Michaels Declares It Is Open to All^®; Pledges to Serve Everyone on the Same Terms

The largest arts and crafts retail chain in North America Joins National Public Education Campaign Against Discrimination

(Irving, TX) June 20, 2019—Today, the Michaels Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIK), the largest arts and crafts retail chain in North America, announced it is joining Open to All^®, the nationwide public engagement campaign to build understanding and discussion about the importance of protecting people from discrimination—and the bedrock principle that when businesses open their doors to the public, they should be Open to All^®. 

“We are proud to join Open to All^® and build on Michaels longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion,” said Holly Shaskey-Platek, senior vice president of human resources for the Michaels Companies. “We’re dedicated to making Michaels a fun and supportive place to work, as well as a great place to shop. Whether it’s how we treat our team members or how we serve our customers, we know that our business and communities are stronger when we are united.”  

Michaels signed the Open to All^® business pledge and stated their commitment to maintaining a welcoming and safe environment for people—including team members, visitors, customers, vendors and clients—regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, immigration status, religion or disability. They pledged to not discriminate against any individuals or deny them goods or services based on any of these characteristics.   

Michaels joins Gap Inc., Old Navy, Yelp, Levi Strauss & Co., Airbnb, Lyft, Marriott, as well as nearly 5,000 businesses and nonprofits, in partnering with Open to All^®. To welcome all customers, Michaels stores will also feature the Open to All^® window cling in over 1,100 stores across the United States and Canada. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Michaels to Open to All^®,” said Calla Rongerude, Open to All^® campaign manager. “Not only is Michaels signing the pledge and taking action in over 1,100 stores, they are fully committing to changing the conversation about what it means to be a leader in the craft industry—and that means serving and welcoming everyone. We need strong leadership now, more than ever, and Michaels is answering the call. We call on customers to answer in kind by supporting businesses like Michaels that are open to all, not just some.” 

Open to All^® is one of the most significant public education efforts to date that unites and galvanizes national leaders in business, civic engagement, and the nonprofit sector to take a stand for shared American values of fairness and equality.  

Businesses who take the Open to All^® business pledge are featured publicly on the Open to All^® website. Open to All^® has also teamed up with Yelp and is encouraging businesses that have a Yelp page to activate the new “Open to All” attribute to show customers that their business is Open to All^®. In addition to business coalition, Open to All^® includes more than 200 nonprofit members spanning civil rights and racial justice organizations; lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender (LGBT) equality organizations; health and disability organizations; faith organizations; and more.  

Businesses can sign the Open to All^® business pledge at https://www.opentoall.com/business-pledge. 

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Open to All^® is one of the most significant public education efforts to date that unites and galvanizes national leaders in business, civic engagement, and the nonprofit sector to take a stand for shared American values of fairness and equality. In addition to the nearly 5,000 business members, Open to All^® includes more than 200 nonprofit members spanning civil rights and racial justice organizations; LGBT equality organizations; health and disability organizations; faith organizations; and more. Open to All^® members are committed to building awareness and understanding about the importance of nondiscrimination—and to defend the bedrock principle that when businesses open their doors to the public, they should be Open to All^®. www.opentoall.com  

The Michaels Companies, Inc. is North America’s largest specialty provider of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall décor, and seasonal merchandise for Makers and do-it-yourself home decorators. The Company operates more than 1,250 Michaels stores in 49 states and Canada. Additionally, the Company serves customers through a variety of digital platforms including Michaels.com, consumercrafts.com and aaronbrothers.com. The Michaels Companies, Inc., also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of high quality custom and specialty framing merchandise, and Darice, a premier wholesale distributor in the craft, gift and decor industry. For a list of store locations or to shop online, visit www.michaels.com or download the Michaels app.