YARN SHOPS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

Discover four craft stores that go the extra mile

- Colette Earley

Yarn shops bring a little magic to every town, offering the best in crafting materials as well as a welcoming meet-up point for locals to gather and share their love of craft. We spoke to the owners of four must-know shops about what makes their space so special – as we write this, yarn shops are currently closed due to the pandemic, but we write from a perspective of looking forward to a time when we are free and safe to visit and support our local stores.

WELSH CRAFT

Husband and wife, Nick and Wendy Horler, are the owners of Artie Craftie, a wonderful yarn shop, which also offers postal services, in the World Heritage Town of Blaenavon in Wales. When the shop opened, it originally offered a range of craft materials such as art, haberdashery, card making, framing, and a printing service, as well as a small range of baby wool – but this has now massively increased and, six years later, Artie Craftie offer a packed yarn range and have built up a regular customer base. “They tell us of trends they are wanting to try and we look to source and stock materials to help them achieve their goals,” says Nick. “There is a very close relationship between us with lots of banter and understanding in difficult times. We are very proud that we are now not just known as the craft shop or Post Office, but also the wool shop that goes the extra mile to help provide inspiration and the materials for ideas to become reality.”

The shop also has an online presence, with two Facebook pages where they share ideas, information and new products. “We are currently offering a delivery service of supplies for those self-isolating, through our Facebook pages, providing ideas to pass the time.”