Layoff sparks a weekend craft festival inside a closed Jo-Ann store

In Torrance, California, Lauren Tetef saved about $24,000 after a layoff to launch Open House Creative Fest inside the shuttered Jo-Ann store at Del Amo Fashion Center for a weekend of free browsing and paid workshops from roughly 25 vendors. Attendees can buy an activity passport for $40 to access workshops and an 'activity garden' with supplies; the event aims to fuse an artisan market with hands-on crafting, drawing hundreds of RSVPs and showcasing Tetef’s shift from corporate work to entrepreneurship as a revival of a beloved space.