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In between AI slop and viral dance trends, blacksmithing is quietly drawing audiences of millions on TikTok. One of the platform’s most popular farriers, Samuel Wolfenden, has gained over a million followers on Instagram and 700,000 followers on TikTok since he posted his first video two years ago. I woke up the next day and had millions of millions of views; I had one hundred thousand followers, Wolfenden told the New York Times in a recent interview. His oddly satisfying videos of hammering shoes on horse hooves have garnered Wolfenden a devoted following. Lucky horse, one user commented beneath one of his videos. The attention has since landed Wolfenden sponsorship deals, modeling gigs, and a publicist, according to the Times. Wolfendens not the only one cashing in on the demand. Farrier Sam Dracotts top three pinned videos on TikTok have a combined view count of over 630 million. Its so satisfying to watch, one user commented beneath one of his videos. Dracott, who has four million followers on YouTube and TikTok, now employs an entourage, which includes a videographer, a social media manager, and a publicist. Due to his online presence, his income has doubled. TikTok leans into trades As well as pulling in millions of views, TikTok creators in the trades are also influencing career choices. This month, Skilled Careers Coalition (SCC) and SkillsUSA announced a partnership with TikTok to tap into the momentum, enlisting creators to produce exclusive content on trade careers like carpentry, construction, and HVAC contracting. This comes as 42% of Gen Z college grads now work in or are pursuing a blue-collar or skilled trade job, including 37% of those with a bachelors degree, according to a survey published this month by Resume Builder. The main motivators: flexibility and a preference for hands-on work over desk jobs. When it comes to horseshoeing, having no prior experience with horses is simply a minor detail for eager students, lead instructor at the Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School in Plymouth, Calif., Amanda Smith, told the Times. It makes me wonder: How did you think of this? Because you never put a halter on a horse, and now you are thinking of putting shoes on their feet? Smith said. I will have to admit, every time they come, my first thought is: Did you see one of those videos?
Category:
E-Commerce
The FDA recalled a series of non-organic cucumbers grown by Bedner Growers, Inc. that are currently under investigation for a salmonella outbreak. And now, Target is included in the fallout. At this point, the outbreak has affected 45 people in 18 states, and has almost doubled since three days ago. Target initially announced a recall of cucumbers and items containing the cucumbers on May 19, though Target specifically was mentioned in the FDA update on May 30. Compared to other companies that have recalled just one cucumber product, like Walmart, Targets recall list contains over 40 different products purchased between May 7 and May 21. Two of them are regular cucumbers, two are chicken salad products, and a whopping 38 of the recalled products are a sushi variety. The outbreak has resulted in 16 hospitalizations and zero deaths. This recall comes in the wake of a particularly terrible year for Target, as the mega-corporation faces boycotts and tariffs set by the Trump Administration. Targets stock plunged 40% over the last year, and operating income was down 38% last year from its 2021 high. Furthermore, this isnt the first cucumber recall Target customers have weathered. The FDA also announced another cucumber recall in November 2024 due to an investigation of a salmonella outbreak. These cucumbers were linked to a farm in Mexico, and were distributed by SunFed Produce, LLC, which initiated a voluntary recall. Target sent out automated warning calls to buyers in December, weeks after many customers had originally bought the cucumbers. The calls warned that consumers should immediately stop using the products, and to contact Target for next steps.
Category:
E-Commerce
Joann fabrics, the beloved fabrics, arts, and crafts retailer, is finally shutting its doors for good after a long, slow goodbye. While many of its 800 stores have already been shuttered since the company filed for bankruptcy (yet again) in January, the last 444 Joann stores (yes, you read that right) will finally shut their doors on Friday, May 30, according to Joann’s website. What happened? As Fast Company previously reported, the popular fabrics and crafts supplier announced earlier this year that it would close all its U.S. locations after it filed for bankruptcy in January 2025, marking the second time Joann declared bankruptcy in less than a year. It also laid off all 19,000 workers, including more than 15,000 part-time store associates. Like many brick-and-mortar retailers that have filed for bankruptcy, including Party City and Forever 21, Joann faced declining sales and foot traffic since the COVID-19 pandemic, as more Americans shop online and curb spending due to higher prices, the soaring cost of living, inflation, and President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff wars. Customers take to social media to lament the store’s demise From TikTok and Reddit to Instagram and Facebook, customers have been taking to social media, posting tearfully and nostalgically about time they spent in the store. Some even shared last haul videos of what they bought in the store’s final days. On Reddit, nostalgic customers and workers posted multiple threads saying “goodbye” to individual stores. Some featured photos of the shuttered front door, like this one, which read, “RIP Joann 1943-2025: Died due to private equity and corporate greed,” lamenting the end of 80 years in business. (More on the private equity aspect below.) Meanwhile, on TikTok, one woman with tears in her eyes posted, “Y’all I really can’t believe but I just really had a moment, Joann is fing closing . . . It’s so unfortunate.” Joann’s final years By the 1990s, Joann became the largest fabric and crafts retail superstore in the U.S., and was taken private in 2011 by Leonard Green & Partners, a private equity firm, for around $1.6 billion. Then, a decade later, it went public again as the COVID-19 pandemic fueled an uptick in crafting, Fast Company previously reported. However, like for many brick-and-mortar retailers, profits began to decline after the pandemic, leaving the company with $616 million in reported debt obligations when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. Some critics and customers blame Joann’s demise on private equity, which has increasingly been at the helm of large-scale business restructurings and closings, and been accused of stripping companies for parts instead of bringing them back to profitability. However, many experts have said it’s not that simple, and Joann’s failure is based on a mix of factors that go into the current economics of U.S. retail conditions. A look at the numbers shows Joann fabrics’ last reported revenue of $539.80 million for its third quarter of fiscal year 2024 ending October 28, 2023, which was a decrease of 4.09%. That brought revenue in the last twelve months up to that date to $2.16 billion, down 4.20% year-over-year. In the fiscal year ending January 28, 2023, Joann had an annual revenue of $2.22 billion. Its last reported market cap was $3.20 million.
Category:
E-Commerce
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