Tribe

The people who visit make my shop hum.  They are the life blood of the place.  They are some of the most creative, loving, fabulous humans in our community.  It's one thing to start a business to make money.  It's quite another to develop a group, a community, or a tribe.  These folks are a tribe.  They come from vastly different backgrounds and perspectives.  They have vastly different skills and materials preferences.  But they love and support one another through thick and thin.

It's one of the unintended consequences.  Who sets out to form a tribe?

A little more than a year ago, we almost lost a member of the tribe.  She broke into a bazillion little pieces but somehow managed to survive.  This pic is one of her first times back in the shop.  Feel the joy in this pic.  There were a few tears that night and a lot more laughter.  Her best friends pulled off a massive surprise that night and found a way to bring her sister in from California.  A surprise party from the tribe converged at the shop. 

The past year has seen the tribe change and stretch and grow.  Two members moved, a beloved parent died, pipes froze, serious illnesses were endured, children were born, teens rebelled, and lovers left.  The tribe listened to it all and provided support in the most loving of ways. 

May you all have a tribe like this.

Pinterest

Our shop has a Pinterest Page!

I have added patterns for yarn, consigning ideas and loads of other goodies that will spark ideas for you and your family.  Go check it out.

1st Annual Gumball Sale

1st Annual Gumball Sale
Friday and Saturday June 19-20
10 AM - 6:00 PM

We want to invite you all to our 1st Annual Gumball Sale! 
This is your chance to grab some big savings! This two-day sale will be on June 19-20 10 AM-6 PM

Grab your savings by taking a turn at the gumball machine! The available gumballs will range from 15% to 50% off! 

There are a few rules:

Only one gumball per customer.
You must select everything you would like to purchase before selecting your gumball. Selecting your gumball is the last step prior to payment. NO ADDING TO YOUR PURCHASE, NO SUBTRACTING.

Minimum discount is 15%, maximum discount possible is 50%.

ONLY ONE REWARD REDEMPTION PER PURCHASE ON GUMBALL SALE DAY, please.

#juliayarnshoppe  #creativity  #yarn

Bigger, Better, Beautimous!

The new shop is coming together and we are enjoying all of the extra space to fill with new yarn and more colors.  Come by and visit us soon.

And in the next chapter....

I was a little emotional last night as I locked up.  It is the last time this shop will look like this.  Friday afternoon Stacy will begin to pack up all of the yarn and shrink wrap all the spinners.  She thinks it can be done in 2 days.  I am not sure you can pack up all the stuff in this space in 2 days.  It took 4 years to get this way.  It is a lot of stuff.  There is a ton of yarn, tools, kits, and fiber.  The memories are here too.  In my wildest imaginings, I didn't see this coming.  This was supposed to be a career plan and a business move but it has become a destination and a series.  People hang out here when they can.  We have a cast of regulars and guest stars.  We have a background music and laughter that is not canned. 

The same people that hang out here are helping the shop to move.  I am truly appreciative of that.  It is enormous.  In our new space, we will have more room for more people and creative energy.  We have room for more yarn and fiber and tools.   We will have the same laughter and vibe in the little shop just more of it.  See you in the new space soon.  

StitchBox!

Every month you can have a box of yummy yarn and notions delivered right to your door.  We look for the most wonderful, yummy yarns and send them right to our most special shoppers.  Order yours on our facebook page or through the website.

Moving Day Preps

Preparing to move a shop requires a lot of planning and a fair amount of time.
We don't have any of that.
The landlord wants us in the new unit by May 3.
 A process that I thought we could ease into over two or three months just got compressed into two weeks and change.

I began with a scaled drawing of the new space and put everything in it's place in the new space.  That will help all of our helpers to quickly move things into place.  Thank goodness we have a lot of helpers.  Today the new racks arrived for the consignment part of the shop and there is no room in the old shop for them to sit.  A neighboring business offered to keep them sheltered for a week until we get going in the new space.  A crew of about 8 women will be loading up the yarn and moving it all 2 doors down to it's new spot.

Tonight I make the list of all the vendors who need our new contact information, the utilities that need to be notified and the government agencies that will also need to know.  I hope to send out a form letter with everything essential on it.

I surely hope we get some consignors interested in the new venture quickly so that this new space fills up.  Otherwise we will have lots of pretty yarn in a big echo chamber filled with happy knitters.  We need more stuff to fill this space.

It's about to happen.  We are moving sooner than expected and it might be the most stressful thing ever.  I haven't moved my house in over 30 years and now I have to move the inventory of this lovely shop 2 doors down to the south.  Fortunately, there are lots of lovely people who have offered ideas and support and the muscle to pull this job off.  We will be able to offer lots more yarn, more classes and more services in this new area.  It is almost twice as big as the current spot and it will have decent restrooms too.  Renovating anything takes time and patience, so this will be done in phases.  Please bear with us as we create a lovely space for creative people.

A Rainbow of Pediboo

One of the most popular yarns in the shop is Frog Tree Pediboo in sport weight.  Pediboo is a supersoft combination of wool and bamboo that is great for socks, scarves, shawls and anything that needs to be bright and comfortable next to the skin.  The solid colors hold up well to regular wear and washings. Each 100 gram skein has 255 yards to work with.

Favorite Colors

When you think about color, what is the first one to come to mind? 

What is your very favorite color?

Has your favorite color changed over time?

Color is a personal thing.  Favorite colors and least favorite colors say a lot about a person.  Choosing a yarn color to work with over a long period of time to make a sweater or a pair of socks becomes a joyful activity or a trudging one depending on the color and the texture of the yarn.  

Color controls your driving, influences your buying habits and changes your mood.   

Red, is action oriented and sensory.  Always on the go.

Orange is social, likes to be part of a group and loves physical and mental challenges.

Yellow is logical and orderly, full of new ideas.

Green is acceptance, acknowledgement and belonging.

Blue is for a deep need to find inner peace and truth, to live their life according to their ideals and beliefs

Indigo lovers have a need to feel in harmony and at one with the Universe and to be accepted by others.

Purple or violet is for a deep need for emotional security and to create order and perfection in all areas of your life, including your spiritual life.

Pink is for a deep need to be accepted and loved unconditionally.

Turquoise is for emotional balance in your life, hopes and dreams and living by your own terms.

Magenta, is a non-conformist who sees life from a different point of view.

Brown is for a deep need for a safe, secure, simple and comfortable existence.

Black is a need for power and control

White is for  simplicity in your own life, independence and self-reliance.

Gray is a middle of the road type, cool, conserved, composed and reliable.

Silver is for intuitive and insightful and have a strong connection with a higher spiritual guidance.

  

Gold is charisma, personality and individuality.

StitchBox!

Surprises that come in the mail are great!  Some people even send themselves surprises in the mail just to get that little thrill that comes from the mystery box that suddenly appears.  I am talking about those subscription boxes that are all the rage right now.  You can find subscription boxes for snack foods, doggy toys, wine, cheese, and yarn too.  Yarny surprises delivered right to your door with patterns and needles and sometimes even a goody or two.  It's the best fun.

We have a subscription box at the shop now that is getting rave reviews from the regulars.  It is top secret until they are mailed out and then everyone is excited to share what they got.  They leave comments on the facebook page or email the shop to share how exciting the box was.  The secret to each box is that it has items that are not in the shop yet.  It is filled with new colors of yarn or new lines of yarn,  needles, notions and who knows what else.  The items in the box are a lot less than you would generally pay for those same items in a store.  That is another plus for subscription boxes.  You can count on getting deal with most of these boxes.

Try out a surprise for yourself this month.  Pinterest has loads of subscription box posts.  Find a box that interests you and try out something new this month.

Here's a link to our offering this month : http://www.juliayarnshoppe.com/