Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)

Registration No. 333-185020

Michaels Stores, Inc.

Offer to Exchange

   up to $200,000,000 principal amount of our 7¾% Senior Notes due November 1, 2018, which has been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for any and all of our outstanding 7¾% Senior Notes due November 1, 2018 issued on September 27, 2012.

Exchange Offer

We are offering to exchange, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus and the accompanying letter of transmittal, our new 7¾% Senior Notes due November 1, 2018 (the “exchange notes”), for all of our outstanding 7¾% Senior Notes due November 1, 2018 that were issued on September 27, 2012 (the “outstanding notes” and, together with the exchange notes, the “notes”). The outstanding notes were issued under the indenture (the “indenture” or the “indenture governing the senior notes”) governing our 7¾% Senior Notes due 2018 that we issued on October 21, 2010 (the “initial notes” and, together with the notes, the “senior notes”).  The outstanding notes are treated as a single series with the initial notes, vote as one class under the indenture and have the same terms as those of the initial notes, except that (i) the outstanding notes are subject to a separate registration rights agreement and (ii) the outstanding notes were issued under a CUSIP number different from the initial notes. We are conducting the exchange offer in order to provide you with an opportunity to exchange your unregistered outstanding notes for freely tradable exchange notes that have been registered under the Securities Act and that are expected to share a single CUSIP number and be fungible with the initial notes.

The principal features of the exchange offer are as follows:

·We will exchange all outstanding notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn for an equal principal amount of exchange notes that are freely tradable.

·You may withdraw tenders of outstanding notes at any time prior to the expiration date of the exchange offer.

·The exchange offer expires at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 15, 2013 (the 21st business day on which the exchange offer will be open), unless extended. We do not currently intend to extend the expiration date.

·The exchange of outstanding notes for exchange notes in the exchange offer will not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

·The terms of the exchange notes to be issued in the exchange offer are substantially identical to the outstanding notes, except that the exchange notes will be freely tradable and the exchange notes will be free of any covenants regarding registration rights.

·We do not intend to apply for listing of the exchange notes on any securities exchange or to arrange for them to be quoted on any quotation system.

·Broker-dealers who receive new securities pursuant to the exchange offer acknowledge that they will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of new securities; and

·Broker-dealers who acquired the old securities as a result of market-making or other trading activities may use the prospectus for the exchange offer, as supplemented or amended, in connection with resales of the new securities.  We have agreed that, for a period of 180 days after the consummation of the exchange offer, we will make this prospectus, as amended or supplemented, available to any broker-dealer for use in connection with any such resale. See “Plan of Distribution.”

Results of the Exchange Offer

The exchange notes may be sold in the over-the-counter market, in negotiated transactions or through a combination of such methods. All untendered outstanding notes will continue to be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in the outstanding notes and in the indenture. In general, the outstanding notes may not be offered or sold, unless registered under the Securities Act, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Other than in connection with the exchange offer, we do not currently anticipate that we will register the outstanding notes under the Securities Act.

You should consider carefully the risk factors beginning on page 14 of this prospectus before participating in the exchange offer.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined that this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is December 5, 2012.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Page
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	ii
INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA	iv
TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS	iv
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY	1
RISK FACTORS	14
THE EXCHANGE OFFER	26
USE OF PROCEEDS	36
CAPITALIZATION	37
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA	38
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES	40
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	41
BUSINESS	64
MANAGEMENT	74
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION	78
EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION	86
PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS AND MANAGEMENT OWNERSHIP	96
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION	98
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	99
DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN OTHER INDEBTEDNESS	102
DESCRIPTION OF EXCHANGE NOTES	109
BOOK-ENTRY SETTLEMENT AND CLEARANCE	163
MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS	165
MATERIAL ERISA AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS	170
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION	171
LEGAL MATTERS	172
EXPERTS	172
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION	172
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA	F-1

This prospectus contains summaries of the terms of several material documents. These summaries include the terms that we believe to be material, but we urge you to review these documents in their entirety. We will make copies of these documents available to you at your request.

This prospectus incorporates important business and financial information about the company that is not included or delivered with the document. All such business and financial information incorporated but not included in this prospectus is available without charge to security holders upon written or oral request directed to Navin Rao, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, 8000 Bent Branch Drive, Irving, Texas 75063 (Telephone: (972) 409-1300). To obtain timely delivery, you must request this information no later than five business days before the date on which you expect to make your decision with respect to the exchange offer. In any event, you must request this information prior to January 8, 2013.

i

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which involve risks and uncertainties. You can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “seeks,” “approximately,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” or “anticipates” or similar expressions that concern our strategy, plans or intentions. All statements we make relating to our estimated and projected earnings, margins, costs, expenditures, cash flows, growth rates and financial results are forward-looking statements. In addition, we, through our senior management, from time to time make forward-looking public statements concerning our expected future operations and performances and other developments. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may change at any time, and, therefore our actual results may differ materially from those that we expected. We derive many of our forward-looking statements from our operating budgets and forecasts, which are based upon many detailed assumptions. While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations (“cautionary statements”) are disclosed under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus, including, without limitation, in conjunction with the forward-looking statements included in this prospectus. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements. Some of the factors that we believe could affect our results include:

·risks related to our substantial indebtedness, as our leverage could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk to the extent of our variable rate debt and prevent us from meeting our obligations under our outstanding debt;

·restrictions in our debt agreements that limit our flexibility in operating our business, as our Senior Secured Credit Facilities (as defined below) and the indentures governing our senior notes and outstanding Senior Subordinated Notes (as defined below) contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions and require that we maintain specified financial ratios upon the occurrence of certain events;

·risks related to general economic conditions; if recovery from the economic downturn continues to be slow or prolonged, it could continue to adversely affect consumer confidence and retail spending, decreasing demand for our merchandise and adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition;

·our reliance on foreign suppliers increases our risk of obtaining adequate, timely, and cost-effective product supplies;

·our ability to open new stores and increase comparable store sales growth, as our growth depends on our strategy of increasing the number and productivity of our stores and if we are unable to continue this strategy, our ability to increase our sales, profitability, and cash flow could be impaired;

·damage to the reputation of the Michaels brand or our private and exclusive brands could adversely affect our sales;

·our suppliers may fail us;

·risks associated with the vendors from whom our products are sourced could materially adversely affect our revenue and gross profit;

·product recalls and/or product liability, as well as changes in product safety and other consumer protection laws, may adversely impact our operations, merchandise offerings, reputation, results of operation, cash flow, and financial condition;

·significant increases in inflation or commodity prices such as petroleum, natural gas, electricity, steel and paper may adversely affect our costs, including cost of merchandise;

ii

·unexpected or unfavorable consumer responses to our promotional or merchandising programs could materially adversely affect our sales, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition;

·improvements to our supply chain may not be fully successful;

·changes in customer demand could materially adversely affect our sales, results of operations, and cash flow;

·how well we manage our business;

·competition could negatively impact our business;

·failure to adequately maintain security and prevent unauthorized access to electronic and other confidential information and data breaches could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations;

·our information systems may prove inadequate;

·we are dependent upon the services of our senior management team, and our inability to identify, hire and subsequently integrate a new Chief Executive Officer could adversely impact our business;

·a weak fourth quarter would materially adversely affect our results of operations;

·changes in newspaper subscription rates may result in reduced exposure to our circular advertisements;

·changes in regulations or enforcement may adversely impact our business;

·disruptions in the capital markets could increase our costs of doing business;

·our real estate leases generally obligate us for long periods, which subjects us to various financial risks;

·we have co-sourced certain of our information technology, accounts payable, payroll, accounting and human resources functions, and may co-source other administrative functions, which makes us more dependent upon third parties;

·we are exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. and Canadian dollar, which is the functional currency of our Canadian subsidiary;

·failure to attract and retain quality sales, distribution center and other associates in appropriate numbers as well as experienced buying and management personnel could adversely affect our performance;

·our results may be adversely affected by serious disruptions or catastrophic events, including geo-political events and weather; and

·the interests of our controlling stockholders may conflict with the interests of our creditors.

The foregoing factors are not exhaustive and new factors may emerge or changes to the foregoing factors may occur that could impact our business. In addition, there may be other factors not presently known to us or which we currently consider to be immaterial that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You should review carefully the section captioned “Risk Factors” in this prospectus for a more complete discussion of the risks of an investment in the exchange notes.

iii

INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA

Industry and market data included in this prospectus were obtained from our own internal data, data from industry trade publications and groups, consumer research and marketing studies and, in some cases, are management estimates based on industry and other knowledge and experience in the markets in which we operate. Our estimates have been based on information obtained from our suppliers, customers, trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate, including the Craft & Hobby Association and Interbrand. We believe these estimates to be accurate as of the date of this prospectus.

TRADEMARKS AND SERVICE MARKS

We own or have rights to trademarks, service marks or trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business, including, without limitation, “Aaron Brothers”, “Aaron Brothers Art & Framing”, “Artistree”, “Michaels”, “Michaels the Arts and Crafts Store”, “Recollections”, the stylized “Timeframe” logo, “Where Creativity Happens”, and the stylized Michaels logos. We are registering or have registered our primary private brands including Artist’s Loft, ArtMinds, Celebrate It, Creatology, Craft Smart, Recollections, Loops & Threads, Studio Décor, Bead Landing, Imagin8, MiDesign@Michaels, and Ashland, and various sub-brands associated with these primary marks. Solely for convenience, some of the trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this prospectus are listed without the ©, ® and ™ symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to our copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade names and domain names. The trademarks, service marks and trade names of other companies appearing in this prospectus are, to our knowledge, the property of their respective owners.

iv

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary contains basic information about Michaels Stores, Inc. and the exchange offer. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the exchange notes. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including the financial data and related notes and the section entitled “Risk Factors.” Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this registration statement to “Michaels Stores,” “Michaels,” “we,” “our,” “us” and “the Company” refer to Michaels Stores, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, references to “Michaels’ stores” refers to our arts and crafts retail chain using the Michaels name, and references to the “Issuer” refer to Michaels Stores, Inc.

We report on the basis of a 52 or 53-week fiscal year, which ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. References to fiscal year mean the year in which that fiscal year began. Fiscal 2012 is the 53-week period ending February 2, 2013.  Fiscal 2011 ended on January 28, 2012, fiscal 2010 ended on January 29, 2011, fiscal 2009 ended on January 30, 2010 and fiscal 2008 ended on January 31, 2009. Fiscal years 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008 contained 52 weeks. References to “the third quarter of fiscal 2012” relate to the 13 weeks ended October 27, 2012, and references to “the third quarter of fiscal 2011” relate to the 13 weeks ended October 29, 2011. References to “the nine months ended October 27, 2012” relate to the 39 weeks ended October 27, 2012, and “the nine months ended October 29, 2011” relate to the 39 weeks ended October 29, 2011.

Our Company

We believe Michaels is where creativity happens. With 1,226 stores (consisting of 1,099 Michaels stores and 127 Aaron Brothers stores) as of October 27, 2012 and $4.2 billion in fiscal 2011 sales, Michaels is the largest arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America. We have approximately as many stores as our two largest direct competitors combined, who have 790 stores and 524 stores, respectively. Our mission is to inspire and enable customer creativity, create a fun and rewarding place to work, foster meaningful connections with our communities and lead the industry in growth and innovation. With crafting classes, store events, project sheets, store displays, mobile applications and proprietary online content, we believe we offer the most complete arts and crafts experience and are the preferred destination in the industry.

We focus on building strong customer relationships through our innovative merchandise offering, engaging store experience and multi-channel marketing. Our stores are at the heart of our customer engagement strategy, showcasing our artistic and creative products and providing an opportunity for our knowledgeable store associates to interact with customers and help them develop creative ideas. We carry a broad and deep assortment of approximately 35,000 stock-keeping units (“SKUs”) in arts, crafts, scrapbooking, floral, framing, home décor, seasonal offerings and children’s hobbies that enable us to satisfy the diverse needs of our customers. In recent years, we have capitalized on our market-leading scale to create a team and infrastructure dedicated to designing, sourcing and delivering high quality, on-trend merchandise, including a growing number of products under our portfolio of private brands. These private branded products, which represented approximately 44% of total Net sales in fiscal 2011, are only available at Michaels and allow us to further differentiate our merchandise while enhancing product margins. We believe our compelling store experience and broad product offering distinguish us from our competitors, drive customer loyalty, increase the frequency of customer visits and position Michaels as the brand that defines arts and crafts.

In recent years, our experienced management team has undertaken a series of transformative initiatives designed to enhance the strength of our business and our potential for future growth. Our primary initiatives include:

·Enhancing our store experience

·Initiating a comprehensive digital marketing campaign

·Reinventing our approach to merchandising and sourcing to introduce on-trend products and improve margins

·Launching numerous high-quality private branded product lines

·Developing new store formats to facilitate expansion

·Building an online platform to strengthen customer engagement

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Financial Performance

We believe the strength of our business model and the impact of our initiatives have delivered accelerating sales growth and operating margin improvement. We believe these strong results place us among the best performers in the specialty retail sector and create a foundation for future growth.

·Our sales in fiscal 2011 reached $4.2 billion, an increase of 4.4% over fiscal 2010, driven by comparable store sales growth of 3.2%. Our strong sales growth in fiscal 2011 followed positive trends in fiscal 2010, when sales increased 3.7% over fiscal 2009, including comparable store sales growth of 2.5%. Sales have grown at a 4.1% compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) since fiscal 2009.

·Our resilient business model has generated positive year-over-year sales growth in 19 of the last 23 quarters.

·During fiscal 2011, we achieved operating income of $569 million, an improvement of 16.6% from fiscal 2010, which was 22.9% higher than fiscal 2009. Operating income has grown at a 19.7% CAGR since fiscal 2009.

·Operating margin expanded by 140 basis points from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2011. Since fiscal 2009, operating margin has improved by 340 basis points, driven by growth in private brand sales, strategic sourcing and pricing initiatives, improved inventory management and expense control.

Our Industry and Our Customer

We operate within the large, growing and fragmented arts and crafts industry. According to the Craft & Hobby Association’s (“CHA”) 2011 Attitude & Usage Study, the arts and crafts industry generated approximately $30.3 billion in sales for the twelve months ended June 30, 2011, up from $27.3 billion in sales for the twelve months ended December 31, 2008, representing a CAGR of 4.3%. Separately, we estimate the total size of the U.S. framing industry in 2011 was approximately $3.0 billion. According to CHA, our industry remains highly fragmented as craft chain and fabric stores (“multi-store chains”) only comprise approximately 39% of the market. The balance consists of discounters, independent operators and online retailers. According to data from CHA, these multi-store chains, of which Michaels is the largest, increased their market share by approximately 3% in 2011 compared to 2010.

Our core customer is an important driver of our success. Based on an internal study, we believe our typical customer is female (77% are women), spans a broad age range (69% are under 56, with 50% between the ages of 36 and 55), and has a median household income of approximately $75,000.

According to CHA, 56% to 57% of U.S. households participated in at least one crafting project during the years from 2006 to 2010, before increasing to 58% for the twelve months ended June 30, 2011, which represented over 66 million households. We believe the broad, multi-generational appeal, high personal attachment and the low-cost, project-based nature of crafting creates a loyal, resilient following.

Our Competitive Strengths

Leading Market Position in an Attractive Industry.  We believe our leading market position provides us with a number of advantages relative to our competitors and positions us to continue to capture market share. First, our scale allows us to invest in product sourcing and innovation as well as proprietary store and online content, which we believe differentiates us from local and regional arts and crafts retailers. Second, the breadth and depth of our assortment, combined with a large share of private branded products, strengthens our competitive position relative to mass merchants, which devote only a small portion of shelf space to the category. Third, the desire of arts and crafts customers to view and handle our products before purchase while engaging with our store associates provides us with an advantage over e-commerce competitors.

Sophisticated Global Sourcing and Innovation Capabilities.  Our infrastructure and internal product development and global sourcing team position us to continue delivering a differentiated level of innovation, quality and value to our customers. Through constant interaction with our customers, we are able to anticipate and respond to their needs by introducing fresh and inspirational products in a timely manner. Our global sourcing network allows us to control new product introductions, maintain quality standards, monitor delivery times, and manage product costs and inventory levels in order to enhance profitability. Further, through our wholly-owned subsidiary Artistree, we operate a vertically integrated custom frame design and manufacturing business, which delivers high-quality framing products at competitive prices while capturing both manufacturing and retail margins.

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Industry Defining Brands.  We believe Michaels is the leading brand in the arts and crafts category. We are the only arts and crafts retailer named on Interbrand’s list of Best Retail Brands in the U.S., ranking 27th in 2012.

The strength of the Michaels brand reflects, in part, our ability to offer unique merchandise at a compelling value. We believe products offered under our internally developed portfolio of 11 private brands are of equal or better quality than third party branded products and generate higher gross margins. In fiscal 2011, sales of our private brands exceeded $1.8 billion, representing approximately 44% of total Net sales.

Highly Effective Customer Engagement Strategy.  We engage with our customers through a data-driven, multi-channel communication strategy. Our marketing approach has expanded beyond the primary use of newspaper circulars to an integrated strategy using multiple forms of media, including digital display, search, social media, direct marketing and high profile television tie-ins. Our nationally coordinated store classroom program offers a broad curriculum of hands-on instruction. We successfully grew total classroom participation to 355,000 in fiscal 2011 from 257,000 in fiscal 2009. We enhanced our sales associate training program to improve their product knowledge and customer engagement skills, and we re-engineered the store labor model to increase time spent with customers. We also launched new business initiatives that provide additional outlets to purchase our products, including BuyTheBunch, a special order platform designed to accommodate large quantity orders, and MiDesign@Michaels, which includes our online Photo Creations and Custom Invites applications.

Our customer engagement strategy provides us with a deep understanding of customers’ buying criteria, including assortment, brand and price. This strategy enables us to be a source of ideas and creativity, which ultimately increases loyalty and comparable store sales growth. Further, we believe our use of the Internet as both a targeted marketing tool and design platform complements our store experience and opens up additional avenues to engage with our customers. The initial success of these strategies is reflected in improved customer satisfaction scores as measured through our internal customer satisfaction surveys.

Strong Cash Flow Generation.  Our ability to deliver consistent financial performance, including the generation of annual net cash from operations in excess of $400 million in each of the last three fiscal years, allows us to take advantage of the opportunities listed above, as well as invest in new initiatives to drive continued growth.

Experienced Management Team.  Our current management team has developed and led the execution of recent strategic and operating initiatives that have driven our strong performance. This team has a unique combination of leadership and experience across multiple retail operations and consumer product companies.

Our Business Strategy

We intend to strengthen our position in the marketplace by executing store, marketing and merchandising initiatives through the following strategies:

Drive Comparable Store Sales Growth

Engaging with Our Customers.  We will continue to enhance our customer engagement strategy to improve our brand positioning, increase traffic to our stores, build customer loyalty and generate sustainable long-term sales growth. For example, we analyze transaction information to develop tailored product offerings and communications to better serve our customers. We also develop multi-channel marketing solutions based on customer-specific behavior and capitalize on our growing database of customers to offer targeted e-mail and loyalty initiatives. This e-mail database has grown to more than 10 million customers at the end of fiscal 2011 from six million one year prior.

Compelling Store Experience.  We will further enhance our store experience in order to drive increases in store visits and units per transaction, as well as expand our customer base. Our new store labor model realigns tasks to create dedicated customer service teams without adding ongoing labor hours. These teams are able to engage with customers more directly to deliver value-added services, project ideas and product-based solutions. Furthermore, our stores and classrooms have increasingly become a popular destination for a variety of events such as birthday parties, children’s seasonal crafting programs and school field trips. These initiatives strengthen our relationship with customers, create new opportunities to visit our stores and attract new customers to the Michaels experience.

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Providing Differentiated and Inspiring Merchandise.  We will continue to leverage our 117-person internal product development and global sourcing team to consistently introduce new and on-trend products, drive customers to our stores and increase sales. This includes working with our vendor partners to introduce a significant amount of new product into our assortment on a consistent basis, with more than 50 major merchandise resets and approximately 20% new product each year.

Expanding Connections with Growing and Attractive Customer Segments.  We will expand our business by engaging with growing and attractive customer segments by building connections with the Michaels brand through tailored products and marketing initiatives. For example, we are expanding our offering to the growing Hispanic customer base with culturally relevant products, multilingual packaging, classes in Spanish and celebrating key events such as Quinceañeras. We are also increasing our focus on customers between the ages of eight and 18 (“Tweens” and “Teens”) by introducing products in categories that appeal to this age group such as jewelry, apparel and scrapbooking, while hosting store events catering to this segment.

Expand Multi-Channel Business Platform

Driving Store Growth.  Based on our detailed market-by-market analysis, we believe there is a significant opportunity for continued new store growth, with the potential for at least 1,500 Michaels stores in our existing formats in North America. Over the past five years, we have opened 214 stores, including 52 relocations, and expanded our store format beyond the traditional suburban box to include two new store prototypes focused on urban and smaller markets. These new prototypes allow us to open locations in markets we had not previously targeted. Based on the performance of recently opened stores, we believe our new traditional-format stores will produce attractive returns on our investment with a pre-tax payback period of approximately three years.

During fiscal 2012, we anticipate opening 45 to 50 new Michaels stores, which includes 10 to 15 relocations, 5 to 10 new urban and small-market formats, as well as seven stores in Québec. We will continue to monitor the success of our new store formats and evaluate opportunities to further penetrate existing markets. We expect our future store openings will be funded primarily by our strong cash flow.

Building New Businesses.  We continue to create new business lines to enhance our offering, create new opportunities to engage customers and generate incremental sales. For example, in fiscal 2011, we launched two new multi- channel business offerings: BuyTheBunch and MiDesign@Michaels. BuyTheBunch is our new special order platform that offers customers the opportunity to place large quantity orders at their local store. MiDesign@Michaels is a multi-channel complement to our stores featuring Photo Creations, which includes our digital scrapbooking application, and Custom Invites, which offers creative invitations and custom accessories. These offerings represent initial steps toward building a transaction-based e-commerce presence to capitalize on the strength of the Michaels brand.

Enhance Operating Margins and Cash Flow

Private Brand and Global Sourcing Initiatives.  We plan to increase the penetration of our private branded products assortment and believe additional opportunities exist through global sourcing and product design to reduce costs and balance value, selection and new product introductions. We will continue to replace third party offerings with our private branded products to enhance our gross margin. In addition to capitalizing on our direct sourcing capabilities, increasing our private brand offerings will allow us to more effectively tailor our products to customer tastes, control costs and manage our supply chain.

Pricing and Promotional Strategies.  We will continue to leverage our sophisticated understanding of customer demands and improve our merchandising systems to deliver promotions that enhance customer value and improve margin. Our refined promotional models can be customized at the store level to better capture the price elasticity of our products and target promotional messages to customers. Our analytically-based promotional strategy allows us to optimize offer types to our mass and targeted marketing channels.

Operating Leverage.  As we continue to grow, we will seek to further benefit from our scale and the infrastructure and capabilities we have developed to support our store network. Since fiscal 2009, we have been able to leverage our scale to reduce Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales by 100 basis points.

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Summary Risk Factors

The fragmented arts and crafts industry can be highly competitive, specifically in regards to comparable products sold online or by mass merchandisers, and we may face intense competition in the future that could impact our planned growth and results of operations as discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus. You should carefully consider all of the information set forth in this prospectus and, in particular, you should evaluate the risk factors in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus before deciding whether to invest the notes. Among the important risks relating to our business and our ability to successfully execute our business strategy are the following:

·General economic factors and changes in consumer preference may adversely affect our performance, such as the impact of the economic factors on consumer discretionary income, which contributed to a decrease in our total Net sales from $3,862 million in fiscal 2007 to $3,817 million in fiscal 2008, despite adding a number of new stores;

·Our significant reliance on foreign suppliers, particularly those located in China, increases our risk of obtaining adequate, timely, and cost-effective product supplies;

·Our substantial debt, of which $3,368 million was outstanding at October 27, 2012, could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk associated with our $1,787 million in variable rate debt, prevent us from meeting our obligations under our outstanding debt and limit our flexibility in operating our business;

·One of our key business strategies is to expand our base of retail stores, and if we are unable to continue this strategy, our ability to increase our sales, profitability, and cash flow would depend significantly on our ability to reduce our costs as a percentage of our sales;

·We are controlled by the Sponsors, who currently indirectly own approximately 93% of our common stock in the aggregate, whose interests as an equity holder may conflict with yours as a creditor;

·Damage to the reputations (whether or not justified) of our brand names could arise from product failures, litigation or various forms of adverse publicity, especially in social media outlets, and may generate negative customer sentiment, potentially resulting in a reduction in our sales and earnings;

·If a supplier fails us, transitioning to other qualified vendors could affect our revenue and gross profit;

·Product recalls or product liability could adversely impact our financial condition;

·Our cost of merchandise could be adversely affected by significant increases in inflation or commodity prices; and

·Competition, including Internet-based competition, could negatively impact our business.

The risks described above and other risks we face are described in further detail under the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus, which you should carefully review.

Recent Financing Transaction

Redemption of Subordinated Discount Notes.  On November 1, 2012, we redeemed our outstanding 13% Subordinated Discount Notes due 2016 (the “Subordinated Discount Notes”), an aggregate principal amount of $180 million of which was outstanding as of October 27, 2012, with borrowings made under our amended and restated senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the “Restated Revolving Credit Facility” and, together with our senior secured term loan facility (the “Senior Secured Term Loan Facility”), the “Senior Secured Credit Facilities”) for an aggregate redemption price (including the applicable redemption premium and accrued and unpaid interest) of $199 million.

Our History

Michaels Stores, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in 1983 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas. On October 31, 2006, substantially all of the common stock of Michaels Stores, Inc. was acquired through a merger transaction (the “Merger”) by affiliates of two investment firms, Bain Capital Partners, LLC and The Blackstone Group L.P. (collectively, together with their applicable affiliates, the “Sponsors”), with certain shares retained by affiliate investment funds managed by Highfields Capital Management LP (then-existing shareholders of Michaels Stores, Inc.). As a result of the Merger, Michaels Holdings LLC, an entity controlled by our Sponsors, currently owns approximately 93% of our outstanding common stock.

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The Sponsors

Bain Capital

Bain Capital, LLC (“Bain Capital”) (www.baincapital.com) is a global private investment firm that, together with its affiliates (including Bain Capital Partners, LLC) manages several pools of capital including private equity, venture capital, public equity, credit products and absolute return with approximately $66 billion in assets under management. Since its inception in 1984, Bain Capital has made private equity investments and add-on acquisitions in more than 350 companies in a variety of industries around the world. Bain Capital consumer and retail private equity investments have included such leading businesses as Toys “R” Us, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Dollarama, Burlington Coat Factory, Dunkin’ Brands and Gymboree. Headquartered in Boston, Bain Capital has offices in New York, Chicago, London, Munich, Hong Kong, Palo Alto, Shanghai, Tokyo and Mumbai.

The Blackstone Group

The Blackstone Group L.P. (“The Blackstone Group”) is one of the world’s leading investment and advisory firms. The Blackstone Group seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for its investors, the companies it invests in, the companies it advises and the broader global economy. The Blackstone Group does this through the commitment of its extraordinary people and flexible capital. The Blackstone Group’s alternative asset management businesses, which collectively had total assets under management of $204.6 billion as of September 30, 2012, include the management of private equity funds, real estate funds, hedge fund solutions, and credit businesses. Assets under management in The Blackstone Group private equity funds totaled $53.5 billion as of September 30, 2012. The Blackstone Group also provides various financial advisory services, including financial and strategic advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and fund placement services. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com.

Corporate Information

Our principal executive offices are located at 8000 Bent Branch Drive, Irving, Texas 75603. Our telephone number is (972) 409-1300. We provide links to our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), on our Internet website at www.michaels.com under the heading “Investor Relations.” These links are automatically updated so the filings are available immediately after they are made publicly available by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These filings are also available through the SEC’s EDGAR system at www.sec.gov. The information on our website does not constitute part of this registration statement, and you should rely only on the information contained in this registration statement when making a decision as to whether to invest in the exchange notes. All website addresses in this prospectus are intended to be inactive textual references only.

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THE EXCHANGE OFFER

On September 27, 2012, we issued $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7¾% Senior Notes due November 1, 2018 (CUSIP Nos. 594087 AS7 and U59329 AD1; ISINs US594087AS71 and USU59329AD16) (the “outstanding notes”), which were exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).  We are offering to exchange, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus and the accompanying letter of transmittal, our new 7¾% Senior Notes due November 1, 2018 (CUSIP No. 594087 AR9; ISIN US594087AR98) (the “exchange notes” and, together with the outstanding notes, the “notes”), for all of our outstanding notes.  The outstanding notes were issued under the indenture (the “indenture” or the “indenture governing the senior notes”) governing our 7¾% Senior Notes due 2018 that we issued on October 21, 2010 (CUSIP No. 594087 AR9; ISIN US594087AR98) (the “initial notes” and, together with the notes, the “senior notes”).  The outstanding notes are treated as a single series with the initial notes, vote as one class under the indenture and have the same terms as those of the initial notes, except that (i) the outstanding notes are subject to a separate registration rights agreement and (ii) the outstanding notes were issued under a CUSIP number different from the initial notes. We are conducting the exchange offer in order to provide you with an opportunity to exchange your unregistered outstanding notes for freely tradable exchange notes that have been registered under the Securities Act and that are expected to share a single CUSIP number and be fungible with the initial notes.

If we and the subsidiary guarantors are not able to effect the exchange offer contemplated by this prospectus, we and the subsidiary guarantors will use reasonable best efforts to file and cause to become effective a shelf registration statement relating to the resale of the outstanding notes. We may be required to pay additional interest on the notes in certain circumstances.

The following is a brief summary of the terms of the exchange offer. For a more complete description of the exchange offer, see “The Exchange Offer.”

General	In connection with the private offering, Michaels Stores, Inc. and the guarantors of the outstanding notes entered into a registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers in which we agreed, among other things, to deliver this prospectus to you and to complete the exchange offer within 360 days after the date of original issuance of the outstanding notes. You are entitled to exchange in the exchange offer your outstanding notes for exchange notes which are identical in all material respects to the outstanding notes except:
	·the exchange notes have been registered under the Securities Act;
	·the exchange notes are not entitled to registration rights which are applicable to the outstanding notes under the registration rights agreement; and
	·the liquidated damages provisions of the registration rights agreement are no longer applicable.
Exchange Offer	Michaels is offering to exchange up to $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of the exchange notes which have been registered under the Securities Act for any and all of its outstanding notes.
	You may only exchange outstanding notes in a principal amount equal to $2,000 and in integral multiples of $1,000 principal amount thereafter.
Resale	Based upon interpretations by the Staff of the SEC set forth in no-action letters issued to unrelated third-parties, we believe that the exchange notes may be offered for resale, resold or otherwise transferred by you without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, unless you:

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	·are an “affiliate” of ours within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act;
	·are a broker-dealer who purchased the notes directly from us for resale under Rule 144A, Regulation S or any other available exemption under the Securities Act;
	·acquired the exchange notes other than in the ordinary course of your business;
	·have an arrangement with any person to engage in the distribution of the exchange notes; or
	·are prohibited by law or policy of the SEC from participating in the exchange offer.
	However, we have not submitted a no-action letter, and there can be no assurance that the SEC will make a similar determination with respect to the exchange offer. Furthermore, in order to participate in the exchange offer, you must make the representations set forth in the letter of transmittal that we are sending you with this prospectus.
Expiration Date	The exchange offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 15, 2013, the 21st business day on which the exchange offer will be open (the “expiration date”), unless we, in our sole discretion, extend it. We currently do not intend to extend the expiration date.
Conditions to the Exchange Offer	The exchange offer is subject to certain customary conditions, some of which may be waived by us. See “The Exchange Offer—Conditions to the Exchange Offer.”
Procedure for Tendering Outstanding Notes	If you wish to tender your outstanding notes for exchange pursuant to the exchange offer, you must transmit to Law Debenture Trust Company of New York, as exchange agent, on or prior to the expiration date, either:
	·a properly completed and duly executed copy of the letter of transmittal accompanying this prospectus, or a facsimile of the letter of transmittal, together with your outstanding notes and any other documentation required by the letter of transmittal, at the address set forth on the cover page of the letter of transmittal; or
	·if you are effecting delivery by book-entry transfer, a computer-generated message transmitted by means of the Automated Tender Offer Program System of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) in which you acknowledge and agree to be bound by the terms of the letter of transmittal and which, when received by the exchange agent, forms a part of a confirmation of book-entry transfer.
	In addition, you must deliver to the exchange agent on or prior to the expiration date, if you are effecting delivery by book-entry transfer, a timely confirmation of book- entry transfer of your outstanding notes into the account of the exchange agent at DTC pursuant to the procedures for book-entry transfers described in this prospectus under the heading “The Exchange Offer—Procedures for Tendering Outstanding Notes.”
	By executing and delivering the accompanying letter of transmittal or effecting delivery by book-entry transfer, you are representing to us that, among other things:
	·neither the holder nor any other person receiving the exchange notes pursuant to the exchange offer is an “affiliate” of ours within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act; and

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	·if you are a broker-dealer that will receive exchange notes for your own account in exchange for outstanding notes that were acquired as a result of market-making or other trading activities, then you will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes.
	·the person receiving the exchange notes pursuant to the exchange offer, whether or not this person is the holder, is receiving them in the ordinary course of business; and
	·neither the holder nor any other person receiving the exchange notes pursuant to the exchange offer has an arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in the distribution of such exchange notes and that such holder is not engaged in, and does not intend to engage in, a distribution of the exchange notes.
	See “The Exchange Offer—Procedures for Tendering Outstanding Notes” and “Plan of Distribution.”
Special Procedure for Beneficial Owners	If you are the beneficial owner of outstanding notes and your name does not appear on a security listing of DTC as the holder of those outstanding notes or if you are a beneficial owner of outstanding notes that are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee and you wish to tender those outstanding notes in the exchange offer, you should promptly contact the person in whose name your outstanding notes are registered and instruct that person to tender on your behalf. If you, as a beneficial holder, wish to tender on your own behalf you must, prior to completing and executing the letter of transmittal and delivering your outstanding notes, either make appropriate arrangements to register ownership of the outstanding notes in your name or obtain a properly completed bond power from the registered holder. The transfer of record ownership may take considerable time.
Guaranteed Delivery Procedures	If you wish to tender your outstanding notes and your outstanding notes are not immediately available or you cannot deliver your outstanding notes, the letter of transmittal or any other documents required by the letter of transmittal prior to the expiration date or you cannot comply with the procedures of the Automated Tender Offer Program System of DTC prior to the expiration date, you must tender your outstanding notes according to the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth in this prospectus under “The Exchange Offer—Guaranteed Delivery Procedures.”
Withdrawal Rights	The tender of the outstanding notes pursuant to the exchange offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date.
Acceptance of Outstanding Notes and Delivery of Exchange Notes	Subject to customary conditions, we will accept outstanding notes that are properly tendered in the exchange offer and not withdrawn prior to the expiration date. The exchange notes will be delivered promptly following the expiration date.
Effect of Not Tendering in the Exchange Offer	Any outstanding notes that are not tendered or that are tendered but not accepted will remain subject to the restrictions on transfer. Since the outstanding notes have not been registered under the federal securities laws, they bear a legend restricting their transfer absent registration or the availability of a specific exemption from registration. Upon the completion of the exchange offer, we will have no further obligations, except under limited circumstances, to provide for registration of the outstanding notes under the federal securities laws. See “The Exchange Offer—Effect of Not Tendering.”

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Dissenters’ Rights	Holders of outstanding notes do not have any appraisal or dissenters’ rights in connection with the exchange offer. We intend to conduct the exchange offer in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Interest on the Exchange Notes and the Outstanding Notes	The exchange notes will bear interest from the most recent interest payment date to which interest has been paid on the outstanding notes. Holders whose outstanding notes are accepted for exchange will be deemed to have waived the right to receive interest accrued on the outstanding notes.
Broker-Dealers	Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes, where such outstanding notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes. See “Plan of Distribution.”
Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations	The exchange of outstanding notes for exchange notes by tendering holders will not be a taxable exchange for United States federal income tax purposes, and such holders will not recognize any taxable gain or loss or any interest income for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of such exchange. See “Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
Exchange Agent	Law Debenture Trust Company of New York, the trustee under the indenture governing the senior notes (the “indenture”), is serving as exchange agent in connection with the exchange offer.
Use of Proceeds	We will not receive any proceeds from the issuance of exchange notes pursuant to the exchange offer.

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THE EXCHANGE NOTES

The following is a brief summary of the terms of the exchange notes. For a more complete description of the terms of the exchange notes, see “Description of Exchange Notes.”

Issuer	Michaels Stores, Inc.
Securities Offered	Up to $200.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 7¾% Senior Notes due November 1, 2018.
Maturity Date	The exchange notes will mature on November 1, 2018.
Interest Rate	The exchange notes will bear interest at a rate of 7¾% per annum.
Interest Payment Dates	Interest on the exchange notes will accrue from and including November 1, 2012, the first day of the current interest period for the existing notes, and will be payable semiannually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on May 1, 2013.
Guarantees	The exchange notes will be unconditionally guaranteed by our subsidiaries that guarantee our indebtedness under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Three of our subsidiaries are considered immaterial subsidiaries under these facilities and will not guarantee the exchange notes.
	Subject to certain exceptions, if we create or acquire a new wholly owned domestic subsidiary that guarantees our debt or debt of a guarantor, it will guarantee the exchange notes unless we designate the subsidiary an “unrestricted subsidiary” under the indenture. See “Description of Exchange Notes—Guarantees.”
Ranking	The exchange notes will be our senior unsecured obligations and will:
	·rank senior in right of payment to all of our existing and future debt and other obligations that are, by their terms, expressly subordinated in right of payment to the exchange notes;
	·rank equally in right of payment to all of our existing and future senior debt, including the initial notes and any outstanding notes not exchanged in this exchange offer, and other obligations that are not, by their terms, expressly subordinated in right of payment to the exchange notes;
	·be effectively subordinated in right of payment to all of our existing and future secured debt (including under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities), to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt; and
	·be structurally subordinated to all obligations of each of our subsidiaries that is not a guarantor of the exchange notes.
	Similarly, the exchange note guarantees will be unsecured senior obligations of the guarantors and will:
	·rank senior in right of payment to all of the applicable guarantor’s existing and future debt and other obligations that are, by their terms, expressly subordinated in right of payment to the exchange notes;
	·rank equally in right of payment to all of the applicable guarantor’s existing and future senior debt, including guarantees of the initial notes and any outstanding notes not exchanged in this exchange offer, and other obligations that are not, by their terms, expressly subordinated in right of payment to the exchange notes;

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	·be effectively subordinated in right of payment to all of the applicable guarantor’s existing and future secured debt (including such guarantor’s guarantee under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities), to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt; and
	·be structurally subordinated to all obligations of any subsidiary of a guarantor that is not also a guarantor of the exchange notes.
	As of October 27, 2012, the notes and related guarantees ranked effectively junior to approximately $1,787 million of senior secured indebtedness (excluding $61 million of outstanding standby letters of credit), consisting entirely of senior secured indebtedness under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. In addition, as of October 27, 2012, we had approximately $589 million of unused borrowing capacity under our Restated Revolving Credit Facility. On November 1, 2012, we borrowed $216 million under the Restated Revolving Credit Facility to fund the redemption of our outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes as well as other working capital needs, resulting in $373 million of unused borrowing capacity under the Restated Revolving Credit Facility as of such date.
Optional Redemption	Prior to November 1, 2014, we may redeem some or all of the exchange notes for cash at a redemption price equal to 100% of their principal amount plus an applicable make-whole premium (as described in “Description of Exchange Notes—Optional Redemption”) plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. Beginning on November 1, 2014, we may redeem some or all of the exchange notes at the redemption prices listed under “Description of Exchange Notes—Optional Redemption” plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.
Optional Redemption After Certain Equity Offerings	At any time (which may be more than once) until November 1, 2013, we can choose to redeem up to 35% of the outstanding senior notes (including any senior notes, including the exchange notes, issued after October 21, 2010) with money that we raise in certain equity offerings, so long as:
	·we pay 107.750% of the face amount of the exchange notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date;
	·we redeem the senior notes within 90 days of completing such equity offering; and
	·at least 50% of the aggregate principal amount of the senior notes (including any senior notes, including the exchange notes, issued after October 21, 2010) remains outstanding afterwards. See “Description of Exchange Notes—Optional Redemption.”
Change of Control	If we experience a change in control, we must give holders of the senior notes the opportunity to sell us senior notes at 101% of their face amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. See “Description of Exchange Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Change of Control.”
	We might not be able to pay you the required price for exchange notes you present to us at the time of a change of control, because we might not have enough funds at that time or the terms of our senior debt may prevent us from paying.

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Asset Sale Proceeds	If we or our subsidiaries engage in asset sales, we generally must either invest the net cash proceeds from such sales in our business within a period of time, prepay senior secured debt or make an offer to purchase a principal amount of the senior notes equal to the excess net cash proceeds, subject to certain exceptions. The purchase price of the senior notes will be 100% of their principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the purchase date. See “Description of Exchange Notes—Repurchase at the Option of Holders—Asset Sales.”
Certain Covenants	The indenture governing the senior notes contains covenants limiting our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:
	·incur additional debt;
	·pay dividends or distributions on our capital stock or repurchase our capital stock;
	·issue stock of subsidiaries;
	·make certain investments;
	·create liens on our assets to secure debt;
	·enter into transactions with affiliates;
	·merge or consolidate with another company; and
	·sell or otherwise transfer assets.
	These covenants are subject to a number of important limitations and exceptions, and the requirement to comply with certain covenants may be suspended upon achievement of investment grade ratings for the senior notes. See “Description of Exchange Notes.”
No Public Market	The exchange notes will be freely transferable but will be new securities for which there will not initially be an established market. Accordingly, we cannot assure you whether a market for the exchange notes will develop or as to the liquidity of any market. The initial purchasers in the private offering of the outstanding notes have advised us that they currently intend to make a market in the exchange notes. The initial purchasers are not obligated, however, to make a market in the exchange notes, and any such market-making may be discontinued by the initial purchasers in their discretion at any time without notice. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that a liquid market for the exchange notes will develop or be maintained.
Risk Factors	Participating in the exchange offer and investing in the exchange notes involves substantial risks. See “Risk Factors” for a description of certain of the risks you should consider before investing in the exchange notes.

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RISK FACTORS

Risks Related to the Exchange Offer

There may be adverse consequences if you do not exchange your outstanding notes.

If you do not exchange your outstanding notes for exchange notes in the exchange offer, you will continue to be subject to restrictions on transfer of your outstanding notes as set forth in the offering memorandum distributed in connection with the private offering of the outstanding notes. In general, the outstanding notes may not be offered or sold unless they are registered or exempt from registration under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Except as required by the registration rights agreement, we do not intend to register resales of the outstanding notes under the Securities Act. You should refer to “Summary—The Exchange Offer” and “The Exchange Offer” for information about how to tender your outstanding notes.

The tender of outstanding notes under the exchange offer will reduce the outstanding amount of each series of the outstanding notes, which may have an adverse effect upon, and increase the volatility of, the market prices of the outstanding notes due to a reduction in liquidity.

Risks Related to the Exchange Notes and Our Other Indebtedness

We Face Risks Related to Our Substantial Indebtedness

Our substantial leverage could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk associated with our variable rate debt and prevent us from meeting our obligations under our senior notes, Senior Subordinated Notes and Senior Secured Credit Facilities. As of October 27, 2012, we had $3,368 million of indebtedness outstanding, of which approximately $1,787 million was subject to variable interest rates and $1,581 million was subject to fixed interest rates. In addition, as of October 27, 2012, we had approximately $589 million of unused borrowing capacity under our Restated Revolving Credit Facility. On November 1, 2012, we borrowed $216 million under the Restated Revolving Credit Facility to fund the redemption of our outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes and other working capital needs, resulting in $373 million of unused borrowing capacity under the Restated Revolving Credit Facility as of such date.

Our high degree of leverage could have important consequences to us, including:

·making it more difficult for us to make payments on our debt;

·increasing our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions;

·requiring a substantial portion of cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our debt, thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures, and future business opportunities;

·exposing us to the risk of increased interest rates as certain of our borrowings under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities are at variable rates;

·restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make non-strategic divestitures;

·limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, product development, debt service requirements, acquisitions, and general corporate or other purposes; and

·limiting our ability to adjust to changing market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors who may be less highly leveraged.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing our senior notes and Senior Subordinated Notes. In addition, our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and indentures governing our senior notes and Senior Subordinated Notes do not restrict our owners from creating new holding companies that may be able to incur indebtedness without regard to the restrictions set forth in our credit facilities and indentures. If new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify.

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Our Debt Agreements Contain Restrictions That Limit our Flexibility in Operating our Business

Our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing our senior notes and Senior Subordinated Notes, contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things:

·incur additional debt;

·pay dividends or distributions on our capital stock or repurchase our capital stock;

·issue stock of subsidiaries;

·make certain investments;

·create liens on our assets to secure debt;

·enter into transactions with affiliates;

·merge or consolidate with another company; and

·sell or otherwise transfer assets.

In addition, under our Senior Secured Term Loan Facility, we are required to meet specified financial ratios in order to undertake certain actions, and under our Restated Revolving Credit Facility, we are required to meet specified financial ratios in order to undertake certain actions, and under certain circumstances, we may be required to maintain a specified fixed charge coverage ratio. Our ability to meet those tests can be affected by events beyond our control, and we cannot assure you that we will meet them. A breach of any of these covenants or any other covenant could result in a default under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities to be immediately due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure such indebtedness. We have pledged substantially all of our assets as collateral under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. If the lenders under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient assets to repay our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, as well as our unsecured indebtedness, including the notes.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, including the exchange notes, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which are subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure you that we will maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, including the exchange notes.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness, including the exchange notes. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. Our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing the senior notes and Senior Subordinated Notes restrict our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds that we could realize from them and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

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Your right to receive payments on the exchange notes is effectively junior to those lenders who have a security interest in our assets.

Our obligations under the exchange notes and our guarantors’ obligations under their guarantees of the exchange notes are unsecured, but our obligations under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and each guarantor’s obligations under their respective guarantees of the Senior Secured Credit Facilities are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our tangible and intangible assets, including the stock of our current and certain future wholly-owned U.S. subsidiaries, the assets of our current and certain future wholly-owned material U.S. subsidiaries, the stock and the assets of Michaels of Canada, ULC and a portion of the stock of certain of our U.S. guarantor subsidiaries’ non-U.S. subsidiaries. If we are declared bankrupt or insolvent, or if we default under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, the lenders could declare all of the funds borrowed thereunder, together with accrued interest, immediately due and payable. If we were unable to repay such indebtedness, the lenders could foreclose on the pledged assets to the exclusion of holders of the exchange notes, even if an event of default exists under the indenture governing the senior notes at such time.

Furthermore, if the lenders foreclose and sell the pledged equity interests in any subsidiary guarantor under the exchange notes, then that guarantor will be released from its guarantee of the notes automatically and immediately upon such sale. In any such event, because the exchange notes will not be secured by any of our assets or the equity interests in subsidiary guarantors, it is possible that there would be no assets remaining from which your claims could be satisfied or, if any assets remained, they might be insufficient to satisfy your claims fully. See “Description of Other Indebtedness.” As of October 27, 2012, we had total secured indebtedness of approximately $1,787 million (excluding $61 million of outstanding standby letters of credit), consisting entirely of senior secured indebtedness under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

The indenture governing the senior notes permits us and our restricted subsidiaries to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, including senior secured indebtedness.

Your claims to our assets will be structurally subordinated to all of the creditors of any non-guarantor subsidiaries.

In general, our foreign subsidiaries, unrestricted subsidiaries, non-wholly owned subsidiaries and other subsidiaries that do not guarantee our indebtedness or indebtedness of a guarantor of the exchange notes are not required to guarantee the exchange notes. Accordingly, claims of holders of the exchange notes will be structurally subordinated to the claims of creditors of these non-guarantor subsidiaries, including trade creditors. All obligations of our non-guarantor subsidiaries will have to be satisfied before any of the assets of such subsidiaries would be available for distribution, upon a liquidation or otherwise, to us or a guarantor of the exchange notes.

If we default on our obligations to pay our indebtedness, we may not be able to make payments on the exchange notes.

Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, including a default under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities that is not waived by the required lenders, and the remedies sought by the holders of such indebtedness, could prevent us from paying principal, premium, if any, and interest on the exchange notes and substantially decrease the market value of the exchange notes. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants, in the instruments governing our indebtedness (including covenants in our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing the senior notes and the Senior Subordinated Notes), we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness, including our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing the senior notes and the Senior Subordinated Notes. In the event of such default, the holders of such indebtedness could elect to declare all the funds borrowed thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest, the lenders under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities could elect to terminate their commitments thereunder, cease making further loans and institute foreclosure proceedings against our assets, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. If our operating performance declines, we may in the future need to obtain waivers from the required lenders under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities to avoid being in default. If we breach our covenants under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders. If this occurs, we would be in default under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, the lenders could exercise their rights, as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

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We may not be able to repurchase the exchange notes upon a change of control.

Upon the occurrence of specific kinds of change of control events, we will be required to offer to repurchase all senior notes at 101% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. The source of funds for any such purchase of the senior notes will be our available cash or cash generated from our subsidiaries’ operations or other sources, including borrowings, sales of assets or sales of equity. We may not be able to repurchase the senior notes upon a change of control because we may not have sufficient financial resources to purchase all of the senior notes that are tendered upon a change of control. Further, we will be contractually restricted under the terms of our Senior Secured Credit Facilities from repurchasing all of the senior notes tendered by holders upon a change of control. Accordingly, we may not be able to satisfy our obligations to purchase the senior notes unless we are able to refinance or obtain waivers under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Our failure to repurchase the senior notes upon a change of control would cause a default under the indenture governing the senior notes and a cross-default under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities. The Senior Secured Credit Facilities also provide that a change of control will be a default that permits lenders to accelerate the maturity of borrowings thereunder. Any of our future debt agreements may contain similar provisions.

The lenders under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities will have the discretion to release the guarantors under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities in a variety of circumstances, which will cause those guarantors to be released from their guarantees of the exchange notes.

While any obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities remain outstanding, any guarantee of the exchange notes may be released without action by, or consent of, any holder of the exchange notes or the trustee under the indenture governing the senior notes, at the discretion of lenders under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, if the related guarantor is no longer a guarantor of obligations under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities or any other indebtedness. See “Description of Exchange Notes—Guarantees.” The lenders under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities will have the discretion to release the guarantees under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities in a variety of circumstances. You will not have a claim as a creditor against any subsidiary that is no longer a guarantor of the exchange notes, and the indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, whether secured or unsecured, of those subsidiaries will effectively be senior to claims of noteholders.

Because each guarantor’s liability under its guarantees may be reduced to zero, avoided or released under certain circumstances, you may not receive any payments from some or all of the guarantors.

You have the benefit of the guarantees of the subsidiary guarantors. However, the guarantees by the subsidiary guarantors are limited to the maximum amount that the subsidiary guarantors are permitted to guarantee under applicable law. As a result, a subsidiary guarantor’s liability under its guarantee could be reduced to zero, depending upon the amount of other obligations of such subsidiary guarantor. Further, under the circumstances discussed more fully below, a court under federal and state fraudulent conveyance and transfer statutes could void the obligations under a guarantee or further subordinate it to all other obligations of the guarantor. See “—Federal and state fraudulent transfer laws may permit a court to void the guarantees, and, if that occurs, you may not receive any payments on the exchange notes.” In addition, you will lose the benefit of a particular guarantee if it is released under certain circumstances described under “Description of Exchange Notes—Guarantees.”

Federal and state fraudulent transfer laws may permit a court to void the guarantees, and, if that occurs, you may not receive any payments on the exchange notes.

Federal and state fraudulent transfer and conveyance statutes may apply to the issuance of the exchange notes and the incurrence of the guarantees. Under federal bankruptcy law and comparable provisions of state fraudulent transfer or conveyance laws, which may vary from state to state, the exchange notes or guarantees could be voided as a fraudulent transfer or conveyance if (1) we or any of the guarantors, as applicable, issued the exchange notes or incurred the guarantees with the intent of hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors or (2) we or any of the guarantors, as applicable, received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration in return for either issuing the exchange notes or incurring the guarantees and, in the case of (2) only, one of the following is also true at the time thereof:

·we or any of the guarantors, as applicable, were insolvent or rendered insolvent by reason of the issuance of the exchange notes or the incurrence of the guarantees;

·the issuance of the exchange notes or the incurrence of the guarantees left us or any of the guarantors, as applicable, with an unreasonably small amount of capital to carry on the business;

·we or any of the guarantors intended to, or believed that we or such guarantor would, incur debts beyond our or such guarantor’s ability to pay as they mature; or

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·we or any of the guarantors was a defendant in an action for money damages, or had a judgment for money damages docketed against us or such guarantor if, in either case, after final judgment, the judgment is unsatisfied.

If a court were to find that the issuance of the exchange notes or the incurrence of the guarantee was a fraudulent transfer or conveyance, the court could void the payment obligations under the exchange notes or such guarantee, or subordinate the exchange notes or such guarantee to presently existing and future indebtedness of ours or of the related guarantor, or require the holders of the exchange notes to repay any amounts received. In the event of a finding that a fraudulent transfer or conveyance occurred, you may not receive any payment on the exchange notes. As a general matter, value is given for a transfer or an obligation if, in exchange for the transfer or obligation, property is transferred or an antecedent debt is secured or satisfied. A debtor will generally not be considered to have received value in connection with a debt offering if the debtor uses the proceeds of that offering to make a dividend payment or otherwise retire or redeem equity securities issued by the debtor.

We cannot be certain as to the standards a court would use to determine whether or not we or the guarantors were solvent at the relevant time or, regardless of the standard that a court uses, that the exchange notes or the guarantees would not be subordinated to our or any of our guarantors’ other debt.

Your ability to transfer the exchange notes may be limited by the absence of an active trading market, and an active trading market for the exchange notes may not develop.

The exchange notes are new issues of securities for which there is no established public market. Upon the consummation of the exchange offer contemplated herein, we expect that the notes offered hereby will share a single CUSIP number with the initial notes and we expect that such notes and the initial notes will thereafter be fungible. However, in the event that we are unable to exchange the notes for notes sharing a single CUSIP number with the initial notes, the exchange notes offered hereby will continue to trade under a separate CUSIP number. We do not intend to have the initial notes, the outstanding notes or any exchange notes listed on a national securities exchange or to arrange for quotation on any automated dealer quotation systems.  Accordingly, the development or liquidity of any market for the exchange notes is uncertain.

The initial purchasers have advised us that they intend to make a market in the outstanding notes, and the exchange notes, if issued, as permitted by applicable laws and regulations; however, the initial purchasers are not obligated to make a market in any of the senior notes, and they may discontinue their market-making activities at any time without notice.

Therefore, an active market for any of the senior notes may not develop, and if a market for any of the senior notes does develop, that market may not continue. Historically, the market for non-investment grade debt has been subject to disruptions that have caused substantial volatility in the prices of securities similar to the senior notes. The market, if any, for any of the senior notes may be subject to similar disruptions, and any such disruptions may adversely affect the prices at which you may sell your exchange notes. In addition, subsequent to their initial issuance, the exchange notes may trade at a discount from their initial offering price, depending upon prevailing interest rates, the market for similar notes, our performance and other factors.

Risks Related to Our Company

We face risks related to the effect of economic uncertainty

If recovery from the economic downturn continues to be slow or prolonged, our growth, prospects, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely impacted. Our stores offer arts and crafts supplies and products for the crafter, and custom framing for the do-it-yourself home decorator, which some customers may perceive as discretionary. Pressure on discretionary income brought on by economic downturns and slow recoveries, including housing market declines, rising energy prices and weak labor markets, may cause consumers to reduce the amount they spend on discretionary items. For example, as a result of the recession during fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2008, despite adding a number of new stores, our total Net sales decreased from $3,862 million to $3,817 million. The current economic environment may continue to adversely affect consumer confidence and retail spending, decreasing demand for our merchandise. Current economic conditions also make it difficult for us to accurately forecast future demand trends, which could cause us to purchase excess inventories, resulting in increases in our inventory carrying cost, or insufficient inventories, resulting in our inability to satisfy our customer demand and potentially lose market share.

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Our reliance on foreign suppliers increases our risk of obtaining adequate, timely, and cost-effective product supplies.

We rely to a significant extent on foreign manufacturers of various products that we sell, particularly manufacturers located in China. In addition, many of our domestic suppliers purchase a portion of their products from foreign sources. This reliance increases the risk that we will not have adequate and timely supplies of various products due to local political, economic, social, or environmental conditions (including acts of terrorism, the outbreak of war, or the occurrence of natural disaster), transportation delays (including dock strikes and other work stoppages), restrictive actions by foreign governments, or changes in U.S. laws and regulations affecting imports or domestic distribution. Reliance on foreign manufacturers also increases our exposure to trade infringement claims and reduces our ability to return product for various reasons.

Additionally, the costs of labor and wage taxes have increased in China, which means we are at risk of higher costs associated with goods manufactured in China. Significant increases in wages or wage taxes paid by contract facilities may increase the cost of goods manufactured, which could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and profitability.

All of our products manufactured overseas and imported into the U.S. are subject to duties collected by the U.S. Customs Service. We may be subjected to additional duties, significant monetary penalties, the seizure and forfeiture of the products we are attempting to import, or the loss of import privileges if we or our suppliers are found to be in violation of U.S. laws and regulations applicable to the importation of our products.

Our growth depends on our ability to open new stores and increase comparable store sales.

One of our key business strategies is to expand our base of retail stores. If we are unable to continue this strategy, our ability to increase our sales, profitability and cash flow could be impaired. To the extent we are unable to open new stores as we anticipate, our sales growth would come only from increases in comparable store sales. Growth in profitability in that case would depend significantly on our ability to reduce our costs as a percentage of our sales. We may be unable to continue our store growth strategy if we cannot identify suitable sites for additional stores, negotiate acceptable leases, access sufficient capital to support store growth, or hire and train a sufficient number of qualified associates.

Damage to the reputation of the Michaels brand or our private and exclusive brands could adversely affect our sales.

We believe the Michaels brand name and many of our private and exclusive brand names are powerful sales and marketing tools and we devote significant resources to promoting and protecting them. To be successful in the future, we must continue to preserve, grow and utilize the value of Michaels’ reputation. Reputational value is based in large part on perceptions of subjective qualities, and even isolated incidents may erode trust and confidence. In addition, we develop and promote private and exclusive brands, which we believe have generated national recognition. Our private label brands amounted to approximately 44% of total Net sales in fiscal 2011, and represent a growing portion of our overall sales. Damage to the reputations (whether or not justified) of our brand names, could arise from product failures, litigation or various forms of adverse publicity, especially in social media outlets, and may generate negative customer sentiment, potentially resulting in a reduction in our sales and earnings.

Our suppliers may fail us.

Many of our suppliers are small firms that produce a limited number of items. Given their limited resources, these firms are susceptible to cash flow issues, access to capital, production difficulties, quality control issues and problems in delivering agreed-upon quantities on schedule. We may not be able, if necessary, to return products to these suppliers and obtain refunds of our purchase price or obtain reimbursement or indemnification from them if their products prove defective. These suppliers may also be unable to withstand a downturn in economic conditions. Significant failures on the part of our key suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

In addition, many of these suppliers require extensive advance notice of our requirements in order to supply products in the quantities we desire. This long lead time requires us to place orders far in advance of the time when certain products will be offered for sale, exposing us to risk of shifts in demand.

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Risks associated with the vendors from whom our products are sourced could materially adversely affect our revenue and gross profit.

The products we sell are sourced from a wide variety of domestic and international vendors. Global sourcing has become an increasingly important part of our business, as we have undertaken efforts to increase the amount of product we source directly from overseas manufacturers. Our ability to find qualified vendors who meet our standards and supply products in a timely and efficient manner is a significant challenge, especially with respect to goods sourced from outside the U.S. Any issues related to transitioning vendors could adversely affect our revenue and gross profit.

Product recalls and/or product liability, as well as changes in product safety and other consumer protection laws, may adversely impact our operations, merchandise offerings, reputation, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

We are subject to regulations by a variety of federal, state and international regulatory authorities, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In fiscal 2011, we purchased merchandise from approximately 600 vendors. Since a majority of our merchandise is manufactured in foreign countries, one or more of our vendors might not adhere to product safety requirements or our quality control standards, and we might not identify the deficiency before merchandise ships to our stores. Any issues of product safety, including but not limited to those manufactured in foreign countries, could cause us to recall some of those products. If our vendors fail to manufacture or import merchandise that adheres to our quality control standards, our reputation and brands could be damaged, potentially leading to increases in customer litigation against us. Furthermore, to the extent we are unable to replace any recalled products, we may have to reduce our merchandise offerings, resulting in a decrease in sales, especially if a recall occurs near or during a seasonal period. If our vendors are unable or unwilling to recall products failing to meet our quality standards, we may be required to recall those products at a substantial cost to us. Moreover, changes in product safety or other consumer protection laws could lead to increased costs to us for certain merchandise, or additional labor costs associated with readying merchandise for sale. Long lead times on merchandise ordering cycles increase the difficulty for us to plan and prepare for potential changes to applicable laws. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 imposes significant requirements on manufacturing, importing, testing and labeling requirements for our products. In the event that we are unable to timely comply with regulatory changes, significant fines or penalties could result, and could adversely affect our reputation, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

Significant increases in inflation or commodity prices such as petroleum, natural gas, electricity, steel and paper may adversely affect our costs, including cost of merchandise.

Significant future increases in commodity prices or inflation could adversely affect our costs, including cost of merchandise and distribution costs. Furthermore, the transportation industry may experience a shortage or reduction of capacity, which could be exacerbated by higher fuel prices. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if we are unable to secure, or are able to secure only at significantly higher costs, adequate transportation resources to fulfill our receipt of goods or delivery schedules to the stores.

Unexpected or unfavorable consumer responses to our promotional or merchandising programs could materially adversely affect our sales, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

Brand recognition, quality and price have a significant influence on consumers’ choices among competing products and brands. Advertising, promotion, merchandising and the cadence of new product introductions also have a significant impact on consumers’ buying decisions. If we misjudge consumer responses to our existing or future promotional activities, this could have a material adverse impact on our sales, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition.

We believe improvements in our merchandise offering help drive sales at our stores. We could be materially adversely affected by poor execution of changes to our merchandise offering or by unexpected consumer responses to changes in our merchandise offering.

Improvements to our supply chain may not be fully successful.

An important part of our efforts to achieve efficiencies, cost reductions, and sales and cash flow growth is the identification and implementation of improvements to our supply chain, including merchandise ordering, transportation, and receipt processing. During the remainder of fiscal 2012 and in fiscal 2013, we plan to continue to implement enhancements to our distribution systems and processes, which are designed to improve efficiency through the supply chain and at our stores. Significant changes to our supply chain could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

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Changes in customer demands could materially adversely affect our sales, results of operations and cash flow.

Our success depends on our ability to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing customer demands and preferences for products and supplies used in creative activities. If we misjudge the market, we may significantly overstock unpopular products and be forced to take significant inventory markdowns, or experience shortages of key items, either of which could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and cash flow. In addition, adverse weather conditions, economic instability, and consumer confidence volatility could have a material adverse impact on our sales and operating results.

Our success will depend on how well we manage our business.

Even if we are able to substantially continue our strategy of expanding our store base, or additionally, to expand our business through acquisitions or vertical integration opportunities, we may experience problems, which may adversely impact profitability or cash flow. For example:

·the costs of opening and operating new stores may offset the increased sales generated by the additional stores

·the closure of unsuccessful stores may result in the retention of liability for expensive leases

·a significant portion of our management’s time and energy may be consumed with issues unrelated to advancing our core business strategies

·the implementation of future operational efficiency initiatives, which may include the consolidation of certain operations and/or the possible co-sourcing of additional selected functions, may not produce the desired reduction in costs and may result in disruptions arising from such actions

·we may be unable to hire, train and retain qualified employees, including management and senior executives, and significant turnover could be disruptive to our business strategies and operations

·failure to maintain stable relations with our labor force

·our suppliers may be unable to meet the increased demand of additional stores in a timely manner

·we may be unable to expand our existing distribution centers or use third party distribution centers on a cost-effective basis to provide merchandise for sale by our new stores

Competition, including Internet-based competition, could negatively impact our business.

The retail arts and crafts industry is competitive, which could result in the reduction of our prices and loss of our market share. We must remain competitive in the areas of quality, price, breadth of selection, customer service, and convenience. We compete with mass merchants (e.g., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Target Corporation), which dedicate a portion of their selling space to a limited selection of craft supplies and seasonal and holiday merchandise, along with national and regional chains and local merchants. We also compete with specialty retailers, which include Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., A.C. Moore Arts & Crafts, Inc., Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. and Garden Ridge Corporation. Some of our competitors, particularly the mass merchants, are larger and have greater financial resources than we do. The Company also faces competition from Internet-based retailers, in addition to traditional store-based retailers. This could result in increased price competition since our customers could more readily search and compare non-private brand products. This could also lead to additional competitors, who may exploit a convenience advantage in the event we cannot offer a similar line of products online in the future. Furthermore, we ultimately compete with alternative sources of entertainment and leisure for our customers.

Failure to adequately maintain security and prevent unauthorized access to electronic and other confidential information and data breaches could materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

We have become increasingly centralized and dependent upon automated information technology processes. In addition, a portion of our business operations is conducted over the Internet, increasing the risk of viruses that could cause system failures and disruptions of operations. Any failure to maintain the security of our customers’ confidential information, or data belonging to ourselves or our suppliers, could put us at a competitive disadvantage, result in deterioration in our customers’ confidence in us, and subject us to potential litigation, liability, fines and penalties, resulting in a possible material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

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On May 3, 2011, we were advised by the U.S. Secret Service that they were investigating certain fraudulent debit card transactions that occurred on accounts that had been used for legitimate purchases in selected Michaels stores. A subsequent internal investigation revealed that approximately 90 payment card terminals in certain Michaels stores had been physically tampered with, potentially resulting in the compromise of customer debit and credit card information. The Company fully cooperated with various governmental entities and law enforcement authorities in investigating the payment card terminal tampering, and we believe we have taken appropriate steps to stop the use of the stolen information. Multiple consumer class action lawsuits were filed against the Company as a result of the tampering and additional litigation may be filed (see “Business—Legal Proceedings—Data Breach Claims”). Various other claims may be otherwise asserted against us for which we may be responsible, on behalf of customers, banks, payment card companies and others seeking damages allegedly arising out of the payment card terminal tampering and other related relief. In addition, the major card brands may seek to impose assessments and fines by reason of the tampering. To date, MasterCard has assessed approximately $400,000 of reissuance fees and alleged fraud losses, which the Company is disputing. We do not have sufficient information to reasonably estimate other losses we may incur arising from the payment card terminal tampering, but we do not believe such losses would be material to our results of operations and financial condition.

Improper activities by third parties, advances in technical capabilities and encryption technology, new tools and discoveries and other events or developments may facilitate or result in a further compromise or breach of our payment card terminals or other payment systems. Any such further compromises or breaches could cause interruptions in our operations, damage to our reputation and customers’ willingness to shop in our stores, and subject us to additional costs and potential litigation, liability, fines and penalties, resulting in a possible material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

The Company may be subject to information technology system failures or network disruptions, or our information systems may prove inadequate, resulting in damage to the Company’s reputation, business operations and financial conditions.

We depend on our management information systems for many aspects of our business, including our perpetual inventory, automated replenishment, and weighted average cost stock ledger systems which are necessary to properly forecast, manage, and analyze our inventory. The Company may be subject to information technology system failures and network disruptions. These may be caused by natural disasters, accidents, power disruptions, telecommunications failures, acts of terrorism or war, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, or similar events or disruptions. System redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate, and the Company’s disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities. Such failures or disruptions could prevent access to the Company’s online services and preclude store transactions. System failures and disruptions could also impede the manufacturing and shipping of products, transactions processing and financial reporting. Additionally, we will be materially adversely affected if we are unable to improve, upgrade, maintain, and expand our systems.

We are dependent upon the services of our senior management team, and the failure to attract and retain such individuals could adversely affect our operations.

We are dependent on the services, abilities and experience of our executive officers. The permanent loss of the services of any of these senior executives and any change in the composition of our senior management team could have a negative impact on our ability to execute on our business and operating strategies.

We have recently experienced a significant change in our executive leadership. On July 19, 2012, John B. Menzer resigned as Chief Executive Officer to focus on recovery and rehabilitation from the stroke he suffered in April. Previously, the Board of Directors of the Company established an interim Office of the Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO Office”) comprised of Charles M. Sonsteby and Lewis S. Klessel, and temporarily transferred Mr. Menzer’s responsibilities to the CEO Office. Messrs. Sonsteby and Klessel will continue to execute the responsibilities of the Company’s principal executive officer through the CEO Office, until the Company’s search for a new Chief Executive Officer is completed. Our inability to identify, hire and subsequently integrate a new Chief Executive Officer could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A weak fourth quarter would materially adversely affect our result of operations.

Our business is highly seasonal. Our inventories and short-term borrowings may grow in the third fiscal quarter as we prepare for our peak selling season in the third and fourth fiscal quarters. Our most important quarter in terms of sales, profitability, and cash flow historically has been the fourth fiscal quarter. If for any reason our fourth fiscal quarter results were substantially below expectations, our operating results for the full year would be materially adversely affected, and we could have substantial excess inventory, especially in seasonal merchandise, that is difficult to liquidate.

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Changes in newspaper subscription rates may result in reduced exposure to our circular advertisements.

A substantial portion of our promotional activities utilize circular advertisements in local newspapers. A continued decline in consumer subscriptions of these newspapers could reduce the frequency with which consumers receive our circular advertisements, thereby negatively affecting sales, results of operations and cash flow.

Changes in regulations or enforcement, or our failure to comply with existing or future regulations, may adversely impact our business.

We are subject to federal, state, provincial and local regulations with respect to our operations in the U.S. and Canada. There are a number of legislative and regulatory initiatives that could adversely impact our business if they are enacted or enforced. Those initiatives include wage or workforce issues (such as minimum-wage requirements, overtime and other working conditions and citizenship requirements), collective bargaining matters, environmental regulation, price and promotion regulation, trade regulations and others. For example, we recently settled a pricing and promotion investigation by the New York State Attorney General’s office through the payment of a fine and other consideration pursuant to an Assurance of Discontinuance, and could be subject to similar investigations, as well as lawsuits, in the future. We are currently subject to multiple class action lawsuits alleging violations of wage and workforce laws and to a purported class action lawsuit alleging violations of Ohio state law in relation to our advertising and pricing practices (see “Business—Legal Proceedings”).

In addition, we expect that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law on March 23, 2010, will increase our annual associate health care costs, with the most significant increases coming in 2014. Proposed changes in tax regulations may also change our effective tax rate as our business is subject to a combination of applicable tax rates in the various countries, states and other jurisdictions in which we operate. New accounting pronouncements and interpretations of existing accounting rules and practices have occurred and may occur in the future. A change in accounting standards or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results of operations. Failure to comply with legal requirements could result in, among other things, increased litigation risk that could affect us adversely by subjecting us to significant monetary damages and other remedies or by increasing our litigation expenses, administrative enforcement actions, fines and civil and criminal liability. If such issues become more expensive to address, or if new issues arise, they could increase our expenses, generate negative publicity, or otherwise adversely affect us.

Disruptions in the capital markets could increase our costs of doing business.

Any disruption in the capital markets could make it difficult for us to raise additional capital when needed, or to eventually refinance our existing indebtedness on acceptable terms or at all. Similarly, if our suppliers face challenges in obtaining credit when needed, or otherwise face difficult business conditions, they may become unable to offer us the merchandise we use in our business thereby causing reductions in our revenues, or they may demand more favorable payment terms, all of which could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Our real estate leases generally obligate us for long periods, which subjects us to various financial risks.

We lease virtually all of our store, distribution center, and administrative locations, generally for long terms. While we have the right to terminate some of our leases under specified conditions by making specified payments, we may not be able to terminate a particular lease if or when we would like to do so. If we decide to close stores, we are generally required to continue to perform obligations under the applicable leases, which generally includes, among other things, paying rent and operating expenses for the balance of the lease term, or paying to exercise rights to terminate, and the performance of any of these obligations may be expensive. When we assign or sublease vacated locations, we may remain liable on the lease obligations if the assignee or sublessee does not perform. In addition, when leases for the stores in our ongoing operations expire, we may be unable to negotiate renewals, either on commercially acceptable terms, or at all, which could cause us to close stores. Accordingly, we are subject to the risks associated with leasing real estate, which can have a material adverse effect on our results.

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We have co-sourced certain of our information technology, accounts payable, payroll, accounting and human resources functions and may co-source other administrative functions, which makes us more dependent upon third parties.

We place significant reliance on a third party provider for the co-sourcing of certain of our information technology (IT), accounts payable, payroll, accounting, and human resources functions. This co-sourcing initiative is a component of our ongoing strategy to increase efficiencies, increase our IT capabilities, monitor our costs and seek additional cost savings. These functions are generally performed in an offshore location, with Michaels oversight. As a result, we are relying on third parties to ensure that certain functional needs are sufficiently met. This reliance subjects us to risks arising from the loss of control over these processes, changes in pricing that may affect our operating results, and potentially, termination of provision of these services by our supplier. If our service providers fail to perform, we may have difficulty arranging for an alternate supplier or rebuilding our own internal resources, and we could incur significant costs, all of which may have a significant adverse effect on our business. We may co-source other administrative functions in the future, which would further increase our reliance on third parties. Further, the use of offshore service providers may expose us to risks related to local political, economic, social or environmental conditions (including acts of terrorism, the outbreak of war, or the occurrence of natural disaster), restrictive actions by foreign governments or changes in U.S. laws and regulations.

We are exposed to fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. and Canadian dollar, which is the functional currency of our Canadian subsidiary.

Our Canadian subsidiary purchases inventory in U.S. dollars, which is sold in Canadian dollars and exposes us to foreign exchange rate fluctuations. As well, our stores’ customers at border locations can be sensitive to cross-border price differences. Substantial foreign currency fluctuations could adversely affect our business.

Failure to attract and retain quality sales, distribution center and other associates in appropriate numbers as well as experienced buying and management personnel could adversely affect our performance.

Our performance depends on recruiting, developing, training and retaining quality sales, distribution center and other associates in large numbers as well as experienced buying and management personnel. Many of our store level associates are in entry level or part-time positions with historically high rates of turnover. Our ability to meet our labor needs while controlling labor costs is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage legislation, changing demographics, health and other insurance costs and governmental labor and employment requirements. In the event of increasing wage rates, if we fail to increase our wages competitively, the quality of our workforce could decline, causing our customer service to suffer, while increasing our wages could cause our earnings to decrease. The market for retail management is highly competitive and, in common with other retailers, we face challenges in securing sufficient management talent. If we do not continue to attract, train and retain quality associates and management personnel, our performance could be adversely affected.

Our results may be adversely affected by serious disruptions or catastrophic events, including geo-political events and weather.

Unforeseen public health issues, such as pandemics and epidemics, and geo-political events, such as civil unrest in a country in which our suppliers are located or terrorist or military activities disrupting transportation, communication or utility systems, as well as natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and other adverse weather and climate conditions, whether occurring in the U.S. or abroad, particularly during peak seasonal periods, could disrupt our operations or the operations of one or more of our vendors or could severely damage or destroy one or more of our stores or distribution facilities located in the affected areas. Day to day operations, particularly our ability to receive products from our vendors or transport products to our stores could be adversely affected, or we could be required to close stores or distribution centers in the affected areas or in areas served by the affected distribution center. These factors could also cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease or result in increased volatility in the U.S. and global financial markets and economy. Such occurrences could significantly impact our operating results and financial performance. As a result, our business could be adversely affected.

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We are controlled by the Sponsors, whose interests as an equity holder may conflict with yours as a creditor.

We are controlled by the Sponsors, who currently indirectly own approximately 93% of our common stock in the aggregate. The Sponsors control the election of our directors and thereby have the power to control our affairs and policies, including the appointment of management, the issuance of additional equity and the declaration and payment of dividends if allowed under the terms of the credit agreement governing our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, the terms of the indenture governing the senior notes and the terms of our other indebtedness outstanding at the time. The Sponsors do not have any liability for any obligations under or relating to the notes offered hereby and their respective interests may be in conflict with yours. For example, if we encounter financial difficulties or are unable to pay our debts as they mature, the Sponsors may pursue strategies that favor equity investors over debt investors. In addition, our equity holders may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures, financing or other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance their equity investments, even though such transactions may involve risk to you as a holder of the notes. Additionally, the Sponsors may make investments in businesses that directly or indirectly compete with us, or may pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. For information concerning our arrangements with the Sponsors, see “Management” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

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THE EXCHANGE OFFER

Purpose and Effect of the Exchange Offer

Michaels and the guarantors of the outstanding notes have entered into a registration rights agreement with the initial purchasers of the outstanding notes in which we agreed, under certain circumstances, to use our reasonable best efforts to file a registration statement relating to the offer to exchange the outstanding notes for exchange notes and thereafter cause the registration statement to become effective under the Securities Act no later than 360 days following the closing date of the issuances of the outstanding notes. The exchange notes will have terms identical in all material respects to the outstanding notes, except that the exchange notes will not contain terms with respect to transfer restrictions, registration rights and additional interest for failure to observe certain obligations in the registration rights agreement. The outstanding notes that will be exchanged in this exchange offer were issued on September 27, 2012.

Under the circumstances set forth below, Michaels and the guarantors will use their reasonable best efforts to cause the SEC to declare effective a shelf registration statement with respect to the resale of the outstanding notes within the time periods and subject to the provisions specified in the registration rights agreement and keep the statement effective for up to two years after the effective date of the shelf registration statement. These circumstances include:

·if, because of any change in law or in currently prevailing interpretations of the staff of the SEC, we are not permitted to effect the exchange offer as contemplated by the registration rights agreement;

·if the exchange offer is not consummated within 360 days after the date of issuance of the outstanding notes;

·if any initial purchaser of outstanding notes acquired by them that have the status of an unsold allotment in the initial distribution of exchange notes so requests in writing to us at any time within 30 days after the consummation of the exchange offer; or

·if in the case of any holder that participates in the exchange offer, such holder does not receive exchange notes on the date of the exchange that may be freely sold without restriction under state and federal securities laws (other than due solely to the status of such holder as an affiliate of the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act) and so notifies us within 30 days after such holder first becomes aware of the restrictions.

If (A) we have neither (i) exchanged the exchange notes for all outstanding notes validly tendered in accordance with the terms of the exchange offer nor (ii) had a shelf registration declared effective, in either case on or prior to the 360th day after the original issue date of the outstanding notes, (B) notwithstanding clause (A), are required to file a shelf registration statement and such shelf registration statement is not declared effective on or prior to the 360th day after the date such filing was requested or required or (C) if applicable, a shelf registration statement has been declared effective and such shelf registration statement ceases to be effective at any time during the shelf registration period (subject to certain exceptions) (each, a “registration default”), then additional interest shall accrue on the principal amount of the applicable outstanding notes at a rate of 0.25% per annum (which rate will be increased by an additional 0.25% per annum for each subsequent 90-day period that such additional interest continues to accrue, provided that the rate at which such additional interest accrues may in no event exceed 1.00% per annum) commencing on (x) the 361st day after the original issue date of the outstanding notes, in the case of (A) above, (y) the 361st day after such shelf registration statement filing was requested or required, in the case of (B) above or (z) the day such shelf registration statement ceases to be effective, in the case of (C) above; provided, however, that upon the exchange of exchange notes for all outstanding notes tendered (in the case of clause (A) above), upon effectiveness of the applicable shelf registration statement (in the case of clause (B) above), or upon the effectiveness of a shelf registration statement that had ceased to remain effective (in the case of clause (C) above), additional interest on such outstanding notes as a result of such clause, as the case may be, shall cease to accrue.  The amount of additional interest payable will not increase because more than one registration default has occurred and is continuing and a holder of the outstanding notes or any broker-dealer of exchange notes received by such broker-dealer in the exchange offer that is not entitled to the benefits of the shelf registration shall not be entitled to additional interest with respect to any registration default that pertains to the shelf registration.

If you wish to exchange your outstanding notes for exchange notes in the exchange offer, you will be required to make the following written representations:

·any exchange notes acquired in exchange for outstanding notes tendered are being acquired in the ordinary course of business;

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·at the time of commencement or consummation of the exchange offer, the holder has no arrangement or understanding with any person to participate in the distribution (within the meaning of the Securities Act) of the exchange notes in violation of the provisions of the Securities Act;

·the holder is not an “affiliate” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) of ours, or, if it is an affiliate of ours, it will comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act;

·if the holder is not a broker-dealer, the holder is not engaged and does not intend to engage in distribution of the exchange notes; and

·if the holder is a broker-dealer, the holder will receive exchange notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes that were acquired as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, and that it will comply with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act, including the delivery of a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes.

Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes, where the broker-dealer acquired the outstanding notes as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange notes. Please see “Plan of Distribution.”

Resale of Exchange Notes

Based on an interpretation by the SEC set forth in no-action letters issued to third-parties unrelated to us, we believe that, with the exceptions set forth below, exchange notes issued in the exchange offer may be offered for resale, resold and otherwise transferred by the holder of exchange notes without compliance with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, unless the holder:

·is an “affiliate,” within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act, of the Issuer or any subsidiary guarantor;

·is a broker-dealer who purchased outstanding notes directly from us for resale under Rule 144A or Regulation S or any other available exemption under the Securities Act;

·acquired the exchange notes other than in the ordinary course of the holder’s business;

·has an arrangement with any person to engage in the distribution of the exchange notes; or

·is prohibited by any law or policy of the SEC from participating in the exchange offer.

Any holder who tenders in the exchange offer for the purpose of participating in a distribution of the exchange notes cannot rely on this interpretation by the SEC and must comply with the registration and prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in connection with a secondary resale transaction. Each broker-dealer that receives exchange notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes, where such outstanding notes were acquired by such broker-dealer as a result of market making activities or other trading activities, must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus in connection with any resale of such exchange note. Please read “Plan of Distribution” for more details regarding the transfer of exchange notes. Broker-dealers who acquired outstanding notes directly from us and not as a result of market making activities or other trading activities may not rely on the SEC’s interpretations discussed above or participate in the exchange offer, and must comply with the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act in order to sell the outstanding notes.

Under certain circumstances specified in the registration rights agreement, we may be required to file a “shelf” registration statement for a continuous offer in connection with the outstanding notes pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act.

Terms of the Exchange Offer

On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this prospectus and in the accompanying letters of transmittal, Michaels will accept for exchange in the exchange offer any outstanding notes that are validly tendered and not validly withdrawn prior to the applicable expiration date. Outstanding notes may only be tendered in a principal amount equal to $2,000 and in multiples of $1,000 thereafter. Michaels will issue $1,000 principal amount of exchange notes in exchange for each $1,000 principal amount of outstanding notes surrendered in the exchange offer.

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The form and terms of the exchange notes will be identical in all material respects to the form and terms of the outstanding notes except the exchange notes will be registered under the Securities Act, will not bear legends restricting their transfer and will not provide for any additional interest upon our failure to fulfill our obligations under the registration rights agreement to complete the exchange offer, or file, and cause to be effective, a shelf registration statement, if required thereby, within the specified time period. The exchange notes will evidence the same debt as the outstanding notes. The exchange notes will be issued under and entitled to the benefits of the same indenture that authorized the issuance of the outstanding notes. For a description of the indenture, see “Description of Exchange Notes”.

The exchange offer is not conditioned upon any minimum aggregate principal amount of outstanding notes being tendered for exchange.

As of the date of this prospectus, $200 million aggregate principal amount of the 7¾% Senior Notes due 2018 issued on September 27, 2012 are outstanding. This prospectus and the letters of transmittal are being sent to all registered holders of outstanding notes. There will be no fixed record date for determining registered holders of outstanding notes entitled to participate in the exchange offer. Michaels intends to conduct the exchange offer in accordance with the provisions of the registration rights agreement, the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC. Outstanding notes that are not tendered for exchange in the exchange offer will remain outstanding and continue to accrue interest and will be entitled to the rights and benefits such holders have under the indenture relating to such holders’ series of outstanding notes and the registration rights agreement except we will not have any further obligation to you to provide for the registration of the outstanding notes under the registration rights agreement.

Michaels will be deemed to have accepted for exchange properly tendered outstanding notes when it has given oral or written notice of the acceptance to the exchange agent. The exchange agent will act as agent for the tendering holders for the purposes of receiving the exchange notes from us and delivering exchange notes to holders. Subject to the terms of the registration rights agreement, Michaels expressly reserves the right to amend or terminate the exchange offer and to refuse to accept the occurrence of any of the conditions specified below under “—Conditions to the Exchange Offer.”

If you tender your outstanding notes in the exchange offer, you will not be required to pay brokerage commissions or fees or, subject to the instructions in the applicable letter of transmittal, transfer taxes with respect to the exchange of outstanding notes. We will pay all charges and expenses, other than certain applicable taxes described below in connection with the exchange offer. It is important that you read “—Fees and Expenses” below for more details regarding fees and expenses incurred in the exchange offer.

Expiration Date; Extensions, Amendments

As used in this prospectus, the term “expiration date” means 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on January 15, 2013 (the 21st business day on which the exchange offer will be open). However, if we, in our sole discretion, extend the period of time for which the exchange offer is open, the term “expiration date” will mean the latest time and date to which we shall have extended the expiration of the exchange offer.

To extend the period of time during which the exchange offer is open, we will notify the exchange agent of any extension by oral or written notice, followed by notification by press release or other public announcement to the registered holders of the outstanding notes no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled expiration date. Any such announcement will include the approximate number of securities deposited as of the date of extension.

Michaels reserves the right, in its sole discretion:

·to delay accepting for exchange any outstanding notes (if we amend or extend the exchange offer);

·to extend the exchange offer or to terminate the exchange offer if any of the conditions set forth below under “—Conditions to the Exchange Offer” have not been satisfied, by giving oral or written notice of such delay, extension or termination to the exchange agent; and

·subject to the terms of the registration rights agreement, to amend the terms of the exchange offer in any manner.

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Any delay in acceptance, extension, termination or amendment will be followed as promptly as practicable by oral or written notice to the registered holders of the outstanding notes. If Michaels amends the exchange offer in a manner that we determine to constitute a material change, including the waiver of a material condition, it will promptly disclose the amendment in a manner reasonably calculated to inform the holders of outstanding notes of that amendment, and it will extend the offer period, if necessary, so that at least five business days remain in the offer following notice of the material change.

Conditions to the Exchange Offer

Despite any other term of the exchange offer, Michaels will not be required to accept for exchange, or to issue exchange notes in exchange for, any outstanding notes and it may terminate or amend the exchange offer as provided in this prospectus prior to the expiration date if in its reasonable judgment:

·the exchange offer or the making of any exchange by a holder violates any applicable law or interpretation of the SEC;

·any action or proceeding has been instituted or threatened in any court or by or before any governmental agency with respect to the exchange offer that, in our judgment, would be expected to materially impair our ability to proceed with the exchange offer, or a material adverse development shall have occurred in any existing action or proceeding with respect to the Issuer; or

·any government approvals, which we deem to be necessary for the consummation of the exchange offer, have not been obtained.

In addition, Michaels will not be obligated to accept for exchange the outstanding notes of any holder that has not made to us:

·the representations described under “—Purpose and Effect of the Exchange Offer,” “—Procedures for Tendering Outstanding Notes” and “Plan of Distribution;” or

·any other representations as may be reasonably necessary under applicable SEC rules, regulations, or interpretations to make available to us an appropriate form for registration of the exchange notes under the Securities Act.

Michaels expressly reserves the right at any time or at various times to extend the period of time during which the exchange offer is open. Consequently, Michaels may delay acceptance of any outstanding notes by giving oral or written notice of such extension to their holders. Michaels will return any outstanding notes that it does not accept for exchange for any reason without expense to their tendering holder promptly after the expiration or termination of the exchange offer.

Michaels expressly reserves the right to amend or terminate the exchange offer and to reject for exchange any outstanding notes not previously accepted for exchange, upon the occurrence of any of the conditions of the exchange offer specified above. Michaels will give oral or written notice of any extension, amendment, non-acceptance or termination to the holders of the outstanding notes as promptly as practicable. In the case of any extension, such notice will be issued no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day after the previously scheduled expiration date.

These conditions are for our sole benefit and Michaels may assert them regardless of the circumstances that may give rise to them or waive them in whole or in part at any or at various times prior to the expiration date in our sole discretion. If Michaels fails at any time to exercise any of the foregoing rights, this failure will not constitute a waiver of such right. Each such right will be deemed an ongoing right that it may assert at any time or at various times prior to the expiration date.

In addition, Michaels will not accept for exchange any outstanding notes tendered, and will not issue exchange notes in exchange for any such outstanding notes, if at such time any stop order is threatened or in effect with respect to the registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part or the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “TIA”).

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Procedures for Tendering Outstanding Notes

To tender your outstanding notes in the exchange offer, you must comply with either of the following:

·complete, sign and date the letter of transmittal, or a facsimile of the letter of transmittal, have the signature(s) on the letter of transmittal guaranteed if required by the letter of transmittal and mail or deliver such letter of transmittal or facsimile thereof to the exchange agent at the address set forth below under “—Exchange Agent—Notes” prior to the expiration date; or

·comply with DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program procedures described below.

In addition, either:

·the exchange agent must receive certificates for outstanding notes along with the applicable letter of transmittal prior to the expiration date;

·the exchange agent must receive a timely confirmation of book-entry transfer of outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC according to the procedures for book-entry transfer described below or a properly transmitted agent’s message prior to the expiration date; or

·you must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures described below.

Your tender, if not withdrawn prior to the expiration date, constitutes an agreement between us and you upon the terms and subject to the conditions described in this prospectus and in the applicable letter of transmittal.

The method of delivery of outstanding notes, letters of transmittal, and all other required documents to the exchange agent is at your election and risk. We recommend that instead of delivery by mail, you use an overnight or hand delivery service, properly insured. In all cases, you should allow sufficient time to assure timely delivery to the exchange agent before the expiration date. You should not send letters of transmittal or certificates representing outstanding notes to us. You may request that your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or nominee effect the above transactions for you.

If you are a beneficial owner whose outstanding notes are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company, or other nominee and you wish to tender your outstanding notes, you should promptly contact the registered holder and instruct the registered holder to tender on your behalf. If you wish to tender the outstanding notes yourself, you must, prior to completing and executing the applicable letter of transmittal and delivering your outstanding notes, either:

·make appropriate arrangements to register ownership of the outstanding notes in your name; or

·obtain a properly completed bond power from the registered holder of outstanding notes.

The transfer of registered ownership may take considerable time and may not be able to be completed prior to the expiration date.

Signatures on the applicable letter of transmittal or a notice of withdrawal, as the case may be, must be guaranteed by a member firm of a registered national securities exchange or of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., a commercial bank or trust company having an office or correspondent in the United States or another “eligible guarantor institution” within the meaning of Rule 17A(d)-15 under the Exchange Act unless the outstanding notes surrendered for exchange are tendered:

·by a registered holder of the outstanding notes who has not completed the box entitled “Special Registration Instructions” or “Special Delivery Instructions” on the applicable letter of transmittal; or

·for the account of an eligible guarantor institution.

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If the applicable letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder of any outstanding notes listed on the outstanding notes, such outstanding notes must be endorsed or accompanied by a properly completed bond power. The bond power must be signed by the registered holder as the registered holder’s name appears on the outstanding notes and an eligible guarantor institution must guarantee the signature on the bond power.

If the applicable letter of transmittal or any certificates representing outstanding notes, or bond powers are signed by trustees, executors, administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations, or others acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, those persons should also indicate when signing and, unless waived by us, they should also submit evidence satisfactory to us of their authority to so act.

The exchange agent and DTC have confirmed that any financial institution that is a participant in DTC’s system may use DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program to tender. Participants in the program may, instead of physically completing and signing the applicable letter of transmittal and delivering it to the exchange agent, electronically transmit their acceptance of the exchange by causing DTC to transfer the outstanding notes to the exchange agent in accordance with DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program procedures for transfer. DTC will then send an agent’s message to the exchange agent. The term “agent’s message” means a message transmitted by DTC, received by the exchange agent and forming part of the book-entry confirmation, which states that:

·DTC has received an express acknowledgment from a participant in its Automated Tender Offer Program that is tendering outstanding notes that are the subject of the book-entry confirmation;

·the participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the applicable letter of transmittal, or in the case of an agent’s message relating to guaranteed delivery, that such participant has received and agrees to be bound by the applicable notice of guaranteed delivery; and

·we may enforce that agreement against such participant.

DTC is referred to herein as a “book-entry transfer facility.”

Acceptance of Exchange Notes

In all cases, Michaels will promptly issue exchange notes for outstanding notes that it has accepted for exchange under the exchange offer only after the exchange agent timely receives:

·outstanding notes or a timely book-entry confirmation of such outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at the book-entry transfer facility; and

·a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal and all other required documents or a properly transmitted agent’s message.

By tendering outstanding notes pursuant to the exchange offer, you will represent to us that, among other things:

·you are not our affiliate or an affiliate of any guarantor within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act;

·if you are not a broker-dealer, you are not engaged in and do not intend to engage in a distribution of the exchange notes;

·you do not have an arrangement or understanding with any person or entity to participate in a distribution of the exchange notes; and

·you are acquiring the exchange notes in the ordinary course of your business.

In addition, each broker-dealer that is to receive exchange notes for its own account in exchange for outstanding notes must represent that such outstanding notes were acquired by that broker-dealer as a result of market-making activities or other trading activities and must acknowledge that it will deliver a prospectus that meets the requirements of the Securities Act in connection with any resale of the exchange notes. The letter of transmittal states that by so acknowledging and by delivering a prospectus, a broker-dealer will not be deemed to admit that it is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act. See “Plan of Distribution.”

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Michaels will interpret the terms and conditions of the exchange offer, including the letter of transmittal and the instructions to the letter of transmittal, and will resolve all questions as to the validity, form, eligibility, including time of receipt, and acceptance of outstanding notes tendered for exchange. Our determinations in this regard will be final and binding on all parties. Michaels reserves the absolute right to reject any and all tenders of any particular outstanding notes not properly tendered or to not accept any particular outstanding notes if the acceptance might, in its or its counsel’s judgment, be unlawful. We also reserve the absolute right to waive any defects or irregularities as to any particular outstanding notes prior to the expiration date.

Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders of outstanding notes for exchange must be cured within such reasonable period of time as we determine. Neither Michaels, the exchange agent, nor any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defect or irregularity with respect to any tender of outstanding notes for exchange, nor will any of them incur any liability for any failure to give notification. Any outstanding notes received by the exchange agent that are not properly tendered and as to which the irregularities have not been cured or waived will be returned by the exchange agent to the tendering holder, unless otherwise provided in the applicable letter of transmittal, promptly after the expiration date.

Book-Entry Delivery Procedures

Promptly after the date of this prospectus, the exchange agent will establish an account with respect to the outstanding notes at DTC and, as the book-entry transfer facility, for purposes of the exchange offer. Any financial institution that is a participant in the book-entry transfer facility’s system may make book-entry delivery of the outstanding notes by causing the book-entry transfer facility to transfer those outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at the facility in accordance with the facility’s procedures for such transfer. To be timely, book-entry delivery of outstanding notes requires receipt of a confirmation of a book-entry transfer, a “book-entry confirmation,” prior to the expiration date. In addition, although delivery of outstanding notes may be effected through book-entry transfer into the exchange agent’s account at the book-entry transfer facility, the applicable letter of transmittal or a manually signed facsimile thereof, together with any required signature guarantees and any other required documents, or an “agent’s message,” as defined below, in connection with a book-entry transfer, must, in any case, be delivered or transmitted to and received by the exchange agent at its address set forth on the cover page of the applicable letter of transmittal prior to the expiration date to receive exchange notes for tendered outstanding notes, or the guaranteed delivery procedure described below must be complied with. Tender will not be deemed made until such documents are received by the exchange agent. Delivery of documents to the book-entry transfer facility does not constitute delivery to the exchange agent.

Holders of outstanding notes who are unable to deliver confirmation of the book-entry tender of their outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at the book-entry transfer facility or all other documents required by the applicable letter of transmittal to the exchange agent on or prior to the expiration date must tender their outstanding notes according to the guaranteed delivery procedures described below.

Guaranteed Delivery Procedures

If you wish to tender your outstanding notes but your outstanding notes are not immediately available or you cannot deliver your outstanding notes, the applicable letter of transmittal or any other required documents to the exchange agent or comply with the procedures under DTC’s Automatic Tender Offer Program in the case of outstanding notes, prior to the expiration date, you may still tender if:

·the tender is made through an eligible guarantor institution;

·prior to the expiration date, the exchange agent receives from such eligible guarantor institution either a properly completed and duly executed notice of guaranteed delivery, by facsimile transmission, mail, or hand delivery or a properly transmitted agent’s message and notice of guaranteed delivery, that (1) sets forth your name and address, the certificate number(s) of such outstanding notes and the principal amount of outstanding notes tendered; (2) states that the tender is being made thereby; and (3) guarantees that, within three New York Stock Exchange trading days after the expiration date, the letter of transmittal, or facsimile thereof, together with the outstanding notes or a book-entry confirmation, and any other documents required by the letter of transmittal, will be deposited by the eligible guarantor institution with the exchange agent; and

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·the exchange agent receives the properly completed and executed letter of transmittal or facsimile thereof, as well as certificate(s) representing all tendered outstanding notes in proper form for transfer or a book-entry confirmation of transfer of the outstanding notes into the exchange agent’s account at DTC all other documents required by the letter of transmittal within three New York Stock Exchange trading days after the expiration date.

Upon request, the exchange agent will send to you a notice of guaranteed delivery if you wish to tender your outstanding notes according to the guaranteed delivery procedures.

Withdrawal Rights

Except as otherwise provided in this prospectus, you may withdraw your tender of outstanding notes at any time prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the expiration date.

For a withdrawal to be effective:

·the exchange agent must receive a written notice, which may be by telegram, telex, facsimile or letter, of withdrawal at its address set forth below under “—Exchange Agent”; or

·you must comply with the appropriate procedures of DTC’s Automated Tender Offer Program system.

Any notice of withdrawal must:

·specify the name of the person who tendered the outstanding notes to be withdrawn;

·identify the outstanding notes to be withdrawn, including the certificate numbers and principal amount of the outstanding notes; and

·where certificates for outstanding notes have been transmitted, specify the name in which such outstanding notes were registered, if different from that of the withdrawing holder.

If certificates for outstanding notes have been delivered or otherwise identified to the exchange agent, then, prior to the release of such certificates, you must also submit:

·the serial numbers of the particular certificates to be withdrawn; and

·a signed notice of withdrawal with signatures guaranteed by an eligible institution unless you are an eligible guarantor institution.

If outstanding notes have been tendered pursuant to the procedures for book-entry transfer described above, any notice of withdrawal must specify the name and number of the account at the book-entry transfer facility to be credited with the withdrawn outstanding notes and otherwise comply with the procedures of the facility. We will determine all questions as to the validity, form, and eligibility, including time of receipt of notices of withdrawal and our determination will be final and binding on all parties. Any outstanding notes so withdrawn will be deemed not to have been validly tendered for exchange for purposes of the exchange offer. Any outstanding notes that have been tendered for exchange but that are not exchanged for any reason will be returned to their holder, without cost to the holder, or, in the case of book-entry transfer, the outstanding notes will be credited to an account at the book-entry transfer facility, promptly after withdrawal, rejection of tender or termination of the exchange offer. Properly withdrawn outstanding notes may be retendered by following the procedures described under “—Procedures for Tendering Outstanding Notes” above at any time on or prior to the expiration date.

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Exchange Agent

Law Debenture Trust Company of New York has been appointed as the exchange agent for the exchange offer. Law Debenture Trust Company of New York also acts as trustee under the indenture governing the senior notes. You should direct all executed letters of transmittal and all questions and requests for assistance, requests for additional copies of this prospectus or of the letters of transmittal, and requests for notices of guaranteed delivery to the exchange agent addressed as follows:

By Registered & Certified Mail:	By Regular Mail or Overnight Courier:	In Person by Hand Only:	By Facsimile (for Eligible Institutions only):
Law Debenture Trust	Law Debenture Trust	Law Debenture Trust	(212) 750-1361
Company of New York	Company of New York	Company of New York
400 Madison Ave. — 4th Floor	400 Madison Ave. — 4th Floor	400 Madison Ave. — 4th Floor	For Confirmation by
New York, New York 10017	New York, New York 10017	New York, New York 10017	Telephone:
ATTN: Michaels Stores Exchange Offer	ATTN: Michaels Stores Exchange Offer	ATTN: Michaels Stores Exchange Offer	(212) 750 6474

If you deliver the letter of transmittal to an address other than the one set forth above or transmit instructions via facsimile other than the one set forth above, that delivery or those instructions will not be effective.

Fees and Expenses

The registration rights agreement provides that we will bear all expenses in connection with the performance of our obligations relating to the registration of the exchange notes and the conduct of the exchange offer. These expenses include registration and filing fees, accounting and legal fees and printing costs, among others. We will pay the exchange agent reasonable and customary fees for its services and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. We will also reimburse brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for customary mailing and handling expenses incurred by them in forwarding this prospectus and related documents to their clients that are holders of outstanding notes and for handling or tendering for such clients.

We have not retained any dealer-manager in connection with the exchange offer and will not pay any fee or commission to any broker, dealer, nominee or other person, other than the exchange agent, for soliciting tenders of outstanding notes pursuant to the exchange offer.

Accounting Treatment

We will record the exchange notes in our accounting records at the same carrying value as the outstanding notes, which is the aggregate principal amount as reflected in our accounting records on the date of exchange. Accordingly, we will not recognize any gain or loss for accounting purposes upon the consummation of the exchange offer. We will record the expenses of the exchange offer as deferred debt issuance costs and amortize over the life of the notes.

Transfer Taxes

We will generally pay all transfer taxes, if any, applicable to the exchanges of outstanding notes under the exchange offer. The tendering holder, however, will be required to pay any transfer taxes, whether imposed on the registered holder or any other person, if:

·certificates representing outstanding notes for principal amounts not tendered or accepted for exchange are to be delivered to, or are to be issued in the name of, any person other than the registered holder of outstanding notes tendered;

·tendered outstanding notes are registered in the name of any person other than the person signing the letter of transmittal; or

·a transfer tax is imposed for any reason other than the exchange of outstanding notes under the exchange offer.

If satisfactory evidence of payment of such taxes is not submitted with the letter of transmittal, the amount of such transfer taxes will be billed to that tendering holder.

Consequences of Failure to Exchange

If you do not exchange your outstanding notes for exchange notes under the exchange offer, your outstanding notes will remain subject to the restrictions on transfer of such outstanding notes:

·as set forth in the legend printed on the outstanding notes as a consequence of the issuance of the outstanding notes pursuant to the exemptions from, or in transactions not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws; and

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·as otherwise set forth in the offering memorandum distributed in connection with the private offering of the outstanding notes.

In general, you may not offer or sell your outstanding notes unless they are registered under the Securities Act or if the offer or sale is exempt from registration under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Except as required by the registration rights agreement, we do not intend to register resales of the outstanding notes under the Securities Act.

After completion of this exchange offer, we will have no further obligation to provide for the registration under the Securities Act of the outstanding notes except in the limited circumstances when we are required to use our reasonable best efforts to cause the SEC to declare effective a shelf registration statement, as described under “—Purpose and Effect of the Exchange Offer” above.

Other

Participating in the exchange offer is voluntary, and you should carefully consider whether to accept. You are urged to consult your financial and tax advisors in making your own decision on what action to take.

We may in the future seek to acquire untendered outstanding notes in open market or privately negotiated transactions, through subsequent exchange offers or otherwise. We have no present plans to acquire any outstanding notes that are not tendered in the exchange offer or to file a registration statement to permit resales of any untendered outstanding notes.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

The outstanding notes were issued and sold on September 27, 2012. The net proceeds from the offering of the outstanding notes were used to repay a portion of the indebtedness outstanding under the B-1 Term Loans under our Senior Secured Term Loan Facility and to pay related fees and expenses.

The exchange offer is intended to satisfy our obligations under the registration rights agreement, dated as of September 27, 2012, by and among us, the subsidiary guarantors party thereto and the initial purchasers of the outstanding notes. We will not receive any proceeds from the issuance of the exchange notes in the exchange offer. Instead, we will receive in exchange outstanding notes in like principal amount. We will retire or cancel all of the outstanding notes tendered in the exchange offer.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of October 27, 2012. The exchange offer will not affect our capitalization on a pro forma basis. The information should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Use of Proceeds” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this registration statement.

	As of October 27, 2012
(In millions)	(Dollars in millions)
Cash and equivalents	$	161
Debt
Senior Secured Term Loan Facility	$	1,787
Restated Revolving Credit Facility (1)	—
Senior Notes due 2018	1,008
Senior Subordinated Notes due 2016	393
Subordinated Discount Notes due 2016 (1)	180
Total debt	3,368
Stockholders’ deficit:
Common Stock, $0.10 par value, 220,000,000 shares authorized; 118,414,727 shares issued and outstanding at October 27, 2012	12
Additional paid-in capital	49
Accumulated deficit	(2,438		)
Accumulated other comprehensive income	6
Total stockholders’ deficit	(2,371		)
Total capitalization	$	997

(1)On November 1, 2012, we borrowed $216 million under the Restated Revolving Credit Facility to fund the redemption of our outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes and other working capital needs. All of the outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes were redeemed effective as of such date.

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SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

The following table sets forth our selected consolidated financial and operating data as of the dates and for the periods indicated. Our selected consolidated balance sheet data as of January 28, 2012 and January 29, 2011, and our consolidated results of operations data and cash flow data for each of the three years ended January 28, 2012, January 29, 2011 and January 30, 2010, respectively, have been derived from our audited Consolidated Financial Statements, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus. The consolidated results of operations data and cash flow data for each of the years ended January 31, 2009 and February 2, 2008 and the consolidated balance sheet data as of January 30, 2010, January 31, 2009, and February 2, 2008 have been derived from our historical unaudited financial statements for such years, which are not included in this prospectus. These financial statements are unaudited because certain amounts have been restated, as further discussed in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Restatement—Accounting for Income Taxes.” Other Operating data included in the following table is unaudited for all periods presented. The summary historical statement of operations, statement of cash flow and balance sheet data presented as of and for the nine months ended October 27, 2012 and October 29, 2011 are derived from our Unaudited Consolidated Financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. The results of operations for any period are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period.

We operate on a fiscal calendar, which in a given fiscal year consists of a 52- or 53-week period ending on the Saturday closest to January 31st. Fiscal 2012 is the 53-week period ending February 2, 2013. Fiscal 2011 ended on January 28, 2012, fiscal 2010 ended on January 29, 2011, fiscal 2009 ended on January 30, 2010, fiscal 2008 ended on January 31, 2009, and fiscal 2007 ended on February 2, 2008. Each of these fiscal years contained 52 weeks.  References to “the third quarter of fiscal 2012” relate to the 13 weeks ended October 27, 2012, and references to “the third quarter of fiscal 2011” relate to the 13 weeks ended October 29, 2011. References to “the nine months ended October 27, 2012” relate to the 39 weeks ended October 27, 2012, and “the nine months ended October 29, 2011” relate to the 39 weeks ended October 29, 2011.

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The historical results presented below are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period. The following summaries of our consolidated financial and operating data for the periods presented should be read in conjunction with “Risk Factors”, “Capitalization”, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes, which are included elsewhere in this prospectus.

	Fiscal Year															Nine Months Ended
(In millions, except operating and store count data)	2011			2010			2009			2008			2007			October 27, 2012		October 29, 2011
				(Restated)			(Restated)			(Restated)			(Restated)
Results of Operations Data:
Net sales	$	4,210		$	4,031		$	3,888		$	3,817		$	3,862		2,884		2,806
Operating income	569			488			397			304			354			349		335
Interest expense	254			276			257			302			378			187		188
Loss on early extinguishment of debt(1)	18			53			—			—			—			3		16
Income (loss) before discontinued operations	176			103			103			(7		)	(19		)	102		79
Discontinued operations loss, net of income tax	—			—			—			—			(10		)	—		—
Net income (loss)	176			103			103			(7		)	(29		)	102		79
Comprehensive income (loss)	175			104			104			(12		)	(26		)	102		79
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and equivalents	$	371		$	319		$	217		$	33		$	29		161		111
Merchandise inventories	840			826			873			900			845			1,076		1,019
Total current assets	1,334			1,271			1,199			1,047			982			1,387		1,274
Total assets	1,822			1,780			1,722			1,639			1,634			1,901		1,780
Total current liabilities	837			685			719			683			683			987		893
Current debt	127			1			119			173			122			180		135
Long-term debt	3,363			3,667			3,684			3,756			3,741			3,188		3,376
Total liabilities	4,296			4,434			4,488			4,517			4,515			4,272		4,352
Stockholders’ deficit	(2,474		)	(2,654		)	(2,766		)	(2,878		)	(2,881		)	(2,371	)	(2,572	)
Cash Flow Data:
Cash flows provided by operating activities	$	413		$	438		$	405		$	59		$	268		16		99
Cash flows used in investing activities	(109		)	(83		)	(43		)	(85		)	(100		)	(85	)	(84	)
Cash flow (used in) provided by financing activities	(252		)	(253		)	(178		)	30			(169		)	(141	)	(223	)
Other Operating Data:
Average net sales per selling square foot(2)	$	212		$	205		$	201		$	202		$	213		214		212
Comparable store sales increase (decrease)(3)	3.2		%	2.5		%	0.2		%	(4.6		)%	(0.7		)%	(0.2	)%	1.4	%
Total selling square footage (in millions)	20.1			19.9			19.6			19.4			18.6			20.6		20.1
Stores Open at End of Period:
Michaels	1,064			1,045			1,023			1,009			963			1,099		1,063
Aaron Brothers	134			137			152			161			166			127		135
Total stores open at end of period	1,198			1,182			1,175			1,170			1,129			1,226		1,198

(1)Fiscal 2011 loss on early extinguishment of debt includes an $18 million loss related to the early extinguishment of $163 million face value, or $155 million accreted value, of our outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes and $7 million face value of our 113/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2016. Fiscal 2010 loss on early extinguishment of debt includes a $53 million loss related to the early extinguishment of our 10% Senior Notes due November 1, 2014 (the “2014 Senior Notes”). Loss on early extinguishment of debt for the nine months ended October 27, 2012 includes a $2 million loss for the write-off of debt issuance costs related to our Restated Revolving Credit Facility and a $1 million loss for the write-off of debt issuance costs associated with the partial prepayment of our B-1 Term Loans. Loss on early extinguishment of debt for the nine months ended October 29, 2011 includes a $16 million loss related to the early extinguishment of $142 million face value, or $134 million accreted value, of our then outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes.

(2)The calculation of average net sales per selling square foot includes only Michaels comparable stores, as defined below. Aaron Brothers, which is a smaller store model, is excluded from the calculation. Average net sales per selling square foot has been annualized for the nine months ended October 27, 2012 and October 29, 2011.

(3)Comparable store sales increase (decrease) represents the increase (decrease) in net sales for stores open the same number of months in the indicated and comparable period of the previous year, including stores that were relocated or expanded during either period. A store is deemed to become comparable in its 14th month of operation in order to eliminate grand opening sales distortions. A store temporarily closed more than two weeks is not considered comparable during the month it is closed. If a store is closed longer than two weeks but less than two months, it becomes comparable in the month in which it reopens, subject to a mid-month convention. A store closed longer than two months becomes comparable in its 14th month of operation after its reopening.

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods shown.

	Nine Months Ended		Fiscal Year Ended
	October 27, 2012	October 29, 2011	Jan. 28, 2012	Jan. 29, 2011	Jan. 30, 2010	Jan. 31, 2009	Feb. 2, 2008
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges	1.6x	1.5x	1.8x	1.4x	1.4x	—	—

These ratios are computed by dividing the total earnings by the total fixed charges. Earnings are defined as income (loss) before income taxes and discontinued operations, plus fixed charges. Fixed charges are defined as total interest expense plus an estimate of the interest component within rent expense. For the fiscal years ended January 31, 2009 and February 2, 2008, earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges by $2 million and $17 million, respectively.

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations with “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Operating Data” and the historical Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements about our plans, estimates and beliefs. We based these statements on assumptions that we consider reasonable. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by our forward-looking statements for various reasons including those discussed under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements” elsewhere in this prospectus. Those sections expressly qualify all subsequent oral and written forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf. We do not have any intention or obligation to update forward-looking statements included in this prospectus.

We report on the basis of a 52- or 53-week fiscal year, which ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. References to fiscal year mean the year in which that fiscal year began. All references to “fiscal 2012” relate to the 53-week period ending February 2, 2013. Fiscal 2011 ended on January 28, 2012, fiscal 2010 ended on January 29, 2011 and fiscal 2009 ended on January 30, 2010. Each of these three fiscal years contained 52 weeks. References to “the third quarter of fiscal 2012” relate to the 13 weeks ended October 27, 2012, and references to “the third quarter of fiscal 2011” relate to the 13 weeks ended October 29, 2011. References to “the nine months ended October 27, 2012” relate to the 39 weeks ended October 27, 2012, and “the nine months ended October 29, 2011” relate to the 39 weeks ended October 29, 2011.

How We Assess the Performance of our Business

In assessing our performance, we consider a variety of performance and financial measures. The key measures we assess to evaluate the performance of our business are set forth below:

Net Sales—Our Net sales are comprised of gross sales, net of merchandise returns, coupons and discounts.

Comparable Store Sales—A store is included in comparable store sales in its 14th month of operation, which is when we believe comparability is achieved. When a store that is included in comparable store sales is relocated or remodeled, we continue to consider sales from that store to be comparable store sales at the time of opening. A store temporarily closed more than two weeks is not considered comparable during the month it is closed. If a store is closed longer than two weeks but less than two months, it becomes comparable in the month in which it reopens, subject to mid-month convention. A store closed longer than two months becomes comparable in its 14th month of operation after its reopening. There may be variations in the way that our competitors calculate comparable or same store sales. As a result, data in this prospectus regarding our comparable store sales may not be comparable to similar data made available by other retailers.

Various factors may affect comparable store sales, including:

·the number of customer transactions

·changes in our merchandise mix

·changes in product pricing including promotional activities

·the level of customer service that we provide in our stores

·our store events

·our ability to source and receive products accurately and efficiently

·our opening of new stores in the vicinity of our existing stores

·the number of stores we open, remodel or relocate in any period

·consumer preferences and buying trends

·our competitors’ opening or closing stores near our stores

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·overall economic trends and conditions

As we continue to pursue our growth strategy, we expect a portion of our Net sales will continue to come from new stores not included in comparable store sales. Accordingly, comparable store sales is only one measure we use to assess our performance.

Gross Profit—Gross profit is equal to our Net sales less our Cost of sales and occupancy expense. Gross margin measures gross profit as a percentage of Net sales.

The following Cost of sales is included in merchandise inventories and expensed as the merchandise is sold:

·purchase price of merchandise, net of shrink, damages, vendor allowances and rebates

·inbound freight, inspection costs, duties and import agent commissions

·warehousing, handling and transportation costs (including internal transfer costs and related systems such as distribution center-to-store freight costs) and purchasing and receiving costs

·internal costs of sourcing and design (including technology)

·share-based compensation costs for those employees involved in preparing inventory for sale

Included in our occupancy expense is the following:

·store expenses such as rent, insurance, taxes, common area maintenance, utilities, repairs and maintenance

·amortization of store buildings and leasehold improvements

·store closure costs

·store remodel costs

We record rent expense ratably over the term of the lease beginning with the date we take possession of or control the physical access to the premises. We record leasehold improvement reimbursements as a liability and ratably adjust the liability as a reduction to rent expense over the lease term beginning with either the date we take possession, or control of, the physical access to the premises.

The components of our Cost of sales and occupancy expense may not be comparable to our competitors. As a result, data in this prospectus regarding our gross profit and gross margin may not be comparable to similar data made available by our competitors.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense—Included in our Selling, general, and administrative costs are store personnel costs (including share-based compensation), store operating expenses, advertising expenses, store depreciation expense and corporate overhead costs.

Operating Income—Operating income consists of Gross profit less Selling, general and administrative expense, Related party expenses and Store pre-opening costs.

Executive Overview

We believe Michaels is where creativity happens. With over $4.2 billion in sales, we are the largest arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America. Our primary business is the operation of 1,099 Michaels stores across the U.S. and Canada. We also operate 127 Aaron Brothers stores, a custom frame, framing, and art supply chain (all store counts are as of October 27, 2012).

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Highlights for fiscal 2011 include the following:

·sales increased to $4,210 million, a 4.4% improvement over last year, driven by a 3.2% increase in comparable store sales as well as the opening of 25 new stores. Our new store growth included one urban market format store as well as four small market format stores. In addition, we completed 15 store relocations during the year

·our private brand merchandise represented 44% of total Net sales, up from 32% in fiscal 2010

·direct imports, as a percent of total receipts, increased to 26% compared to 23% in fiscal 2010

·gross margin improved by 120 basis points to 40.0% for fiscal 2011

·we reported record Operating income of $569 million, an increase of 16.6% from prior year

·net cash provided by operating activities decreased $25 million, or 5.7%, and Net income increased by $73 million to $176 million. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure that is a required calculation in our debt agreements, improved by 13.5%, from $622 million in fiscal 2010 to $706 million fiscal 2011 (see “—Non-GAAP Measures” below)

·we reduced our outstanding indebtedness by $178 million, including open market repurchases of our 13% Subordinated Discount Notes due November 1, 2016, totaling $163 million face value, or $155 million accreted value, and $7 million of outstanding 113/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due November 1, 2016

·we amended our Senior Secured Term Loan Facility to extend $619 million of term loans, due to mature on October 31, 2013, to now mature on July 31, 2016. We also prepaid $50 million on our Senior Secured Term Loan Facility

·we launched two new multi-channel business offerings: BuyTheBunch, our customer special order program, which provides our U.S. stores a systematic way to fulfill large quantity and special orders; and MiDesign@Michaels, an e-commerce complement to our stores, which allows customers to design digital scrapbooks, custom invitations and other custom accessories online

·we continued to build our relationship with our customers through our marketing vehicles, Internet site, mobile platform, store experience and social media outlets

Highlights through October 27, 2012 include the following:

·sales for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 increased to $2,884 million, a 2.8% improvement over last year, driven by a 1.4% increase in comparable store sales as well as operating 36 additional Michaels stores

·issued an irrevocable redemption notice on all of our remaining outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes for settlement on November 1, 2012

·amended and restated our senior secured asset-based Revolving Credit Facility on September 17, 2012

·opened 49 new stores, including 13 relocations

·completed of our trilingual packaging initiative culminating with September openings of seven new stores in Québec

·deepened our customer relationship through store experiences and multi- channel marketing, including sponsoring the television series, “Craft Wars”

In the remainder of fiscal 2012, we will continue to lead industry growth and innovation through strategic initiatives such as:

·offering inspirational new products through frequent merchandise resets

·capitalizing on customization and new business channels

·growing private brand penetration

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·continuing to improve pricing and promotional strategies

·continuously improving processes to achieve cost savings and cash flow increases

Restatement—Accounting for Income Taxes

During fiscal 2009, we recorded a $5 million adjustment to a state deferred tax liability pool. In fiscal 2010, we identified that the 2009 adjustment was made in error, and we reversed the adjustment and disclosed the correction in our Consolidated Financial Statements. As result of this adjustment, the Provision for income taxes in the Consolidated Statements of Operations was understated in fiscal 2009 and overstated in fiscal 2010 by $5 million, which we concluded was not material to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

In response to this error, we performed a detailed re-examination of our deferred income tax pools. The re-examination of the deferred pool for property and equipment was completed during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011. In connection with these procedures, we performed detailed reconciliations of the deferred tax pool for property and equipment for each of the last five years and identified errors in the manner in which we were tracking deferred taxes for property and equipment and the underlying differences between book and tax basis. Consequently, we concluded that the ending deferred tax liability for property and equipment was overstated by $8 million in each period since at least February 3, 2007 through January 29, 2011. We also identified an error in the calculation of our deferred taxes related to foreign currency translation for fiscal 2007, fiscal 2008, and fiscal 2009 which we are correcting as part of this restatement. We have corrected these errors by restating our Consolidated Financial Statements for each respective period. Our restatement also includes the correction of the $5 million state deferred tax liability error identified in fiscal 2010, the effects of which were previously considered immaterial to each respective period. The effect of the restatement had no impact on reported net cash flows or income before taxes in any periods. We have also recorded reclassifications to properly adjust the noncurrent portion of our deferred taxes from current Deferred tax assets to noncurrent Deferred tax assets.

The tables below provide a reconciliation of certain line items affected within our Consolidated Statements of Operations, Consolidated Balance Sheets, and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for fiscal 2007 through fiscal 2010, from amounts previously reported to the restated amounts:

	Statement of Operations Fiscal 2010
(In millions)	As Reported		State Deferred Tax Adjustment			As Restated
Provision for income taxes	$	51	$	(5	)	$	46
Net income	98		5			103

	Statement of Operations Fiscal 2009
(In millions)	As Reported		State Deferred Tax Adjustment			Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment		As Restated
Provision for income taxes	$	50	$	5		(1	)	$	54
Net income	107		(5		)	1		103

	Statement of Operations Fiscal 2008
(In millions)	As Reported			Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment			As Restated
Provision for income taxes	$	3		$	2		$	5
Net loss	(5		)	(2		)	(7		)

	Statement of Operations Fiscal 2007
(In millions)	As Reported			Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment			As Restated
Provision for income taxes	$	5		$	(3	)	$	2
Loss before discontinued operations	(22		)	3			(19		)
Net loss	(32		)	3			(29		)

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	Balance Sheet For the year ended January 29, 2011
(In millions)	As Reported			Fixed Asset Deferred Tax Adjustment		Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment			Reclassification Adjustments			As Restated
Deferred income taxes asset (current)	$	56		$	—	$	4		$	(8	)	$	52
Total current assets	1,275			—		4			(8		)	1,271
Deferred income taxes asset (noncurrent)	18			8		(2		)	8			32
Total assets	1,770			8		2			—			1,780
Accumulated deficit	(2,726		)	8		2			—			(2,716		)
Total stockholders’ deficit	(2,664		)	8		2			—			(2,654		)

	Balance Sheet For the year ended January 30, 2010 (In millions)
	As Reported			Fixed Asset Deferred Tax Adjustment		State Deferred Tax Adjustment			Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment	Reclassification Adjustments			As Restated
Deferred income taxes asset (current)	$	45		$	—	$	(5	)	3	$	(6	)	$	37
Total current assets	1,207			—		(5		)	3	(6		)	1,199
Deferred income taxes asset (noncurrent)	1			8		—			—	12			21
Total assets	1,710			8		(5		)	3	6			1,722
Deferred income taxes liability (current)	—			—		—			—	2			2
Total current liabilities	717			—		—			—	2			719
Deferred income taxes liability (noncurrent)	—			—		—			1	4			5
Total liabilities	4,481			—		—			1	6			4,488
Accumulated deficit	(2,824		)	8		(5		)	2	—			(2,819		)
Total stockholders’ deficit	(2,771		)	8		(5		)	2	—			(2,766		)

	Balance Sheet For the year ended January 31, 2009 (In millions)
	As Reported			Fixed Asset Deferred Tax Adjustment		Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment		Reclassification Adjustments			As Restated
Deferred income taxes asset (current)	$	41		$	—	$	1	$	(3	)	$	39
Total current assets	1,049			—		1		(3		)	1,047
Deferred income taxes asset (noncurrent)	12			8		—		8			28
Total assets	1,625			8		1		5			1,639
Deferred income taxes liability (current)	—			—		0		2			2
Total current liabilities	681			—		—		2			683
Deferred income taxes liability (noncurrent)	—			—		—		3			3
Total liabilities	4,512			—		—		5			4,517
Accumulated deficit	(2,931		)	8		1					(2,922		)
Total stockholders’ deficit	(2,887		)	8		1					(2,878		)

	Balance Sheet For the year ended February 2, 2008 (In millions)
	As Reported			Fixed Asset Deferred Tax Adjustment		Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment			Reclassification Adjustments		As Restated
Deferred income taxes asset (current)	$	31		$	—	$	2		$	—	$	33
Total current assets	980			—		2			—		982
Deferred income taxes asset (noncurrent)	—			8		—			10		18
Total assets	1,614			8		2			10		1,634
Deferred income taxes liability (current)	—			—		—			4		4
Total current liabilities	679			—		—			4		683
Deferred income taxes liability (noncurrent)	4			—		(1		)	6		9
Total liabilities	4,506			—		(1		)	10		4,515
Accumulated deficit	(2,926		)	8		3			—		(2,915		)
Total stockholders’ deficit	(2,892		)	8		3			—		(2,881		)

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	Cash Flow Data Fiscal 2010 (In millions)
	As Reported			Fixed Asset Deferred Tax Adjustment			As Restated
Operating Activities:
Net income	$	98		$	5		$	103
Deferred income taxes	(23		)	(5		)	(28		)

	Cash Flow Data Fiscal 2009 (In millions)
	As Reported			Fixed Asset Deferred Tax Adjustment			Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment		As Restated
Operating Activities:
Net income	$	107		$	(5	)	1		$	103
Deferred income taxes	(4		)	5			(1	)	—

	Cash Flow Data Fiscal 2008 (In millions)
	As Reported			Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment			As Reported
Operating Activities:
Net loss	$	(5	)	$	(2	)	$	(7	)
Deferred income taxes	(24		)	2			(22		)

	Cash Flow Data Fiscal 2007 (In millions)
	As Reported			Currency Translation Deferred Tax Adjustment			As Reported
Operating Activities:
Net loss	$	(32	)	$	3		$	(29	)
Deferred income taxes	(19		)	(3		)	(22		)

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We have prepared our financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and these financial statements necessarily include some amounts that are based on our informed judgments and estimates. Our senior management has discussed the development and selection of these critical accounting estimates, and the disclosure in this section of this prospectus regarding them, with the Audit Committee of our Board. Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal years ended January 28, 2012, January 29, 2011, and January 30, 2010. Our critical accounting policies represent those policies that are subject to judgments and uncertainties. As discussed below, our financial position and results of operations may be materially different when reported under different conditions or when using different assumptions in the application of these policies. In the event estimates or assumptions prove to be different from actual amounts, adjustments are made in subsequent periods to reflect more current information. Our critical accounting policies include:

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Merchandise Inventories—Merchandise inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined using a weighted average method. Cost is calculated based upon the price paid for an item at the time it is received by us, and also includes the cost of warehousing, handling, purchasing, and importing the inventory, as well as inbound and outbound transportation, partially offset by vendor allowances. This net inventory cost is recognized through Cost of sales when the inventory is sold. It is impractical for us to assign specific allocated overhead costs and vendor allowances to individual units of inventory. As such, to match net inventory costs against the related revenues, we estimate the net inventory costs to be deferred and recognized each period as the inventory is sold.

Vendor allowances, which primarily represent volume rebates and cooperative advertising funds, are recorded as a reduction of the cost of the merchandise inventories and a subsequent reduction in Cost of sales when the inventory is sold. We generally earn vendor allowances as a percentage of certain merchandise purchases with no minimum purchase requirements. Typically, our vendor allowance programs extend for a period of 12 months. We recognized vendor allowances of $115 million, or 2.7% of Net sales, in fiscal 2011, $112 million, or 2.8% of Net sales, in fiscal 2010, and $133 million, or 3.4% of Net sales, in fiscal 2009. During the three fiscal years ended January 28, 2012, the number of vendors from which vendor allowances were received ranged from approximately 650 to 740. As a result of our increased direct import penetration, vendor allowances, as a percentage of sales, have been declining and we expect this trend to continue in future years.

We utilize perpetual inventory records to value inventory in our stores. Physical inventory counts are performed in a significant number of stores during each fiscal quarter by a third party inventory counting service. Substantially all stores open longer than one year are subject to at least one count each fiscal year. We adjust our perpetual records based on the results of the physical counts. We maintain a provision for estimated shrinkage based on the actual historical results of our physical inventories. We compare our estimates to the actual results of the physical inventory counts as they are taken and adjust the shrink estimates accordingly. A 10% change in our estimated shrinkage would have affected Net income by $1 million for fiscal 2011. We also evaluate our merchandise to ensure that the expected net realizable value of the merchandise held at the end of a fiscal period exceeds cost. In the event that the expected net realizable value is less than cost, we reduce the value of that inventory accordingly. A 10% change in our inventory valuation reserve would have affected Net income by $1 million for fiscal 2011.

Goodwill—We review goodwill for impairment each year in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if required. Beginning in fiscal 2011, in conducting our impairment review, we elect to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not (that is, a likelihood of more than 50 percent) the fair value of our reporting unit is less than its carrying value. Factors used in our qualitative assessment include, but are not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall financial performance, company and reporting unit specific events, and the margin between the fair value and carrying value of each reporting unit in recent valuations.

If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances such as those described above, we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount, no further action is required. If we determine that it is more likely than not that the fair value of our reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, we will compare each reporting unit’s carrying value to its estimated fair value, determined through estimated discounted future cash flows and market-based methodologies. If the carrying value exceeds the estimated fair value, we determine the fair value of all assets and liabilities of the reporting unit, including the implied fair value of goodwill. If the carrying value of goodwill exceeds the implied fair value, we recognize an impairment charge equal to the difference.

Factors used in the valuation of goodwill include, but are not limited to, management’s plans for future operations, recent operating results and discounted projected future cash flows. Material assumptions used in our impairment analysis include the weighted average cost of capital percentage, terminal growth rate and forecasted long-term sales growth. During fiscal 2011, fiscal 2010, and fiscal 2009, there was no impairment charge taken on our goodwill.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets—We evaluate long-lived assets, other than goodwill and assets with indefinite lives, for indicators of impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Additionally, for store assets, we evaluate the performance of individual stores for indicators of impairment and underperforming stores are selected for further evaluation of the recoverability of the carrying amounts. The evaluation of long-lived assets is performed at the lowest level of identifiable cash flows, which is at the individual store level.

Our evaluation requires consideration of a number of factors including changes in consumer demographics and uncertain future events. Accordingly, our accounting estimates may change from period to period. These factors could cause management to conclude that impairment indicators exist and require that tests be performed, which could result in a determination that the value of long-lived assets is impaired, resulting in a writedown to fair value.

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Our initial indicator that store assets are considered to be recoverable is that the estimated undiscounted cash flows for the remaining lease term, assuming zero growth over current year store performance, exceed the carrying value of the assets. This evaluation is performed on stores open longer than 36 months (unless significant impairment indicators exist), as we consider a store to become mature after that time period. Any stores that do not meet the initial criteria are further evaluated taking into consideration the estimated undiscounted store-specific cash flows for the remaining lease term compared to the carrying value of the assets. To estimate store-specific future cash flows, management must make assumptions about key store variables, including sales, growth rate, gross margin, payroll and other controllable expenses. Furthermore, management considers other factors when evaluating stores for impairment, including the individual store’s execution of its operating plan and other local market conditions.

An impairment is recognized once all the factors noted above are taken into consideration and it is determined that the carrying amount of the store’s assets are not recoverable. The impairment is based on estimated fair value of the assets, excluding assets that can be redeployed. We recorded an impairment charge, net of tax, of less than $1 million in each of fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, and $2 million in fiscal 2009. In addition to recording impairment charges on certain stores based on the previously discussed criteria, we maintain a list of stores we consider at risk and monitor those stores closely. As of January 28, 2012, we had one store we considered at risk for impairment with a minimal carrying value of assets.

Reserve for Closed Facilities—We maintain a reserve for future rental obligations, carrying costs, and other closing costs related to closed facilities, primarily closed and relocated stores. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 420, Exit or Disposal Cost Obligations, we recognize exit costs for any store closures at the time the store is closed. Such costs are recorded within the Cost of sales and occupancy expense line item on our Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The cost of closing a store or facility is calculated as the lesser of the present value of future rental obligations remaining under the lease (less estimated sublease rental income) or the lease termination fee. The determination of the reserves is dependent on our ability to make reasonable estimates of costs to be incurred post-closure and of rental income to be received from subleases. In planning our store closures, we try to time our exits as close to the lease termination date as possible to minimize any remaining lease obligation. As of January 28, 2012 our reserve for closed facilities was $9 million. The reserves could differ materially if market conditions were to vary significantly from our assumptions.

Self-Insurance—We have insurance coverage for losses in excess of self-insurance limits for medical liability, general liability and workers’ compensation claims. Health care reserves are based on actual claims experience and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. Reserves for general liability and workers’ compensation are determined through the use of actuarial studies. Due to the significant judgments and estimates utilized for determining these reserves, they are subject to a high degree of variability. In the event our insurance carriers are unable to pay claims submitted to them, we would record a liability for such estimated payments we expect to incur. A 10% change in our self-insurance liability would have affected Net income by approximately $4 million for fiscal 2011.

Revenue Recognition—Revenue from sales of our merchandise is recognized when the customer takes possession of the merchandise. Revenue is presented net of sales taxes collected. Sales related to custom framing are deferred until the order is picked up by the customer, which we estimate based on historical customer behavior. We deferred 13 days of custom framing revenue at the end of fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009. A one day change in our custom frame deferral would have had a minimal impact on our fiscal 2011 Net income. As of January 28, 2012 and January 29, 2011, our deferred framing revenue was approximately $10 million.

We allow for merchandise to be returned under most circumstances and provide a reserve for estimated returns. We use historical customer return behavior to estimate our reserve requirements. As of January 28, 2012 and January 29, 2011, our sales returns reserve was approximately $3 million.

We record a gift card liability on the date we issue the gift card to the customer. We record revenue and reduce the gift card liability as the customer redeems the gift card. The deferred revenue associated with outstanding gift cards increased $4 million from $26 million at January 29, 2011, to $30 million as of January 28, 2012. We escheat the value of unredeemed gift cards where required by law. Any remaining liabilities not subject to escheatment are evaluated to determine whether the likelihood of the gift card being redeemed is remote (gift card breakage). We recognize gift card breakage as revenue, by applying our estimate of the rate of gift card breakage over the period of estimated performance. Our estimates of the gift card breakage rate are applied to the estimated amount of gift cards that are expected to go unused and that are not subject to escheatment, and such estimates are based on customers’ historical redemption rates and patterns. We do not believe there is a reasonable likelihood that there will be a material change in the future estimates or assumptions we use to recognize income related to unredeemed gift cards. However, if actual results are not consistent with our assumptions, we may record additional income or expense.

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Share-Based Compensation Expenses—ASC 718, Stock Compensation, requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the financial statements, based on their grant date fair value, ratably recognized as an expense over the requisite service period. We estimate the fair value of stock option awards using a Black-Scholes option value model.

All grants of our stock options have an exercise price equal to or greater than the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Because we were privately held in fiscal 2011 and there was no public market for our common stock, the fair value of our equity was estimated by a third party valuation firm and approved by our Board at the time option grants are awarded. In estimating the fair value of our common stock, the Board considers factors it believes are material to the valuation process including the Company’s actual and projected financial results, the principal amount of the Company’s indebtedness and formal valuations of the Company. In fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, valuations completed relied on projections of our future performance, estimates of our weighted average cost of capital, and metrics based on the performance of a peer group of similar companies, including valuation multiples and stock price volatility. However, due to the economic deterioration that occurred during fiscal 2008, the traditional approaches outlined above did not yield an answer that was considered to be representative of the fair value of the Company’s equity. Accordingly, as of the end of fiscal 2009, the Company completed a valuation based on a Black-Scholes option model, which utilized the fair value of the Company’s assets, the book value of the Company’s debt, an estimated time to a liquidity event, the asset volatility of a peer group of companies and the risk free rate. In future valuations, we will consider traditional approaches and, to the extent necessary, the Black-Scholes option model for valuing our common stock.

From January 29, 2011 to January 28, 2012, the estimated fair value of common stock increased from $15.22 to $24.09 per share. The price per share increased over the period primarily due to the following factors: reduction in the amount of our outstanding debt, improved Adjusted EBITDA and revenue performance, improved market multiples of our peer companies, decline in our weighted average cost of capital, and greater clarity regarding the likelihood and timing of our initial public offering and the resulting liquidity of our common stock.

Other assumptions used in the option value models for estimating the fair value of stock option awards include expected volatility of our common stock share price, expected terms of the options, expected dividends, and forfeitures. The expected volatility rate is based on both historical volatility as well as implied volatilities from the exchange-traded options on the common stock of a peer group of companies. We utilize historical exercise and post-vesting employment behavior to estimate the expected terms of the options and do not use a dividend rate assumption. Our forfeitures assumption was estimated based on historical experience and anticipated events. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yields of U.S. Treasury instruments with approximately the same term as the expected life of the stock option award. We update our assumptions regularly based on historical trends and current market observations.

As of January 28, 2012, compensation cost not yet recognized related to nonvested awards totaled $13 million and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.9 years. In the event of a Change in Control (as defined in the Stockholders Agreement), all nonvested awards will vest and the $13 million would be immediately recognized. A 10% change in the fair value of stock option awards granted in fiscal 2011 would have had an immaterial impact on our fiscal 2011 Net income and compensation cost not yet recognized.

Income Taxes—We record income tax expense using the liability method for taxes and are subject to income tax in many jurisdictions, including the U.S., various states and localities, and Canada. A current tax liability or asset is recognized for the estimated taxes payable or refundable on the tax returns for the current year and a deferred tax liability or asset is recognized for the estimated future tax effects attributable to temporary differences and carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted income tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates is recognized as income or expense in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets unless it is more likely than not that such assets will be realized. In evaluating our ability to realize our deferred tax asset, we considered the following sources of future taxable income:

·future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences

·future taxable income, exclusive of reversing temporary differences and carryforwards

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·taxable income in prior carryback years

·tax-planning strategies

Our evaluation regarding whether a valuation allowance is required or should be adjusted also considers, among other things, the nature, frequency, and severity of recent losses, forecasts of future profitability and the duration of statutory carryforward periods. Our forecasts of future profitability represents our best estimate of these future events. After conducting this assessment, the valuation allowance recorded against our deferred tax assets was $14 million and $15 million as of January 28, 2012 and January 29, 2011, respectively. If actual results differ from estimated results, or if we adjust these assumptions in the future, we may need to adjust our deferred tax assets or liabilities, which could impact our effective tax rate.

The amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits in the taxing jurisdictions in which we operate. During these audits, the taxing authorities may challenge items on our tax returns. Because the tax matters challenged by tax authorities are typically complex, the ultimate outcome of these challenges is uncertain. We recognize tax benefits for uncertain positions only to the extent that we believe it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained. Our future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to our unrecognized tax benefits due to closure of income tax audits, new regulatory or judicial pronouncements, or other relevant events. As a result, our effective tax rate may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly and annual basis.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth the percentage relationship to Net sales of each line item of our unaudited consolidated statements of operations. This table should be read in conjunction with the following discussion and with our Consolidated Financial Statements, including the related notes, contained herein.

	Nine Months Ended
	October 27, 2012		October 29, 2011
Net sales	100.0	%	100.0	%
Cost of sales and occupancy expense	60.0		60.0
Gross profit	40.0		40.0
Selling, general, and administrative expense	27.4		27.6
Related party expenses	0.3		0.4
Store pre-opening costs	0.2		0.1
Operating income	12.1		11.9
Interest expense	6.5		6.7
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	0.1		0.6
Other (income) and expense, net	—		0.1
Income before income taxes	5.5		4.5
Provision for income taxes	2.0		1.7
Net income	3.5	%	2.8	%

The following table sets forth the percentage relationship to Net sales of each line item of our Consolidated Statements of Operations. This table should be read in conjunction with the following discussion and with our consolidated financial statements, including the related notes, contained herein.

	Fiscal Year
	2011		2010		2009
Net sales	100.0	%	100.0	%	100.0	%
Cost of sales and occupancy expense	60.0		61.2		62.3
Gross profit	40.0		38.8		37.7
Selling, general, and administrative expense	26.1		26.3		27.1
Related party expenses	0.3		0.3		0.4
Store pre-opening costs	0.1		0.1		0.1
Operating income	13.5		12.1		10.1
Interest expense	6.0		6.8		6.6
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	0.4		1.3		—
Other (income) and expense, net	0.2		0.2		(0.4	)
Income before income taxes	6.9		3.8		3.9
Provision for income taxes	2.7		1.2		1.3
Net income	4.2	%	2.6	%	2.6	%

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Nine Months Ended October 27, 2012 Compared to the Nine Months Ended October 29, 2011

Net Sales—Net sales increased for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 by $78 million, or 2.8%, over the first nine months of fiscal 2011 due in part to a $38 million increase in comparable store sales. Comparable store sales increased 1.4% due to an increase in customer transactions. We experienced our strongest sales increase for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 in decorative art within our general and children’s crafts department. In addition, sales from our non-comparable stores provided incremental revenue of $40 million.

Cost of Sales and Occupancy Expense—Cost of sales and occupancy expense increased $47 million to $1,730 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 from $1,683 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2011 due primarily to a $19 million increase in merchandise costs associated with higher sales, an $8 million increase in freight and distribution costs, and $4 million of favorable shrink experience in the first nine months of fiscal 2011 compared to more normal levels in the first nine months of fiscal 2012. In addition, we had a $4 million increase from the recognition of vendor allowances compared to prior year and a $9 million increase from new store rent and related expenses.

Cost of sales and occupancy expense for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 was consistent with last year as a percentage of Net sales at 60.0%. Merchandise cost decreased 60 basis points driven by our direct import and private brand initiatives, as well as improved pricing and promotion management. This was partially offset by a 30 basis point increase in freight and distribution costs and a 20 basis point increase from the recognition of vendor allowances.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expense—Selling, general and administrative expense was $790 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to $774 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2011. Selling, general and administrative expense increased $16 million driven by $14 million of incremental store costs for operating 36 additional Michaels stores. In addition, we had a $6 million increase in store payroll from a higher average hourly wage rate and a $3 million increase in group insurance claims. Finally, workers compensation expense increased $2 million due to favorable claims experience in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 and payroll tax increased $2 million from an increase in unemployment insurance rates compared to last year. These amounts were partially offset by a $12 million decrease in bonus expense due to a lower anticipated payout recognized during the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2011.

As a percentage of Net sales, Selling, general and administrative expense decreased 20 basis points due to a 50 basis point decrease in bonus expense from the lower anticipated payout recognized during the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2011, partially offset by a 20 basis point increase in store payroll as discussed above.

Related Party Expenses—Related party expenses were $10 million for the first nine months of each of fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011, consisting of management fees and associated expenses paid to our Sponsors and Highfields Capital Management, LP.

Interest Expense—Interest expense decreased $1 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to the first nine months of 2011 due to a $143 million reduction in our total debt outstanding, partially offset by a higher average interest rate associated with our amended Senior Secured Term Loan Facility.

Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt—During the first nine months of fiscal 2012, we recorded a loss on the early extinguishment of debt of $3 million, consisting of $2 million to write off debt issuance costs related to our Restated Revolving Credit Facilty and $1 million to write off debt issuance costs associated with the partial prepayment of our B-1 Term Loans. See Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for further discussion. During the first nine months of fiscal 2011, we recorded a loss of $16 million related to the early extinguishment of $142 million face value, or $134 million accreted value, of our 13% Subordinated Discount Notes. The $16 million loss is comprised of $10 million to recognize the unrealized interest accretion and write off of related debt issuance costs, as well as $6 million of purchase premiums.

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Other (Income) and Expense, net—Other income for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 is related to foreign exchange transaction gains. Other expense for the first nine months of fiscal 2011 is related to a $4 million unfavorable change in the fair value of our interest rate cap.

Provision for Income Taxes—The effective tax rate was 36.3% for the first nine months of fiscal 2012. The effective tax rate was 37.8% for the first nine months of fiscal 2011. The rate was lower than the prior year nine month tax rate due primarily to a favorable impact related to discrete items. We currently estimate our annualized effective tax rate for fiscal 2012 to be 37.1%.

Fiscal 2011 Compared to Fiscal 2010

Net Sales—Net sales increased for fiscal 2011 by $179 million, or 4.4%, over fiscal 2010 due primarily to a $128 million increase in comparable store sales. Comparable store sales increased 3.2% driven by an increase in transactions of 2.0% and an increase in the average ticket of 1.2%. The fluctuation in the exchange rates between the U.S. and Canadian dollars positively impacted the average ticket by 20 basis points. Comparable store sales growth was strongest in our bakeware, ribbon, and yarn categories. In addition, sales from our non-comparable new stores provided incremental revenue of $51 million.

Cost of Sales and Occupancy Expense—Cost of sales and occupancy expense increased $59 million to $2,526 million in fiscal 2011 from $2,467 million in fiscal 2010 due primarily to a $50 million increase in merchandise costs associated with higher sales and an $11 million increase in freight and distribution costs. In addition, occupancy costs increased $24 million, including $7 million from new stores opened in fiscal 2011. These amounts were partially offset by a $16 million reduction from improved inventory management and $8 million from improved efficiencies in our vertically integrated framing operation.

Cost of sales and occupancy expense decreased 120 basis points, as a percentage of Net sales, to 60.0% in fiscal 2011 from 61.2% in fiscal 2010. Merchandise cost decreased 90 basis points driven by our direct import penetration, private brand initiative, and improved pricing and promotion management, while increased focus on inventory management contributed an additional 50 basis points to the reduction in cost of sales; these initiatives more than offset the impact of increases in inflation during the period. These improvements were partially offset by a 30 basis point increase from the recognition of freight and distribution costs.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expense—Selling, general and administrative expense was $1,098 million in fiscal 2011 compared to $1,059 million in fiscal 2010. Selling, general and administrative expense increased $39 million driven by an $11 million increase in payroll from existing stores, including $3 million of one-time training cost related to our new store labor model. In addition, we had $9 million in costs for new stores opened in fiscal 2011 and a $6 million increase from a full year of expense for stores opened in fiscal 2010. Finally, advertising increased $11 million from digital and targeted marketing campaigns that did not occur last year. As a percentage of Net sales, Selling, general and administrative expense decreased 20 basis points due to increased leverage of payroll and benefits from higher comparable store sales.

Related Party Expenses—Related party expenses were $13 million and $14 million for fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, respectively, consisting of management fees and associated expenses paid to our Sponsors and Highfields.

Interest Expense—Interest expense decreased from $276 million in fiscal 2010 to $254 million in fiscal 2011, as a result of a lower average interest rate and a $178 million reduction in our total debt outstanding.

Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt—We recorded a loss of $18 million related to the early extinguishment of $163 million face value, or $155 million accreted value, of our 13% Subordinated Discount Notes during fiscal 2011 and $7 million face value of our 113/8% Senior Subordinated Notes. The $18 million loss is comprised of $11 million to recognize the unrealized interest accretion and the write off of related debt issuance costs, as well as $7 million of purchase premiums. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal years ended January 28, 2012, January 29, 2011, and January 30, 2010 for further discussion. During fiscal 2010, we recorded a loss of $53 million related to the early extinguishment of our 2014 Senior Notes. The $53 million loss was comprised of $41 million of tender and call premiums and $12 million to write off the remaining unamortized debt issuance costs.

Other (Income) and Expense, Net—Other expense for fiscal 2011 is related to a $5 million unfavorable change in the fair value of the interest rate cap, as more fully described in Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal years ended January 28, 2012, January 29, 2011, and January 30, 2010, and $4 million in foreign exchange rate losses. Other expense for fiscal 2010 related to a $12 million loss in the fair value of the interest rate cap, partially offset by $2 million of foreign exchange rate gains.

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Provision for Income Taxes—The effective tax rate for fiscal 2011 was 38.8%. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2010 was 30.9%. The rate was lower than the federal tax rate due primarily to favorable impacts of 2.8% from audit settlements with taxing authorities, 1.1% from federal manufacturing deductions and 1.1% from our ability to utilize federal tax credits.

Fiscal 2010 Compared to Fiscal 2009

Net Sales—Net sales increased for fiscal 2010 by $143 million, or 3.7%, from fiscal 2009 due primarily to a $96 million increase in comparable store sales. Comparable store sales increased 2.5% due to an increase in customer transactions of 1.3% and an increase in the average ticket of 1.2%. The fluctuation in the exchange rates between the U.S. and Canadian dollars positively impacted the average ticket by 70 basis points. Comparable store sales growth was strongest in our bakeware, kid’s crafts, and custom framing categories. In addition, sales from our non-comparable new stores provided incremental revenue of $47 million.

Cost of Sales and Occupancy Expense—Cost of sales and occupancy expense increased $44 million to $2,467 million from $2,423 million in fiscal 2009 as a result of the 2.5% increase in comparable store sales and an increase in sales from non-comparable new stores. Cost of sales and occupancy expense decreased 110 basis points as a percentage of Net sales. Merchandise costs, as a percentage of Net sales, improved 60 basis points driven by our direct import initiative and improved pricing and promotion management; these initiatives more than offset the impact of increases in inflation during the period. In addition, occupancy costs decreased 50 basis points due in part to 30 basis points of increased leverage on higher comparable store sales. Further, continued focus on cost management and lower occupancy amortization, due to reduced capital expenditures in recent years, each contributed a 10 basis point reduction to occupancy expense.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense—Selling, general and administrative expense was $1,059 million, or 26.3% of Net sales, in fiscal 2010 compared to $1,052 million, or 27.1% of Net sales, in fiscal 2009. Selling, general and administrative expense increased $7 million driven by a $16 million increase in store costs related to operating 22 additional Michaels Stores during the year, as well as a $5 million increase in advertising expense. These amounts were partially offset by a $7 million decrease in group insurance due to careful cost management and a $6 million decrease in depreciation expense as a result of lower capital expenditures over the last several years. As a percentage of Net sales, Selling, general and administrative expense decreased 80 basis points due to increased payroll leverage of 30 basis points on higher comparable store sales and a 20 basis point decrease in both group insurance and depreciation expense for the reasons indicated above.

Related Party Expenses—Related party expenses were $14 million for each of fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2009, consisting of management fees and associated expenses paid to our Sponsors and Highfields.

Interest Expense—Interest expense increased from $257 million in fiscal 2009 to $276 million in fiscal 2010, as a result of increased interest rates associated with our amended credit facilities.

Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt—We recorded a loss of $53 million related to the early extinguishment of our 2014 Senior Notes during fiscal 2010. The $53 million loss is comprised of $41 million of tender and call premiums and $12 million to write off the remaining unamortized debt issuance costs. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the fiscal years ended January 28, 2012, January 29, 2011, and January 30, 2010 for further discussion.

Other (Income) and Expense, Net—Other expense for fiscal 2010 related to a $12 million loss in the fair value of the interest rate cap, partially offset by $2 million of foreign exchange rate gains. Other income for fiscal 2009 related primarily to a $10 million gain in the fair value of the interest rate cap and $5 million of foreign exchange rate gains.

Provision for Income Taxes—The effective tax rate for fiscal 2010 was 30.9%. The rate was lower than the federal tax rate due primarily to favorable impacts of 2.8% from audit settlements with taxing authorities, 1.1% from federal manufacturing deductions and 1.1% from our ability to utilize federal tax credits. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2009 of 34.4% was lower than the federal tax rate due primarily to favorable impacts of 2.0% from the ability to utilize tax credits, which had been limited in prior years, and 0.9% of tax return to provision adjustments.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

We require cash principally for day-to-day operations, to finance capital investments, to purchase inventory, to service our outstanding debt, and for seasonal working capital needs. We expect that our available cash, cash flow generated from operating activities, and funds available under our Restated Revolving Credit Facility will be sufficient to fund planned capital expenditures, working capital requirements, debt repayments, debt service requirements and anticipated growth for the foreseeable future. Our ability to satisfy our liquidity needs and continue to refinance or reduce debt could be adversely affected by the occurrence of any of the events described under “Risk Factors” or our failure to meet our debt covenants as described in “—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash Flow from Financing Activities.”

To finance the Merger, we issued the 2014 Senior Notes, Senior Subordinated Notes and Subordinated Discount Notes and executed a Senior Secured Term Loan Facility and a senior secured asset-based Revolving Credit Facility. Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk, and prevent us from meeting our obligations. Management reacts strategically to changes in economic conditions and monitors compliance with debt covenants to seek to mitigate any potential material impacts to our financial condition and flexibility.

The Company intends to use excess operating cash flows to repay portions or to extend the terms of its indebtedness, depending on market conditions and growth opportunities. If the Company uses its excess cash flows to repay its debt, it will reduce the amount of excess cash available for additional capital expenditures, and if the Company extends the terms of the Notes, it will continue to be required to use cash for interest and obligatory debt payments.

As of October 27, 2012, $292 million and $1,495 million of our Senior Secured Term Loan Facility are scheduled to mature in October 2013 and July 2016, respectively. In addition, as of October 27, 2012, an aggregate principal amount of $573 million of our Senior Subordinated Notes and Subordinated Discount Notes was scheduled to mature in November 2016. On November 1, 2012, we redeemed our outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes with borrowings made under our Restated Revolving Credit Facility for an aggregate redemption price (including the applicable redemption premium and accrued and unpaid interest) of $199 million.  The senior notes mature in 2018. Although no assurance can be given, depending on market conditions and other factors, we plan to repay or refinance such indebtedness prior to maturity.

We, and our subsidiaries, may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and the indentures governing our senior notes and Senior Subordinated Notes. If new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks we now face could intensify.

Our Restated Revolving Credit Facility provides senior secured financing of up to $650 million, subject to a borrowing base. We had $3,368 million of indebtedness outstanding at October 27, 2012, of which approximately $1,787 million was subject to variable interest rates and $1,581 million was subject to fixed interest rates.As of October 27, 2012, our Restated Revolving Credit Facility provided for an aggregate amount of $650 million in commitments, subject to a borrowing base, which supported $61 million of outstanding standby letters of credit and provided $589 million of unused borrowing capacity. On November 1, 2012, we borrowed $216 million under the Restated Revolving Credit Facility to fund the redemption of our outstanding Subordinated Discount Notes and other working capital needs, resulting in $373 million of unused borrowing capacity thereunder as of such date. Our cash and equivalents decreased $210 million from $371 million at January 28, 2012, to $161 million at October 27, 2012. Our cash and equivalents increased $52 million from $319 million at the end of fiscal 2010 to $371 million at the end of fiscal 2011.

We and our subsidiaries, affiliates, and significant stockholders may from time to time seek to retire or purchase our outstanding debt (including publicly issued debt) through cash purchases and/or exchanges, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, by tender offer or otherwise. Such repurchases or exchanges, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors.

Cash Flow from Operating Activities

Cash flow provided by operating activities during the first nine months of fiscal 2012 was $16 million compared to $99 million during the first nine months of fiscal 2011. The $83 million change was primarily due to a $43 million decrease from the timing of inventory purchases and a $35 million decrease in non-cash accretion as our Subordinated Discount Notes were fully accreted as of November 1, 2011. In addition, we had a $13 million decrease from the timing of accounts payable and a $15 million decrease related to accrued bonus expense. The decrease in accrued bonus expense was due to a lower anticipated payout recognized during the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2011.

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These amounts were partially offset by an increase of $20 million from the timing of interest payments and a $10 million increase in Net income before the consideration of the $3 million and $16 million loss on the early extinguishment of debt for the first nine months of fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2011, respectively.

Average inventory per Michaels store (including supporting distribution centers) increased 2.4% from $922,000 at October 29, 2011 to $944,000 at October 27, 2012 primarily due to lower than expected sales during the first nine months of fiscal 2012, as well as strategic purchases for our peak selling season.

Cash flow provided by operating activities in fiscal 2011 was $413 million compared to $438 million in fiscal 2010. The $25 million change was primarily due to a $61 million decrease from the timing of inventory purchases and a $44 million decrease as a result of the timing of sales and income tax payments. Average inventory per Michaels store (including supporting distribution centers) was $757,000, down from last year’s balance of $758,000. In addition, non-cash accretion decreased $15 million due to the repurchases of $163 million face value, or $155 million accreted value, of our Subordinated Discount Notes as well as the Subordinated Discount Notes being fully accreted as of November 1, 2011. These decreases were partially offset by a $60 million increase in Deferred income taxes and an increase in Net income of $38 million before the consideration of the $18 million and $53 million loss on the early extinguishment of debt in fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010, respectively.

Cash Flow from Investing Activities

Cash flow used in investing activities represents the following capital expenditures:

	Fiscal Year						Nine Months Ended
							October 27,		October 29,
(In millions)	2011		2010		2009		2012		2011
New and relocated stores and stores not yet opened(1)	$	28	$	23	$	14	$	31	$	23
Existing stores	25		24		13		19		19
Information systems(2)	45