Wed 11 Aug 2010
The end of an era…
Posted by Holly under news updates, updates
[14] Comments
This may be the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write… and that’s saying a lot.
After a message from our landlord telling me that she doesn’t want to renew our lease and a ton of soul-searching on my part, I have made the hard decision to close Knit Happens. This isn’t because I don’t love yarn and teaching anymore (because I do) or because of fibre space™ (because it’s not – I wish Danielle lots of success), but because it’s time for me to move on.
I’ve been with the shop since May of 2004 – just two months after we opened to the public – and became the manager in August of that year. In all of that time, I’ve had the honor and privilege to be a part of our community’s life. I’ve taught so many of you to knit or to expand your knitting horizons, I’ve seen relationships, marriages and families start. In letting me into your lives, you’ve also become such a part of my life – being a cheering squad when times got tough a few years ago, checking in to make sure that I had company on the long days I was by myself, giving honest opinions when needed, encouraging me to challenge myself and start to design. Thank you all so much for that. When I started here 6 years ago, I thought I was the luckiest person in the world because I got to work with a new passion of mine – yarn. What I didn’t realize until later is that while working with yarn was (and is still) awesome, the shop gave me so much more: friendships and a huge extended family! For all of that, thank you. Thank you so very much.
What will I do when all is said and done? (I’m egotistical enough to think you’re wondering…) Well, while I will have to get used to having a job where I can’t wear jeans daily, I’m hoping that I won’t leave the yarn industry/community completely. Perhaps I’ll be able to take on private lessons and finishing – I’m still planning on working on my design skills. (I’m tossing around a series of socks in my head right now…)
Enough of the maudlin… The silver lining to all of this (for you) is that everything in the store will go on sale starting Friday, August 13! No, I’m not going to tell you exactly what the sale prices will be (they’ll be different for everything), but I will say get here early for sweater quantities. If you wait, there may not be sweater quantities left. However, Tiara and I will have lots of ideas on how to use all the yarn – we’ve got tons of patterns and of course we’ll have Ravelry pulled up on the computer to help figure out amounts of yarn needed! Also, there are tons of books (trust me, my back is telling me there are lots of books! 
) – if you’ve been waiting for a special occasion to build your knitting library, this is the time.
I know that many of you out there have completed Insatiable Knitter Cards saved for projects – you will be able to use those towards your purchases on top of the stated discounts! (I know, it’s a steal!) However, we won’t be marking Insatiable Knitter Cards. We will be unable to take phone or emailed orders and will keep things on hold for one day only.
Do you want any of the fixtures? (You know, the bookshelves, table, chairs, and the like.) They’re up for grabs, too! Just let me know and make me an offer – I’ll put your name on it. (No, the poster in the sock room is not for sale. Sorry!)
While I know that this is a sad time for many of you (and for me too), I hope that you’ll join in and celebrate the last 6 years with us. Share your memories with us – on here, in the store, on the Knitters Happen group on Ravelry, wherever. All of us – past and present employees and myself – have loved being a part of your lives, thank you so much!
