It’s no secret that I love local yarn stores. This year I’m excited that TNNA and the Yarn Group are showing support for brick-and-mortar yarn shops with an appreciation day. The first Local Yarn Store Day is on April 21, 2018. Jill Wolcott wrote a great post about what you can expect and how you can help spread the word.
There are special collaborations between shops, yarn companies, and the creative people who work together to make our LYSes unique. Many of these plans are kits with LYS exclusive colourways. I know most about Anzula, two of their kits feature Squishy, which I wrote about.
Why support your LYS?
I advocate supporting businesses in your local community. Without you, these stores close. The result is that your options and opportunities then become even more limited.
I get it. Stuff is expensive, and your budget is tight. Somewhere someone may be selling it cheaper online.
I understand that it’s not practical to make every purchase local; purchase local when you can, they’ll add up. Stopping in every so often for that little notion or for that special skein that’s just right for a quick gift project can mean the difference between an open vibrant shop and an empty and abandoned storefront. Of course, stores dream of every customer stopping in weekly for sweater quantities of cashmere!
While my life is focused on yarn and fiber, it may surprise you to learn I don’t have a yarn store that is close by. My current options include finding a way to get to Brooklyn or Manhattan to one of the many stores there. I hope one day to be in Brooklyn while Woolyn is open and my schedule and traffic agree! Or I can drive to Connecticut to Knit New Haven and Westport Yarns. There are no quick lunch break trips to find buttons. Any of these options require planning and rescheduling work. I think there may be knitting groups nearby, but information about their current active state and meeting times are murky (not to mention I’m a shy introvert!).
Local Yarn Store Day
April 21, 2018. Will you be there?
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