kingdom * Scrapbook (Mac OS), ...

ing,

beading Beading may refer to: * Craftwork using beads or Beadwork * Architectural mouldings, for which see Molding (decorative) Moulding (British English), or molding (American English), also coving (in United Kingdom, Australia), is a strip of materi ...

knitting Knitting is a method for production of textile Knitted fabric, fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done Hand knitting, by hand or Knitting machi ...

, rubber stamping,

home decor A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be pe ...

items, floral items, children's crafts,

paints Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are ...

, framing, greenery and seasonal items. They were known for a policy of discounts and beating competitors' prices.

History

Early history

A.C. Moore was founded as a single arts and crafts store by Jack Parker and William Kaplan in 1985 in

Moorestown, New Jersey Moorestown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia and geographically part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of ...

("A. C. Moore" – arts and crafts, Moorestown). Parker, with the position of president, was a merchandising veteran of

Woolworth's Woolworth, Woolworth's, or Woolworths may refer to: Businesses Australia and New Zealand * Woolworths Group (Australia), the largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand; named after the American F.W. Woolworth company, but unrelated * W ...

, and Kaplan, CEO, had a career in fashion production. A.C. Moore went public in October 1997.

Decline, buyout, and closure

By 2006, the A.C. Moore had peaked with sales of $598 million but these numbers began to decline in the years that followed. In 2011, as A.C. Moore was experiencing a cash crunch, one of its suppliers stepped in to save the company through a merger. Sbar's, an art supplies distributor based in nearby Moorestown, in association with its affiliate Nicole Crafts, acquired A. C. Moore for $1.61 per-share (a valuation of $41 million). The buyout was executed as a merger, with A. C. Moore becoming a subsidiary of Nicole Crafts, the Sbar's in-house goods brand. Sbar's seven retail stores were absorbed into A. C. Moore. On November 25, 2019, A.C. Moore announced that it would close all 145 of its locations (with some closing as early as December 15, 2019), and sell the leases for up to 40 locations, a distribution center, and unspecified

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

assets to the competing chain

. , A. C. Moore was still undergoing the liquidation process. , all stores had been closed, and Michaels had taken over its distribution facility on A. C. Moore Drive in Winslow, NJ.

References

{{Reflist 1985 establishments in New Jersey 1997 initial public offerings 2011 mergers and acquisitions 2019 disestablishments in New Jersey American companies established in 1985 Arts and crafts retailers Defunct retail companies of the United States Defunct companies based in New Jersey Berlin, New Jersey Companies based in Camden County, New Jersey Retail companies established in 1985 Retail companies disestablished in 2020

History

Early history

Decline, buyout, and closure

See also

References