Hello Fiber Friends!
I hope 2018 has been good to you so far. It’s been a while since I have posted here on the blog, however I have been very busy behind the scenes creating a new adventure. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you probably already know the exciting news…I have just launched a new online yarn shop called BARBARA JANE YARNS!
How it All Started
Those of you that know me personally know that my biggest dream is to have my own yarn shop. I have always been creative. When I was about 7 years old I began selling my handmade items to my friends and family. My first “business” was going door to door in our neighborhood selling notebook paper folded into fans for a quarter each. I was ecstatic when I sold out of my stock and earned my first few dollars. Looking back, I know they were just being kind, but those sweet people have no idea what their support ignited in me that summer.
Over the years I continued to make and sell a multitude of different items. I have had many handmade side businesses including beaded jewelry, wedding invitations, reusable baby and kitchen products; all of which I managed in my spare time. During the day I worked full time at a major retailer of craft and sewing supplies.
Finding My Passion
It was during my time there that I really connected with my crafting roots and delved into my biggest love: crocheting. I realized that in my own yarn store I could combine my passion for the yarn arts with my dedication to quality products and a superb customer experience. I know that I would be able to successfully run a brick and mortar yarn shop. However, a physical store requires a large investment of money and time, neither of which I currently have at my disposal. So for last few years, that dream has been sitting on the back-burner, living out in my daydreams and on my bucket list.
Then something happened this February. The day after coming home from a cruise with her husband, my grandmother Barbara suffered a massive stroke and passed away a few days later. It was very unexpected and I miss her terribly. We had become very close over the past few years. We would spend hours sharing our love of crochet, talking about yarn and our current projects. She was so proud of the patterns I had designed and the things I had made. She was also one of my biggest supporters when I started the Artsy Daisy Crochet blog.
It was so wonderful having someone in my family that shared the same passion I did for crocheting. Her loss has been challenging, to say the least, but it has given me a new perspective on the delicacy of life. If there is something I really want to accomplish, I better get to it!
A Magical Moment
My dream of a yarn shop continued to float around in my head, constantly being pushed aside by my daily responsibilities and some self-doubt. I was standing in my own way, but the Universe had other plans. A few months later a friend reached out to tell me about an estate sale that her friend was managing. She said there would be lots of yarn…Yarn?! Of course I’ll go check it out!
When myself and my husband arrived at the home (I’m still not sure how I talked him into going there with me), we looked around a bit and then headed to the “yarn room”. There were tubs and boxes and tables full of yarn! I was overwhelmed at the amount of yarn, saddened at the loss of a fellow yarn lover and intrigued at the possibility of what I could do with the remnants of what looked like a yarn business.
This was an amazing opportunity! My husband knew exactly what I was thinking and we negotiated a deal. The next day we grabbed a friend and a bunch of trash bags and headed over to pack it all up. It took a few days and many hours to go through those 36 tubs of yarn and get it all inventoried and organized! I am still working my way through photographing and listing all of this awesome yarn.
A Yarn Shop is Born
My new shop is named Barbara Jane Yarns, after that lovely grandmother of mine. I feel so blessed to have this business and the ability to share it with all of you lovely people. Do you or anyone you know need some more yarn? I know you do 😉 Please check out the Barbara Jane Yarns shop on Etsy and see what you can’t live without!
