i'm seriously thinking of opening a yarn shop. seriously.

[warthog]

but i need to work out my business plan and do the sums to see if it's at all possible.

the way i see it: in sw london there are NO comprehensive yarn shops. there are a couple with a small to below-reasonable range (ie. john lewis) but nothing that blows you away. i'm thinking of opening something that is BIG. basic brands (sirdar, wendy) with crappy acrylic as well as specialist yarns (noro, silks etc.) plus the middle of the road rowans and debbie bliss. but basically LOADS and LOADS. i'd sell needles (bamboo, metal, plastic, wooden and do-it-yourself range) as well as dyes and yarns for dyeing. I think if i open small shop with a view to expanding later it won't work, because there's too much competition. it's competitive edge is the very large range.

1. do you think i'm on the right track?
2. to get an idea of whether it's feasible, what is your average spend in a yarn shop?

There's a small article in the August Country Living (I know, v poncy, lol!) in the section on rural enterprises about two women who set up a wool shop, www.jolie-home.co.uk. I immediately thought of MN when I read it!

There's a woman in Stockport who has set up a very successful yarn shop...haven't got a link, sorry, but I think there's definitely a niche there...

I have a great wool shop where I live which I would love to own myself. It is pretty big I think and has a great selection of wools, both expensive and the cheaper stuff. It is good as it has a large table in the middle for looking through pattern books and having a chat. The big difference to some of the other shops mentioned is that it also has a workroom at the back where they have classes and a knitting circle where people come together to knit and chat - bit like a reading group I suppose.

They have diversified a bit in recent years as they have acquired more floor space (the shop is attached to their house and they have been able to extend) and so now they do all sorts of crafts including patchwork and quilting and card making. These take up a lot less space than the wool but attract people through the door.

I would say the average spend was about £20 or £30 - a lot of people make baby and children clothes, don't they and a doting grandmother could easily spend that much. If you could somehow encourage more people to make adult stuff I would have thought it would push up the average as it can cost a fortune to make a Rowan jumper!

They also have a website which must add something to their profits without very much outlay I would have thought.

The more wool shops the better I say!