Happy New Years to everyone from all of us at America’s Knitting!
This post is a little book keeping blog post for the most part. I do this every year and most people find it interesting, so here we go. 2014 started out with 1,314 yarn shops…as of December 31st, 2014 or this morning of January 1, 2015, we now have 1,177 yarn shop across the nation. We are down 137 yarn shops.
WHY America’s Knitting? Well, I keep track of the numbers….the number of shops that open, the number of shops that close, and where the surviving yarn shops move to. Somebodies got to do it and I have a close fondness for yarn shops. WHY you ask? Well, I had a brick & mortar kitchen & bath business for 20 years. I know what is involved in running, owning and operating a store that is open to the public and being part of your community where you live. Believe me, it’s important in more ways than one. I want a complete list of shops in the country that is up to date in real time that knitters and crocheters can count on. People travel for work, family obligation, pleasure and they also relocate. Our website is designed to work well with smart phones too.
These shop owners know the commitment of hours open. They know that they can’t be there all the time. They have families, dentist appointments, doctor appointments, kids at home that are in school, husbands that have careers, a house that doesn’t clean itself, errands that have to be run, and a store that people count on. Yep, they are human and sometimes they don’t feel well or are in a bad mood. Life happens to these shop owners too – they have pets just like you that need to be house broken or pass away.
It’s so easy to order on Etsy for those stitch markers or buy your needles on Amazon. The catalog at Knit Picks is tempting when it’s dropped into your mailbox or Patternworks. But, at the end of the day all of these sales add up and help these small businesses directly, they help employ people too. Get to know your local yarn shop and give them a try – see what they have “in store” for you.
Now, on a different note….did you know that there are 73 yarn shops in the state of Washington alone. Well, that is where I live and I’ve actually set foot into 40 of them. In 2015, I am going to try and visit the other 33 and cover them here on my website. SO, Washington Washington Washington. I sure hope that some of you email over photos of your store to break up the manotony. I’d like some coverage of say a shop in Massachusetts — did you know I used to live in Massachusetts?
Any hoo – happy new years!