If you want a Michaels alternative today, the closest matches depend on what part of Michaels you actually use. Based on the current category mix shown on official sites, Hobby Lobby is the nearest broad craft-and-decor chain, Blick Art Materials is stronger for serious art supplies, CraftDirect and Spellbinders are better for paper crafting, Oriental Trading is better for group and classroom buying, and Save-On-Crafts, Factory Direct Craft, Target, Walmart, and Dollar Tree cover different slices of the budget and decor side. Michaels itself still spans crafts, art supplies, yarn, fabric, frames, floral, party supplies, and home decor on its current site here, so the best substitute is the one that overlaps with your specific project.
Table Of Contents
Quick comparison
| Store | Best for | What the official site shows | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby Lobby | Another big craft-store feel | Home decor, seasonal, yarn, fabric, floral, party, scrapbook, and art departments | Less useful if you want marketplace-style niche sellers |
| Blick Art Materials | Fine-art shopping | Specialist art-supply focus | Not a strong party or seasonal-decor stop |
| CraftDirect | Scrapbooking and die cutting | Dies, embossing folders, machines, scrapbook supplies, stencils, and tools | Narrower than Michaels for general home decor |
| Spellbinders | Cardmaking systems and paper tools | Die-cutting, embossing, BetterPress, and Glimmer tools | Best only if your projects are paper-first |
| Oriental Trading | Bulk crafts and classroom kits | Adult crafts, kids crafts, yarn, and large craft-supply assortments | Not the strongest choice for artist-grade materials |
| Save-On-Crafts | Wedding and event decor | Crafts, florals, vases, candles, lighting, and decor | More event-led than all-purpose |
| Factory Direct Craft | Florals, miniatures, and seasonal DIY | Craft supplies, florals, home decor, seasonal, and wood crafts | Catalog-style shopping experience |
| Etsy | Niche and seller-sourced supplies | Craft and party supplies are explicitly allowed marketplace categories | Inventory and lead times vary by seller |
| Target | Basics plus home decor in one trip | Arts and crafts, sewing, candle making, and a separate home-decor department | Less specialty depth |
| Walmart | Basic supplies and project restocks | Craft supplies, paints, machines, fabric, yarn, sewing, storage, and artificial plants | Selection is broad but not craft-specialist curated |
| Dollar Tree | Lowest-cost basics | Arts and crafts supplies plus floral and home decor | Best for simple projects, not specialty tools |
Best if you want another big craft chain
Hobby Lobby is the closest like-for-like substitute if what you miss about Michaels is the combination of craft aisles and seasonal home decor. Its current departments include home decor, seasonal, yarn and needle art, fabric and sewing, crafts and hobbies, floral, wedding, party supplies, scrapbook and paper crafts, art supplies, and beads and jewelry.
Best for serious art supplies
Blick Art Materials is the better fit when your Michaels shopping is mostly canvas, paint, drawing tools, printmaking supplies, or studio materials. The current Blick site is still art-first, which makes it a stronger research stop for artists than a general hobby chain.
Best for paper crafting and machines
CraftDirect is useful if your Michaels basket usually leans toward scrapbook paper, dies, stamps, stencils, embossing folders, and cutting machines. Spellbinders is even more specialized: its current storefront centers on Platinum die-cutting and embossing machines, BetterPress, Glimmer hot foil tools, and related supplies. If your projects are cards, albums, tags, and layered paper pieces, these two are usually a more direct match than a general retailer.
Best for classrooms, camps, and bulk crafts
Oriental Trading is the better choice when you need crafts by age group, activity type, or bulk quantity. Its current craft-and-hobby section highlights kids crafts, adult crafts, yarn, religious crafts, and large craft-supply assortments, so it makes more sense than Michaels when the job is group buying rather than one polished personal project.
Best for floral, wedding, and event decor
Save-On-Crafts is strongest for event-led shopping because its current navigation centers on weddings, seasonal parties, naturals and florals, crafts, vases, candles, lighting, and decor. Factory Direct Craft is the better alternative if you want faux florals, miniatures, wood crafts, paper mache, and catalog-style seasonal components that feel more DIY than finished retail decor.
Best for niche supply hunting
Etsy works differently from Michaels, but it is still useful when you need specific blanks, embellishments, trims, tools, or themed party materials that are hard to find in chain-store assortments. Etsy's current policy pages say craft and party supplies are allowed as seller-sourced items, and Etsy Help also lists allowed categories ranging from paper crafts and textile crafts to jewelry-making, floral crafts, resin, mixed media, and craft machines here.
Best for budget basics and one-stop errands
Target is the practical option when you want arts and crafts plus regular home shopping in one order, especially because it also maintains a separate home-decor department. Walmart is similar for basics, with current categories for craft supplies, fabric, yarn, sewing, storage, and artificial plants. Dollar Tree is the cheapest stop for glue, paper, simple embellishments, seasonal fillers, and floral or home-decor basics, but it is not a substitute for specialist tools or deeper color and material ranges.
What changed since the older versions of this list
The current craft-retail landscape is not the same as it was a few years ago. Michaels now has a dedicated page for former JOANN shoppers that emphasizes fabric, yarn, sewing notions, classes, and related craft categories here. That matters because older roundups often treated JOANN as the default answer, while current shoppers may need to split their decision between active specialists such as Hobby Lobby, Blick, CraftDirect, Oriental Trading, Save-On-Crafts, and Factory Direct Craft instead.
Bottom line
If you want one sentence: use Hobby Lobby for the broadest Michaels-style overlap, Blick for art, CraftDirect or Spellbinders for paper projects, Oriental Trading for group crafts, Save-On-Crafts or Factory Direct Craft for event decor, Etsy for niche supplies, and Target, Walmart, or Dollar Tree for simple restocks. Michaels is still broad, but the current alternatives are better chosen by project type than by trying to find one perfect replacement.