Craft party planning sits at the intersection of two large consumer activities: making things and celebrating together. Available U.S. industry disclosures show broad participation in crafting, recurring supply purchases, strong use of online inspiration, and substantial retail activity in craft and party supplies. The figures below cover different years and businesses, so each measurement period and geography is identified.
Table of contents
- Craft participation and household reach
- How often crafters buy and find ideas
- The craft market and specialty retail
- Party-supply retail scale and sales
- Store networks, staffing, and product development
- Sewing, fabric, and digital craft indicators
- Seasonality, e-commerce, and imported decorations
Craft participation and household reach
Crafting is a mainstream household activity in the historical U.S. measurements available from Michaels disclosures. A 2012 estimate cited in the Michaels 2016 10-K put participation at approximately 55% of U.S. households. That represented more than 62 million households that completed at least one crafting project during the year.
An earlier Michaels 2008 10-K cited a 2007 Craft and Hobby Association study with a slightly higher participation rate: 57% of U.S. households, or approximately 63 million households, had participated in crafts during the past year. These are separate historical measurements, not a single time series, but both indicate that more than half of U.S. households were participating in crafts in the cited periods.
The same 2007 CHA study estimated average annual spending of $505 per crafting household. That figure describes crafting households in the United States for 2007; it is not a current party budget and should not be treated as a per-event estimate. Still, it helps explain why craft-party planning can involve more than one purchase: materials may serve decorations, activities, favors, signage, and other elements of a gathering.
Long-term experience was also common. Nearly half of crafters in the historical Michaels research said they had been a crafter for 10 or more years. The duration measure describes the respondents’ crafting experience, not the age of a particular party trend.
How often crafters buy and find ideas
The 2012 Michaels household research reported that crafting households purchased crafting supplies an average of 1.9 times per month. That is a household-level average for the cited period, rather than a claim that every crafter bought supplies on the same schedule. Across a year, the frequency points to repeated replenishment and project-based shopping.
Those households also reported participating in approximately three crafting categories during the year. A craft party can therefore draw on several kinds of making at once, such as paper projects, decorations, fabric work, or personalized details, although the source does not specify which categories each household chose.
Ideas and information were frequently found online. Nearly two-thirds of crafters used the internet to source crafting ideas and information, according to the Michaels 2014 S-1. Within that research, 31% cited retail websites as an internet source for craft ideas, while 23% cited social media websites. These percentages identify source types used by crafters; they do not measure the share of parties planned online.
For a craft-party audience, the distinction matters. Retail websites can support supply discovery and project research, while social media can support visual inspiration and sharing. The available statistics support the importance of both channels, but they do not establish which channel produces more purchases or which platform is most effective.
The craft market and specialty retail
The historical market estimates show a sizable U.S. craft economy. The Michaels 2008 10-K cited an approximately $31.8 billion craft-industry size in 2007. The same disclosure said the industry had grown at a 7.6% annual rate over the period from 2006 to 2007.
Craft and fabric chain stores represented approximately 26% of the craft market in the Michaels 2014 S-1. This is a segment share, not a claim that 26% of all craft purchases were made for parties. It does show that specialty chain retail was a significant route to market alongside other retail channels.
Michaels reported $5,271.1 million in net sales for fiscal 2020 in its Michaels 2021 10-K. The company said private brands accounted for approximately 59% of those net sales. As of January 31, 2021, Michaels operated 1,252 retail stores in the United States and Canada and described itself as the largest arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America by store count at that time.
| Historical indicator | Measurement | Geography or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Crafting households, 2012 | About 55%; over 62 million | United States |
| Crafting households, 2007 CHA study | 57%; about 63 million | United States |
| Average annual craft spending, 2007 | $505 per crafting household | United States |
| Craft industry size, 2007 | About $31.8 billion | Industry estimate |
| Craft and fabric chain-store share | About 26% | Craft market |
| Michaels fiscal 2020 net sales | $5,271.1 million | United States and Canada company sales |
These figures span 2007 through fiscal 2020 and should be read as historical indicators rather than a current market-size forecast.
Party-supply retail scale and sales
Party City’s 2021 disclosures provide a separate view of the party-supply side. The Party City 2021 10-K said the company operated approximately 830 specialty retail party-supply stores, including franchise stores, across North America. Its retail segment generated 81.5% of total revenues in 2021, while wholesale generated 18.5%.
Party City retail net sales were $1,770.0 million in 2021. Party City stores accounted for $1,734.3 million of that retail net-sales figure. Retail net sales increased by $387.7 million, or 28.0%, compared with 2020, and same-store sales for the Party City brand increased 37.6% in 2021.
Temporary Halloween stores generated $35.7 million in sales in 2021, which was $28.1 million higher than in 2020. Wholesale net sales totaled $401.1 million in 2021 but declined by $67.3 million, or 14.4%, compared with 2020. The contrast shows that the company’s retail and wholesale channels moved differently during the stated period.
Party City also reported that wholesale products represented 81.1% of the shelf at its Party City stores and North American retail e-commerce operations in 2021, compared with 82.1% in 2020. In the 2021 retail segment, 26.7% of products sold were self-manufactured.
Store networks, staffing, and product development
Store counts changed across the Party City disclosures. The Party City 2021 results release reported 759 corporate Party City stores at December 31, 2021, compared with 746 at December 31, 2020. A Party City 2020 10-K cited 777 company-owned stores at year-end 2019 and 98 franchise stores in 2019/2020-era disclosures.
The company’s 2022 workforce figures included approximately 5,700 full-time team members and 9,500 part-time team members, plus an additional 14,500 seasonal team members, according to the Party City 2022 10-K. Seasonal staffing is especially relevant to a business with holiday and event-driven demand, although the figures do not isolate craft-party labor.
Party City reported $21.2 million in art and development costs in 2021. Those costs equaled 1.0% of total revenue in the same year. The measure indicates a quantified investment in product and design development, but it does not show how much was devoted to craft-focused products, birthday supplies, Halloween, or any other specific category.
Sewing, fabric, and digital craft indicators
JOANN’s disclosures provide a more fabric- and sewing-oriented retail perspective. As of October 28, 2023, JOANN operated 829 stores across 49 states, according to its 2024 investor presentation. Less than 4% of those stores were located in interior malls. The presentation described JOANN as the nation’s category leader in sewing and fabric.
JOANN said its top 1 million customers visited stores an average of 1.5 times per month. It also reported that 96% of its stores were 4-wall profitable on a trailing-12-month basis. These measures apply to the company’s stated customer and store groups, not to all crafters or all party shoppers.
The same investor presentation said online sales had grown at a 24% compound annual growth rate over the prior five years. In JOANN’s third quarter of fiscal 2024, net sales were $539.8 million, e-commerce sales increased 11.5% year over year, gross profit was $282.1 million, and gross margin was 52.3%, according to the JOANN Q3 FY2024 release.
JOANN also said it had line of sight to $225 million in targeted annual cost reductions under its Focus, Simplify and Grow initiative. That is a targeted reduction identified by the company, not realized savings reported here.
Cricut’s user data adds a digital making indicator. Cricut reported nearly 5.9 million Active Users as of December 31, 2024, in its 2024 annual report. In 2024, 39% of new users first heard about the brand through friends and family. Sales and marketing expenses were 20% of revenue in 2024, compared with 16% in 2023 and 15% in 2022.
For the fourth quarter of 2024, Cricut reported products revenue of $129.9 million, down 15% from $153.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to its Q4 2024 earnings release. The Active User figure and quarterly revenue measure different things: one is a user count at a specified date, while the other is quarterly product revenue.
Seasonality, e-commerce, and imported decorations
Holiday demand creates a measurable seasonal pattern in adjacent retail categories. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that December 2023 accounted for 13.6% of total 2023 sales at hobby, toy, and game stores in its holiday season facts. The statistic covers the named store category and is not limited to craft-party purchases.
The Census Bureau estimated U.S. retail sales by electronic shopping and mail-order houses at $131.1 billion in December 2023. That broad e-commerce category includes many products beyond craft and party supplies, so it should be used as a context measure rather than a category estimate.
Decorations also have an international supply dimension. U.S. imports of Christmas decorations from China were valued at $2.82 billion in 2023, and China accounted for 88.0% of total U.S. imports of Christmas decorations, according to the Census Bureau’s holiday-season facts. These figures concern Christmas decorations specifically, not all party decorations or all craft materials.
Together, the historical participation measures, retailer disclosures, digital-user counts, seasonal sales indicators, and import data describe a broad ecosystem for craft parties. They show the scale and channels surrounding making and celebrations while keeping the reported years, geographies, company scopes, and estimates distinct.