1/11/2010 88 Stitches blog interviewWho is the blogger for the 88 Stitches website?
+ I am (Sue/owner of the shop) the main blogger for the 88 Stitches shop website. Sometimes my co-workers will write a post, but each of them have their own blogs and we often link to their blogs from the shop blog, so that our customers may see (if they like) what the staff is knitting and what's going on in their interesting lives. What can we expect to see on the shop blog? + What you can expect to hear about on our shop blog is information about upcoming sales, events, knit-alongs, new yarn arrivals, and what we are knitting and crocheting. How often do you blog? + I try to blog as often as possible, usually every week or so. I also have a personal blog called 88 Stitches after hours, where I write about my knitting life after shop hours and post photos of my projects. Do you blog from the shop? + I blog from home on my day off, usually Sundays. There is no time at the shop! How in earth do you find time to blog? +There is never enough time, however, I make the time to blog because I think it's important to stay in touch with our customers, especially those who live out of town, who can't visit us all the time. Do you have any advise for other bloggers? My only advise [to bloggers] is to try to have as many photos as possible. Folks love to see yarn and our works in progress, as well as our finished projects. I notice an increase in hits when we have photos and details of our projects for inspiration. Also, I don't share personal information on the shop blog. Keep the news to what's happening at your shop, not on the home-front. Personal blogs are for sharing info about yourself. http://www.88stitches.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=0&Itemid=39 1/2/2010 Blog Feature: MaiwaWhen I emailed all the local yarn shops with questions about their blog Maiwa was the first to reply. I was so thrilled because Maiwa is one of my favourite stores in Vancouver; when they started carrying yarn it made them that much better. Here's what they told us:
Who is the blogger for your store? My name is Tim McLaughlin and as I have the privilege of being the editor for much of the Maiwa content I'm also the blogger. I couldn't say I work alone though. All the staff make great suggestions and pass on interesting content. And the owner Charllotte Kwon is my chief collaborator, sounding board and inspiration. We work on the blog together. What can we expect to hear about on your blog? Our blog is presently describing our research trip to Assam, India where we went looking for wild silks. But we also promote and review events from our textile symposium; present new arrivals in the Maiwa store; send announcements when we put up a new podcast; and let people what is going on with the Maiwa Foundation. When do you blog? Whenever we can. Usually every third day. Do you blog from home... the store? We have a nicely appointed textile collection and research library in the Maiwa Loft on Granville Island (open to the public by appointment). Its a great space to write in and very handy if you have to consult a book, open a textile, or look up a quote or reference. How on earth do you find time to blog? Have any advice for other bloggers? Well, we had a number of projects that we wanted to communicate and the blog turned out to be the best mechanism to do that. We have documented a great deal of artisan cultures and techniques and we wanted a vehicle to share that information. Also the store and the foundation are pretty active. I think we are still finding our voice so we don't have any advice for other bloggers yet! http://maiwahandprints.blogspot.com/ 12/1/2009 Gina Browns YarnKristina (owner of Gina Brown's Vancouver) gave a talk at the October West Coast Knitter Guild meeting. She told the story about Gina Brown's location in Calgary, and a bit about her and her new Vancouver location as well. If you missed it you are in luck because she gave us her notes!!!
History: Our business was founded by my granny, Gina Brown, who was a hand-crafter from the moment she could pick up a needle. The daughter of a couture seamstress, she grew up learning sewing, knitting and needlework from her mother and at the boarding school she attended in England. She was orphaned as a teenager, and having no ties to England, decided to move to Canada to become an occupational therapist. During WWII, she served under the Canadian Armed Forces Red Cross as an OT, teaching needlecrafts to injured soldiers to help with their rehabilitation. Our family business started in the early 50’s, when Gina began teaching English smocking and other needlecrafts to the ladies in her Calgary neighborhood. This little cottage industry developed from a hobby into a real passion, and in 1970, with a Christmas check given to her by my grandpa Norman, Gina opened the first location of the store on 17th Avenue in Downtown Calgary. The business grew rapidly, and within a few months she expanded her merchandise range to include yarn, fabrics, macramé supplies and more, and moved the business to 4th street, where it was located for over twenty years. (This is not the most attractive picture of that store, but it is the only one I could find. The picture was taken by the police when one her employees accidentally hit the gas instead of the breaks and drove her car through the brick wall) Meanwhile, in 1971, at the age of nineteen, inspired by Gina’s success, my mother Diana Brown decided to open her own small craft store, Tikka Woolcrafts, focusing mostly on knitting, weaving and spinning. Her first store was located in Banff, where she could operate the store for a few hours a day, and then go off skiing, and hiking for the rest of the day. (Only in the 70’s could this be considered a successful business model in Banff). A few years later, she moved the store to Edmonton, where it was located until 1985. In 1985, when I was a year old, our family was dealt a sad blow when my mother learned that my grandmother Gina had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Deciding that family was her priority, my mother decided to close Tikka Woolcrafts, and we moved to Calgary so she could take over the day-to-day business operations of Gina Brown’s. In 1996, my mother took over the business completely from Gina, and moved the store to Centre Street where it was located for 9 years. This is also when the store began to focus more exclusively on yarn, growing eventually to over 400 different yarns in stock. Sadly that same year, Gina passed away from breast cancer. In 2003, the store moved to its current 3000 square foot location, 5718 1A Street SW Calgary, where it continues to thrive. Gina Brown’s is currently one of Canada’s oldest and largest multi-generation yarn stores. About Me: Given the family business, there was very little chance I would not become a knitter. I grew up in Calgary, crawling around yarn bins at the 4th street location. When I was five, my grandmother taught me hand sewing, and when I was six she taught me to embroider flowers and French knots to keep me from scratching my chicken pocks. My mother tried to teach me how to knit when I was seven; however the results were less than stellar. When I was 13, I begged my mother to learn to knit properly, and since the thought of teaching her moody teenager anything seemed a bit daunting, she allowed me to take the beginner knitting class at her store from a wonderful woman named Else Jordhoy, who has been teaching knitting for my mother for over twenty years. Else is a great teacher, and she whipped both my attitude and knitting skills into shape in no time. Since then, I have been a non-stop knitter. In high school I began working in the store, and have been closely involved with the business ever since, coming home for up to six months at a time to work in the store, teach knitting classes, and help my mother in any way I could. In 2004, after a short stint at Alberta College of Art and design, I moved from Calgary to Vancouver to attend Simon Fraser University. This year, after coming to the end of my English degree, I began to have doubts about whether academia was right for me. I realized that I loved our family business, but I also loved Vancouver (my home for the past 6 years). From this, the idea for Gina Brown’s Yarn in Vancouver was born. About the Vancouver store: Our location is at 3424 West Broadway, just east of Alma Street. It is 1000 square feet, and we will be carrying mostly yarn, books, and other knitting supplies. At this time, unlike the Calgary store, we will not be carrying needlepoint and crossed stitch supplies. The lines we are bringing in are similar to those in Calgary, and include such brands as Sirdar, Sublime, Debbie Bliss, Cascade, King Cole, Fleece Artist, Hand Maiden, Colinette, Mission Falls, Berroco, Kertzer, Skacel, Noro, Lang, Punta, Garnstudio, Sandnesgarn, Regia, Marks and Kattens, Diamond Luxury, Naturelle, Briggs and Little, and more… We will also be carrying needles by Addi Turbo, Kertzer and Aero. However, if there is a product you would like to see us carry, we are always open to customer suggestions either in person or via e-mail. We are also looking for part time retail staff, as well as knitting and crochet teachers, and ask anyone interested to e-mail resumes to ginabrownsyarn@gmail.com. Thanks so much for letting me share the history of our store with you. Hope to see you at the new location Kristina I was too curious to wait until Baaad Anna's grand opening this Saturday to ask these questions about the new & hip yarn shop here in Van. I figured if I'm excited you must be too, so of course I will share.
Q:Tell me the story behind the name of your yarn shop. How did it come to you, and does it reflect on your store mandate at all? A:besides it being a good pun, the name (and the logo) really reflect who I am. I have been inspired for many years by the quote "well-behaved women rarely make history" and in most aspects of my life i have been a rabble-rouser. Political activism and social justice is my number one passion, and my values and desire to stand up for justice is reflected in my life, so why not my store. The name reflects my personal (and business) mandate to think outside the box, to push the envelope and do it with conviction. And knitting/crafting can be totally bad-ass..... Q: How long have you been preparing to open Baaad Anna's? Any funny stories to share about the process? A: I worked as a housing advocate in the downtown eastside until October of 2008 and then I decided I needed to take a break from that work and re-charge my batteries. most of my family and friends were encouraging me to pursue something related to knitting (my second passion) and the idea was birthed. In December I decided I was doing it, and eight months later here I am. I don't know if I have any funny stories, but i should've kept some sort of photo log of all the facial reactions i received when i told people (non knitters) that i was opening up a yarn store, followed by the classic "can a store like that actually work?", in the beginning i tried to explain the obsession, but after a while i just smiled. Q: I saw on your blog that your check-out counter is shaped like a ball of yarn. What's the story behind that? A: The story behind the ball of yarn desk is that i have the best husband in the world. he designed the desk, and every other piece of furniture in the store. He is a brilliant carpenter and an eccentric artist, and the desk is my favorite part of the store. He wanted it to be unique - and it certainly is. Q: How is Baaad Anna's different from other yarn shops here in Vancouver? A: Well, its in East Vancouver (go East Van!) and that is different. My intention is to support and promote young crafters in this neighborhood, to promote diversity and creativity and to have a bit of an edge within the store, to be unapologetic about bad-ass and wild fibre related projects while still maintaining a respect for my elders who have been knitting for years and have so much to offer! Baaad Anna's sells yarn, needles, patterns etc - in that way we are just like all the other yarn stores, its the attitude that makes the store different. Q: Is Baaad Anna's going to be giving workshops? What kind? A: Yes, the workshops will start in October of 2009. Knitting, crocheting, felting, dyeing and a big focus on kid-classes will be offered. My vision is to create opportunities for other people in the city who are involved in fibre arts to actually work at what they love, so I hope that fibre artists, teachers and others will get involved in the workshop component of the store. Q: What kinds of things will you be keeping us updated on at Baaad Anna's blog? A: Baaad Anna's blog will be the place to watch for updates on classes, store events, sales and then the hopefully coherent rants and musings about yarn, knitting, crafting and owning a small business. I know that i read other crafty blogs often and appreciate the virtual community it creates, and my intention is for Baaad Anna's to contribute to that community. 8/10/2008 Maiwa has yarn....lots of it!Maiwa has caught my attention yet again! Maiwa now carries a large variety of superb yarns!
A large part of Maiwa's mandate is to merge superior quality with ethical business practices and, true to form, they have found ethically sound ways to provide a variety of all natural yarns (e.g. BC's own Hemp for Knitting). Maiwa has raised the bar not only by carrying high-quality, all-natural fibers, but also by advocating for unusual farming practices and supporting companies that farm breeds of sheep threatened by extinction. Stroll into their cozy shop (on the NW corner of the Net Loft building on Granville Island) and you'll find their usual plethora of natural and synthetic dyes, hand-made organic fabrics and fiber-arts literature (and as of late, a huge supply of yarn!). I dropped by about month ago when they had received their first shipment of roving and yarn and was delighted to learn that they were making this shift. Little did I know that 5 weeks after that visit, I'd wander in again and be shocked by the store's transformation. Maiwa is now a full-on yarn shop. With brands like, Briggs and Little, Noro, Hand-painted from Fiesta, O-Wool, Brown Sheep Company, Plymoth, Misti Alpaca and Great Adirondack, they are on the right track. As always Maiwa's high quality products come with excellent value; their yarn prices are highly competitive. |
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Vancouver Yarn is a free resource which links you to local DIY textile shops and designers as well as artists and makers which are local to greater Vancouver BC, unceded Coast Salish territory, and throughout so-called British Columbia. I also list online shops and designers from around the country.
Many of my links come from your submissions - Thank you! If you tell me about a dyer, designer, shop etc I will add it.
Many of my links come from your submissions - Thank you! If you tell me about a dyer, designer, shop etc I will add it.
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