Yarn Etc, a specialist in yarn, wool and crafting in Harrogate.
Meet Fiona of Yarn Etc, an independent specialist retailer in yarn, wool and crafting in Harrogate.
Fiona Burkes has run Yarn Etc for 5 years in Harrogate and pre-pandemic she specialised in knitting, crochet and general materials for crafting. “Our community is one who knows and understands our products therefore we attract customers locally and from further away who will come to spend a couple of hours enjoying our shop”
They usually run knit and natter groups and social crafts evenings and see their shop as a community space for people to get together and socialise as well as enjoying the sensory experience of touching and trying the materials.
The lock downs have changed Yarn Etc a lot with them having to primarily move online which affects things like colour, the inability to touch and feel the product prior to purchase- it is difficult for avid crafters to know if it is the right product for them.
The team at Yarn Etc now spend much of their time on social media helping people as much as they can to keep going until they can welcome them back to their shop.
Their story:
The Yarn Etc business was an existing yarn shop that was previously very traditional, taken over by Fiona 5 years ago it is more visual and interactive with a varied customer base.
“My customers are anywhere from teenage to 90 years old and everything in between and are knitting either for ‘mindfulness’, a hobby or to make a garment from scratch as part of a project to do during lockdown” says Fiona.
Yarn Etc like to ‘cater to everyone’ where possible but they also differentiate themselves through sourcing local or regional wool from small outlets that only do small numbers meaning if you are looking for something that is locally sourced and a little bit special, come to Fiona in Harrogate .
During the pandemic, Yarn Etc focused on how they could keep trading and therefore introduced click and collect, upgrading their website to include over 3500 products and learning how to run their workshops on zoom and help their customers on social media.
Instagram and Facebook is the best way for them to reach customers far and wide with them not only helping local knitting enthusiasts but them sending their products as far as Surrey and Devon.
The team are looking forward to open and would love you to pop on their instagram or facebook and let them know what materials you would like to see in their shop soon.
“We do our workshops on zoom and we try to keep people upbeat through instagram videos with free patterns and top tips”
How can you support them:
Check out Yarn Etc’s Instagram and share their tops, posts and guidance with your friends who want to support independent retailers. You can check out their website here if you are further afield and want to try your hand at a bit of crafting.
Please give the local businesses some social love. A like and comment means so much to local businesses.
Check out them live along with other local businesses here on Harrogate’sHigh Street Guide and see what else you can discover in Harrogate #shoplocal #harrogate
