The old Joan’s Fabric and Crafts Shop is getting a new lease of life, if only for the weekend. Hundreds of Southern Californians are expected to visit for new art, clothing, décor, and an afternoon of collaboration.
That’s the mission behind Lauren Teteff’s Open House Creative Fest. The fest will be held June 27th and 28th at the former Joan’s location in the Del Amo Fashion Center mall in Torrance, California.
The event is also an artisan market and a workshop series where guests can learn new skills directly from the makers behind the products they buy.
“Attendees get a little taste of what someone else is doing,” says Tetev, 40, a longtime event producer. “You can sit down and figuratively break bread with them and have a conversation and get to know them, so you can focus more on their business.”
A weekend of shopping and crafting
Admission to the Open House Creative Fest event is free and there will be approximately 25 vendors available to roam and shop. Each vendor will also host their own craft workshop. If you’re feeling creative, you can purchase an activity passport starting at $40 that gives you access to activities at each booth.
For example, participating florists will hold sessions to guide visitors on how to arrange dried flowers into greeting cards that people can keep. Another clothing vendor plans to show people how to upcycle old ear material to make keychains.
Activity Passports will also give shoppers the freedom to wander around the event’s “Activity Garden,” where tables will be stacked with fabric, paper, paint and other art supplies to create their own projects.
“This is a dream come true for me,” says Tetev, who attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles and was inspired by the campus’ free resource library. “I just want to go to a place where people are sitting down and making something.”
Approximately $24,000 in savings after layoffs
Much like the briefly revived Joan Space, Tetev’s Creative Fest is a comeback of sorts.
In March 2025, Tetev started working in corporate marketing, and said his import-heavy business was affected by the Trump administration’s new tariff policies. Tetev said he was fired in August, just six months later. Despite the unexpected turn of events, she says, “It was a good opportunity for me to think about what to do next.”
She started brainstorming Open House Creative Fest and sees it as an amalgamation of everything she’s done in her career.
Tetev previously worked as an events director, producing dozens of meet-ups ranging from large-scale pop-up markets to intimate influencer events. About two years ago, she also started her own business, Flourish Locally, which hosts networking events for small businesses and creative workshops, including charm-making sessions.
Tetev said she and her family were living on retirement funds and her husband’s income. She acquired event clients through her business and put all of her income toward Creative Fest, saving about $24,000 in just a few months.
“This was a very special place for all of us.”
When Tetev was looking for a location, the leasing agent at Del Amo Fashion Center pitched her the space for Joan’s Vintage Fabric and Crafts Shop, she said.
In February 2025, the company announced that it would close all of its approximately 800 fabric and craft stores because it was unable to find buyers to continue operations.
Tetev paid $3,000 in rent and a $1,000 deposit to rent a space at Torrance Mall for a month, and received the keys on June 1. Tetev said she spent thousands more on expenses such as cleaning staff, construction staff to make some of the store’s supplies, decorations and rugs, vinyl to cover the storefront, a photographer and supplies for the activity garden.
Tetev said the event had nearly 500 RSVPs across Eventbrite and Partiful and 70 pre-sale passport purchases, and he’s hopeful that weekend foot traffic to the mall could attract other visitors.
She hasn’t forgotten the importance of Tetef events being posted in the old Joan’s store.
“This was a very special place for all of us,” Tetev says. “It was a place where you could get a shopping cart and wander down the aisles and see something that sparked your imagination,” she says. “If[people]are facing a creative block, they can come here and find a solution. Everyone is touched by this space.”
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