When I say that I want to open a yarn store (or if I get fancy and say a 'fiber arts' store), people seem to react with one of two main angles: Really? or Why? Don't people just go to Michaels?
Yes really. I'm not expecting to make a fortune doing this. I'd like to make a living. I'd especially like to not wake up each morning cursing the fact that I have to go to work. I want to be the one making the policies, not the one forced to enact and enforce unethical decisions. Not the one chasing people through the store trying to sign them up for a credit card or loyalty program they don't want.
Yes. People shop at Michaels, A.C. Moore, Joann's, even Walmart. For standard or cheap yarn in quantity, I don't think a small store can match the prices and I don't think they should even try. I know I've never seen Red Heart Super Saver in a LYS. There's nothing wrong with that yarn; I use it plenty. But it's not something you need a specialty store for.
To me, a local yarn store is more than a place you buy yarn. It's a clubhouse where the secret password is "I want to do this". It's a place to find new brands and fibers, new tools and toys, but also new techniques and new friends. People go to A.C. Moore to buy yarn. They come to a smaller shop to learn to knit or crochet, to weave or spin. Maybe they hit a snag in the pattern they're doing and need advice. Maybe they want to just try something new and know where they can find an expert.
So, yes. Yes, I think there's a need for this. Whether I am the best person to do it may be irrelevant, if I'm the only one willing to.
Question: What do you look for in a yarn store?
