BUSINESS
What’s that going into the former Joann Fabrics near Washington Pike?
‘What’s that?’ Knox News has an answer for your Knoxville curiosity!
Hayden Dunbar EvansKnoxville News Sentinel
July 27, 2026, 5:07 a.m. ET
A storefront in a Washington Pike shopping center is trading fabrics for fitness
The former Joann Fabrics near Target and Marshalls in northeast Knoxville is slated to open as Planet Fitness this fall, according to a news release
Joann Fabrics filed for bankruptcy in March 2024, and again in early 2025. By Feb. 13, 2025, it had announced its location at 4627 Greenway Drive was closing. As of May 31, 2025, all Joann stores nationwide had closed
Construction for the new Planet Fitness is in the works, and the finished gym will have treadmills, plate-loaded strength equipment, ellipticals and stationary bikes
Across town, the Joann Fabrics at 276 Morrell Road near West Town Mall, which also closed, is set to become a Bob’s Discount Furniture store
Hayden Dunbar Evans is the storyteller reporter. Email: hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com. Instagram: @knoxstoryteller
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