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.  

Shopping online or your local small business?

I own a small business and I shop online.  I support the 3/50 project with my business and in practice with several small local businesses and I shop online.  I am an Amazon quick fix junkie for some things.  I can have a quick shopping fix right from my desk or my favorite chair if I choose.  I know.  It’s a problem.  Sometimes it’s a budgetary problem.  Sometimes it’s an “I live in rural America and this thing isn’t available here” problem.  I’d rather this item of the moment was available at my local department store, but it’s a specialty item.

When I work on a project, I love the touch and feel the craft materials I use.  I have not had success choosing materials from a catalog or an online site because I am so tactile and sensory about the process.  If I order something crafty, when the desired item arrives it’s the wrong color, the wrong size, and the wrong shape.  It goes to a dusty shelf and I reorder or try something else. 

When I travel with the family, we specifically search out yarn and fiber shops.  I gather their addresses in advance on Google, KnitMap or SweaterBabe.  I plan out the time to visit.  My family usually goes for ice cream after they drop me off at the LYS.  It’s a long adventure and they know it.  And I get something there that I cannot get at home in my favorite chair.  I pick out a random skein of beautiful yarn or a shop pattern.  I have a nice chat with someone who lives in another part of the country.  They usually don’t know that I own a yarn shop because I don’t share that.  I am seeing what other yarn shops feel like and that is best done incognito.  I want to know the atmosphere and character of the shops I visit.  I soak it in because each shop has a different feel.  And I write down something interesting about each one.  I look for ideas that I can take home and that are worth using another time.  You can’t get that on Amazon. 

A new video!