Hello and happy Sunday!

I think many of you saw my social media post on Thursday evening, and the response has been lovely. So many people have reached out with advice or suggestions, shared the post or bought something. 

Many of you will remember my post earlier in the year, a little chat about the shop, and this was, I guess, a bit of a continuation of that discussion.

So today rather than ignoring this rather impressive pachyderm residing in the corner, I'm going to talk to you about it in a bit more depth and have a bit of fun too, I hope. 

The Big(ger) Picture

It's easy to think when you're a small business that you're the only one having problems, but actually it's a lot wider than that at the moment. Businesses that have been open for over a decade are shutting their doors, as well as large chain stores having to enter into company voluntary arrangements (the business equivalent of an IVA) to help with company debts and insolvency, close branches or shut altogether. Even charity shops are feeling the pinch, with Cancer Research and British Heart Foundation closing branches up and down the country. It isn't just small independent craft shops, but we are among those finding it very difficult. Just in the last week or so I've seen a similar post from Beaker Button  about how difficult the current climate is. 

I did mean what I said on Wednesday. If you aren't buying from us, then we're doing something wrong, and I want to understand what that is so that we can serve you even better. So here's my daft take on what we do at the moment, I'd love for you to add some others in!

What's a local wool shop ever done for us?

Ok, channeling my inner Monty Python here... lets go!

Well, I can walk in and have a squish of the yarn before I buy it. 

Yes, you can. You can come in, walk up to a skein of yarn or a fibre batt and give it a right good squish, and do you know what? We'll look at you like you're completely normal and come and join in and suggest other ones you might like to squish too.

But apart from that, what's a local wool shop ever done for us?

I like how I can take my project in and get some advice when I'm struggling. 

Well, yes, I suppose there is that too. You can always ask us for advice if you're stuck, or if you need some help making sure you're getting the right yarn for your pattern or pattern for your yarn. We've even been known to sit you down with a cuppa and help you fix a mistake if we've got the time between customers. 

But apart from squishing yarn and getting help with your projects and planning, what has a local wool shop ever done for us?

I like how there's a community there, where I can go and hang out and craft in company. 

Yep, I see that. It's lovely to have a space where you can turn up and get excited about the things you enjoy with other people who enjoy them too, make new friends and feel supported with your crafting journey. 

But apart from squishing yarn, getting help, and making friends, what has a local wool shop ever done for us?

There's always something I didn't know I needed.

Ok, so that's just plain useful. Going in with one thing in mind and finding out from talking to the staff that there's actually a much easier way of doing something. They can suggest a tool or technique that just fixes an issue you were having, or hadn't even realised you were having, that's a huge win! (hands up for stitch markers with numbers on them, washi tape to mark patterns and yarnie's friends for checking gauge!)

Ok, so squishing, helping, friends, being genuinely useful and problem solving, but apart from that... 

And they're human.

Are we? Oh yeah! I guess we are! So when you pop in or ring us up or drop us an email, we actually reply to you ourselves. You don't have to go through any 'choose option 3' phone mazes or argue with a chat-bot to get to talk to someone. We're here, we're human, and we're doing everything we can to support you. 

Ah, so THAT's what a local wool shop does for us. 

We're always welcome, we'll always be able to squish, to see and feel what we're buying before we buy it. The staff are always there to help us make sure we're choosing the right yarn or pattern for what we want to make. They are friendly, supportive and genuinely interested in what we're doing. They can suggest things that will help us get the most from our crafting, and introduce us to others so that they can become our friends too; and we won't ever be fobbed off to a robot.

So how do we keep our local wool shop so we can get that support?

Simple. Keep liking and sharing our posts, tell your friends about us. Maybe come along to a group or pop into the shop for a few bits if you're local. If you're further away, pop into your local wool shop, or consider ordering online from us if they don't stock what you need. 

We all benefit from having physical shops, rather than purely online ones. We have to continue to support all of them, even when things are tough, or they won't still be around when things start to improve. 

What have EFT got planned going forwards?

This is the biggy. We'd love your input to know what you'd like to see from us. Are we missing something vital? 

• We're organising more groups and classes for the summer and all the way through until Christmas, so let us know if there's something in particular you'd like us to put on. 
• We're running a sale on some of our stock ranges, including all our Rowan yarns. 
• We're introducing some new ranges too, including from Urth Yarns and Hoooked. 
• I'm getting some proper financial advice (and quaking in my boots a little about it)
• We're working on something new and hopefully fabulous that we'll be telling you about over the next few weeks and is launching in September. Let's say there's a fair bit of sorting to do first, but I'm really excited about it and I hope you will be too!

We aren't resting on our laurels and expecting something to intervene and fix everything. We know that the amount you get out of something is governed by the time and effort that you put into it, and so we're working really hard to make sure that we can improve and keep going, keep being there for you and supporting your crafting journey for years to come.

After all, that's the whole point of this. 

Ok, that's enough of that! Here's something more fun!

If you have yet to go to a fibre festival this year, and missed the Summer Wool Festival this weekend (I've been looking at all the lovely pictures on social media!) then I thought I'd let you know about the ones still to come over the next couple of months. 

August

8-9th - North East Wool Show - Newcastle. 

15th - Pop-Up Wool Show - Port Sunlight, Wirral

22-23rd - Southern Wool Show - Newbury

29th - Wool at Portsoy - Portsoy, Banff

September

5-6th - Newark Knitting and Wool Show - Newark

11-12th - Unravel: Autumn - Farnham Maltings

12-13th - The Scottish Yarn Festival - Perth

13th - Kernow Yarn and Fibre Festival - Wadebridge

14th - Yarn Gathering North Wales - Mold

26-27th - Yarndale - Skipton

I really love a wool show, and I'm delighted to have been able to go to so many over the last decade or so. They all have a different feel to them, but you can absolutely guarantee that you'll get high on the wool fumes and the excitement of everyone there, both visitors and vendors. You'll give your inspiration a really good workout just by seeing what is available and talking to the other people there. You might even find your new favourite dyer or fall down the rabbit hole of an entirely new craft. 

Have a great week and I'll see you next time. I think we're likely to launch into another deep dive, I'm thinking 'The History of Fibre Crafts' but if you've got any suggestions for topics, then please let me know. 

Lots of love!

Nikki