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Cast On Café
Peggy O’Grady opened the Cast On Café in August of 2006, in Willoughby, Ohio. The Cast On Café got it’s name, with the idea of blending the yarn shop with a coffee shop. Because of health department requirements, the coffee shop part of the plan got put on hold, but Peggy feels the name still works as she has a smorgasbord of yarn available at the store.
Peggy learned to knit when she was 9 years old at May’s On The Heights (now called Macy’s) Department Store. She recalls the store having a beautiful needlework department with knowledgeable clerks. If you purchased a kit, the ladies working at the store would teach you how to knit, crochet, needlepoint etc. Peggy and her girlfriends all bought the knitting kits and took lessons every Saturday. Peggy still owns her pattern book and needles that came in that kit, and has knit, on and off ever since.
At the Cast On Café, you’ll find a variety of yarns from around the world, books and magazines, notions and needles, greeting cards and even jewelry. There are currently three clubs at the store, Afghan-A-Go-Go, Project Club and Sock-O-Rama. Members of Afghan-A-Go-Go and Project Club receive a new afghan square or project pattern each month. The afghan squares will be sewn together to form a sampler, or patchwork style afghan. Project Club patterns have included a Celtic knot bath mat, martini glass dish cloth, hanger cover, placemat, coasters and many others. Members of Sock-O-Rama receive a pattern and sock yarn every other month. Peggy tries to offer a new yarn, not yet on the sales floor for Sock-O-Rama, keeping the club members exclusive.
Peggy and the Cast On Café is big into charity projects, in addition to an annual special event to benefit Friends of Women Safe. They have made baby hats for Caps for the Capitol, Afghans for Afghans, and stuffed bears for Providence House, a local shelter for children. The charity in the store currently, is a project to make blankets for Providence House. The store clientele is varied with young, old, and all ages in between. Socks have been very popular, as well as other one-skein projects.
Willoughby is a small town, just east of Cleveland, and the residents have a very strong sense of community. Many residents were born in Willoughby and continue to live there as adults, raising their families and retiring in the community. The Cast On Café is located in the historic downtown section of Willoughby, which is home to a variety of unique shops, all housed in old timey buildings. Some of the businesses you’ll see are bed and breakfasts, stained glass studios, a spice shop, bike shop, candy making shop, art galleries, antique stores, fine restaurants, and a micro-brewery.
I asked Peggy – “if Cast On Café were an ice cream, which ice cream would it be?” She answered, “Tutti-Frutti – bright, colorful, exuberant, a little something for everyone…..but certainly not run of the mill, just fun!” Peggy has had a passion for knitting, fibers and yarn since she was a child, and hopes to inspire the same passion in her customers through education, assistance and the finest products available. Peggy loves gardening, runs an on-line garden club with her daughter, is dedicated to her community, and is extremely hard working.
Peggy loves to knit most anything, but her favorite thing is cable work, the more complex, the better. Knitting and crocheting are fabulous hobbies, so stop into the Cast On Café to create, relax and enjoy – all are welcome! |
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