The economy in my state is pretty good - low unemployment, new businesses (including large ones) opening, housing developers looking to expand apartment complexes already built, city hall looking to relocate and turn the current location into hotel space. It's not all great, but overall it's healthy.
Joann's, imo, went in the wrong direction when they sought to broaden their customer base. There are so many dollar stores that maybe that market became over-saturated? Sometimes it's less about poor economic conditions and more about bad business decisions.
Not a Wharton grad, just talking off the top of my head.