Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Zimmer.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Nancy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been crafty – needing to do things with my hands. I can spend hours in a crafting shop (and do, quite often) just wandering around. After one such session a little over a year ago, I came home and told my husband that Wilmington needed a crafting shop. He said, “Okay – let’s do it” … and less than 3 months later, we opened!
Over the past year, we’ve not only built up inventory of items to craft with – yarn, fabric, cross-stitch, and notions – but also have over 20 local crafters consigning in the shop. These very talented artists range from painters to woodworkers, sewers to knitters and crocheters, bead workers to card makers and more!
One of the things I love best about the shop, though, is the socialization. I LOVE working with my students. The classes offered cover crochet, knitting, sewing, book folding, cross-stitching, friendship bracelets, wreath making, and just about anything else you could ask for. We have monthly paint nights where we’ve painted canvasses, wine glasses, beer steins, fairy houses, and ornaments. And every Monday night is a gathering of stitchers: B*tch&Stitch. We all bring our current projects and get some work done. It’s a great group.
Has it been a smooth road?
For the most part, having the shop has been an amazing experience. There are months that are so slow I don’t know what to do with myself. But then there are months where it feels like I barely have time to take inventory.
As with all small businesses, balancing what I WANT to have available in the shop vs. what I can actually afford to bring in is frustrating at times. Also, trying to be ahead of what people might want to see in the shop can be tricky. I tend to go with what I like and hope that others will like the same things.
I try to offer classes that people will be interested in, but have had a few that no one has come to. I’ve also had to cap a few classes and turn people away (and then offer it again, or on a different day).
I’d say the biggest challenge for me though is that if I’m not at the shop, it isn’t open. This means if my daughter has a softball game or my sons have baseball games during a time the shop is typically open, I miss the game. Or it means if I have a sick child who needs to go to the doctor, the shop closes.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The shop is all about all things crafty. I have yarn, fabric, and the notions to go with them. I have local crafters who consign in the shop so there are always gorgeous, hand-crafted gifts available. I have just enough space to hold classes – a couch and a few tables. The classes are large enough so that you get the teacher/student feel, but small enough that each student gets individual attention.
My personal specialty is crochet. I teach all ages how to make blankets or scarves or stuffed animals – whatever they want to learn! I’m a believer that anyone can learn, and that all learning should be fun. We laugh a lot in the shop.
My shop is probably best known for the weekly B*tch&Stitch sessions. These free drop-in crafting hours are every Monday night and we have the best time. There are typically 3 to 12 people who come with whatever project they are currently working on. We socialize a lot and get some knitting or crocheting done.
I am most proud of the work my students put in to their projects. Not only during the classes, but many of them have continued on and helped out with the charity work we do at the shop. We use donated yarn to make knit and crochet blankets for a local shelter.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Since I’m located outside of Boston, there aren’t a lot of shops like mine around – so it’s the perfect spot for me. There are a few big-box stores that carry everything, but these stores don’t have the personal experience or expertise that I offer. My recommendation for anyone just starting out is to find a location where you are the only one offering what you have. A town that has 10 pizza places along one street doesn’t need another pizza place to open there. Either find another town, or another type of place to open!
Contact Info:
- Address: The Crafting Closet
1 Church Street #103
Wilmington, MA 01887 - Website: http://craftingcloset.com
- Phone: 9789093221
- Email: Nancy@CraftingCloset.com
- Facebook: http://fb.com/TheCraftingCloset
Image Credit:
Nancy Zimmer
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