Since Needle Nicely is such an abruptly seasonal business--even the years of our start in North Carolina--we purchase many fibers on cones or hanks and then skein them on premise. That way we can do them on site and reduce the cost per skein. We started doing this in our North Carolina location which was only open from May through October. Those winter months were deadly--we spent it stitching models for the next summer and skeining fibers.
When we opened the year-round shop in Vero Beach, we still went back to Blowing Rock in the summer season. But the shop in Vero, by the terms of the lease, had to stay open year-round. That meant summer months with almost no customers. So, our employees did stitching for models and fiber twisting.
The husband of one of our employees (Bob, husband of Gladys) made us two pieces of wood with nails placed exactly 1 yard apart. One was lost when the roof went off in 2005, but I still use the other to skein gold dust, kit kin (whisper), and candlelight.
Now I know why some of the threads I've bought from you are in little packets. Sure you weren't a Yankee in another life?
ReplyDeleteAnne, there are plenty of Yankees in the South. They are just called by other names.... (Yes, MA is a red neck, ridge runner, sand flea or cracker.)
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