Knitters - would you come to a yarn shop like this?

[zisforzebra]

I've been thinking of opening a yarn shop for about a year now. We don't have one in our town (although there are a couple of market stalls selling 100% acrylic yarn in the local indoor market). The next town over has a small shop selling some nice yarn but out of the four staff that work there one is downright rude and aggressive, one is always too busy talking about what's gone wrong in her family to be any help (and desperate to get you out of the shop so she can get back to it!) and although the other two are nice, they aren't very helpful to new knitters.

My idea would be to have a good selection of yarns as well as books, patterns, needles, buttons, crochet hooks etc but also a comfy seating area where people can come in with their knitting and have a cup of coffee and chat, knitting clubs and also lessons for beginners. I plan to have a sign saying 'there are no stupid questions, please feel free to ask'

So, would you shop somewhere like that?

I would second Pruners about spinning stuff, I started spinning last year, it is very addictive. I would also stock other needlecraft supplies if I had room and definitely some quality haberdashery, it is getting increasingly hard to find things such as lovely buttons these days.

I'm a bit bored of Rowan, I get yarn envy when i see the different ranges available in the US on Ravelry. I fantasise about a lovely woollen mill making gorgeous, interesting Scottish yarns...I could do with a large inheritance please!

Thanks Pruners. It's the business side of things that I'm completely clueless on. I've done some shop work in the past but that's about it. Spinning products sounds like a great idea (my other idea is to move to Wales, keep goats and spin up their fleece to make lovely socks...) I'd love to stock some of the yarns that just aren't so readily available over the counter here (well, not in my little corner anyway!) like Brown Sheep and Koiku etc. That would work quite well because it would be a totally different stock range to what is already on offer locally (mainly Sirdar, Patons, Wendy and King Cole)

wingandprayer - I'm hoping that lessons for beginners would be very popular. I'm basically self-taught from books apart from the bit that my nan taught me as a child but I know that lots of people prefer actual lessons. I did think about offering the lessons first, in my sitting room or something!

Herbietea - My mum's in S too. There are a couple of YS there, a fairly new one just down the road from mum actually. It would be a good compromise between C and G because it has some of the money of C and it's easier to get to as well. Worth thinking about...

Allytjd - I know what you mean about buttons! You can find things on the internet but there's something really lovely about being able to see them and hold them in the light before you buy them isn't there? If you get your scottish yarn mill and make some, I'll stock it!

Kitbit - Parking in G is expensive (not that I ever use it since I'm only a 15 minute walk away) but I'd hope to do well out of tourists if I was close to the Cathedral or docks and stocked enough lovely things. How about if I try to find somewhere with a bit of free parking attached and laid on cake too?

oh all right sod the parking you've got me with the cake

Yes I would shop somewhere like that. Agree with blithedance that a toy box is really great if you have to take a young child shopping with you. Also love the idea of a 'try before you buy' box like in wingandprayer's lys.

I don't know how this would work from the business side of things, but I much prefer shopping somewhere that has a bargain basket. You know - just odd balls of this or that, maybe less than perfect to justify a reduced price - but the potential opportunity to pick up a little gem would make me want to go into a shop more often. I sometimes feel a little out of place in 'boutique' type shops, as much as I love the yarns - as I know I can't really afford to buy there! But if they had a wee reduced section...

I would come live in C but would go to the other towns mentioned. My sister would too we usualy go to either malvern or bristol.