Welcome to our blog! We are the Pittsburgh Yarn Company, your new local yarn store in the East End!
The Pittsburgh Yarn Company began as a rant during a girls’ night in. We ate a lot of good food, played some board games, and inevitably ended up ranting about the injustices of our lives (while knitting and crocheting, of course). The chief area of discussion was the lack of a good local yarn store in our vicinity! We missed being able to spend hours communing with other knitters, crocheters, and spinners, while surrounded by quality products and knowledgeable fellow craftspeople. And so, we started tossing around the idea of opening a yarn store. It was lots of fun, but most of us didn’t seriously think it would happen. Pipe dreams are just dreams, right?
A week later, we got a group text from Marta. She wanted to know what we needed to do to get started. We all stopped in our tracks -- was she serious? It turns out she was, and so the plotting began.
We had lots of stipulations -- namely location and stock.
The shop had to be in the East End-ish area, not too far from downtown, not too far from Monroeville, and not too far from our houses (the most important part, really). The parking situation had to be okay. The space had to be inviting. Marta’s husband perused real estate websites, drove past storefronts, and called agents. We shot down most of the suggested locations. Then, we found one that worked. We all got together for a visit on a chilly morning in late March, and immediately fell in love with the space. The small Trenton Avenue business district has ample on-street parking within a cozy, welcoming neighborhood. The shop itself is large with display windows, space for a classroom, and a dedicated bathroom. Sure, there were drawbacks, but this was it!
Our other major concern was stock. We had to carry lots of great yarns. We’re super passionate about supporting local independent dyers, so we needed to reach out to them. We went on our first scouting mission to Indie Knit and Spin, and introduced ourselves to folks whose yarns and fibers we loved. Some conversations went well, some went flat, and some ended in disappointment (such is life). We continued our search by looking online, at Ravelry reviews, and in our own stashes. We did our best to balance our potential stock list, including both small, independent dyers and some more commercial products. Our goal is to have a product suitable for any customer likely to visit the shop. We made a spreadsheet (!). Decisions were made, wholesale accounts created, orders placed. And so, here we are!
Is this really happening? A pipe dream, suddenly solidified into reality? Yes. Yes, it is.
~Kristi
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