A Yarn Community
Yarn to us means two things: the thing we craft with and a good story. Often they come combined, with a natter over a cup of tea and whatever we and our friends happen to be knitting. We've envisaged Stitchcraft Yarns to be a space where all kinds of yarns meet in harmony, in a comfortable, supportive, friendly space.
Stitchcraft Yarns aims to be a hub for the crafting community, selling yarn and coffee, offering a casual space to knit and chat, and workshops for people at all ability levels. We at Stitchcraft want to run events for different sections of our diverse Inner West community, where like-minded people can meet over a pair of needles or a hook.
In the long run, we're also looking to run outreach programmes and workshops in aged care facilities, schools and youth groups, because we want to share the benefits and joy of fibre crafts with everyone. We'll also look to harness our community's talents for charity work with organisations like Wrap With Love and Octopus for a Preemie.
Keeping Things Local
Local yarn shops have always been at the centre of the fibre arts community, but we want to take our dedication to locality one step further. It's important for us to source a good selection of yarn from the best producers, spinners and dyers in New South Wales and the rest of Australia. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly, we want to support Australian farmers and artists and give them a space to showcase their wares. Secondly, we have a dedication to being as environmentally friendly as possible and having our products travel the least distance possible from the sheep’s back to yours.
In keeping with our dedication to local produce, we'll be using all Inner West produce for our coffee and cakes as well. We love the Inner West and want to show off some of the great things we have here!
Yarn is for Everyone
An important factor for us when conceptualising Stitchcraft was that it should be welcoming and accessible for all. If you’re just starting out, there's going to be a class for that and yarn that won’t break the bank for your first project. If you’re a master knitter looking for something to really treat yourself, we’ll stock that as well! We want to offer classes for all age ranges and all abilities, all without breaking the bank.
We don’t believe in yarn snobbery - we’re aiming stock as wide a range of fibres as possible, from acrylic to alpaca, cotton to yak. We’re also looking to stock a range of tools, from the most basic needles and hooks, to deluxe sets.
So that’s all the waffle...
What’s It Going To Cost?
SPACE
We want to open in a space in Sydney’s Inner West - we think Stitchcraft has a chance to flourish here but more importantly, it’s home. This the place that welcomed me to Australia and it’s an area that I love. My budget for space is around $35,000 p/a, and we're hoping to cover the first few months with savings.
FIXTURES AND FITTINGS
We're looking to decorate in what might be described as ‘granny chic’ - think cosy florals, squishy armchairs and small side tables. Sticking with the environmentally friendly ethos we're hoping to foster, I want to reuse and recycle as much furniture as possible, keeping costs down as well. We're budgeting around $2,000 for furniture depending on the size of the space.
The real cost for any cafe space is the machinery for coffee making. We're looking into getting a refurbished espresso machine and heavy duty grinder for which we're budgeting around $3,500.
I’m budgeting another $1,500 for other cafe equipment – stuff like a fridge/freezer, microwave, dishwasher, teapots, mugs, cups, cutlery etc. Again, we'll be looking to get as much of this second hand as possible, which in the Inner West is thankfully pretty easy!
STOCK
Budgeting for stock at this early stage is difficult because we don’t know the size of the space we’ll be in, or how much room we’ll have to dedicate to selling, but I’m going to throw out a ballpark figure of around $8,000 to begin with for a good range of yarn fibre types, colours and weights.
Perks
So you’ve handed over your hard earned cash - what do you get in return (other than my eternal thanks)?
$5
A Thank You Note
We'll get our nicest pens out and hand-write you a thank-you note! We'll also have a list of contributors on our website so you can have your kindness memorialised.
$10
Free coffee & something tasty
What it says on the tin: free coffee of your choice, plus something delicious when our doors open.
$20
Surprise Amigurumi
We’ll send you a surprise amigurumi in the mail. Cute Japanese crocheted toy + mail = true happiness. If you're outside of Australia, then all we'll ask of you is to pay shipping.
$30
Join the Founding Members Club!
Who doesn’t want to be in a club? We’ll send you an exclusive Founding Members Club pin, some vouchers to use when we’re open and you’ll continue to get special offers for years to come! Membership is included in all donations of $30 or more.
$50
Sponsor a Teapot
You’ll be a member of our exclusive club (perks above) plus, your name on a teapot! What price can we really put on fame via crockery?
$125
Deconstructed Scarf
Deconstruction is all the rage nowadays…for $125 you get all the materials you need to knit or crochet a scarf (patterns to be confirmed) in selected fibres and weights.
$250
Deconstructed Jumper
Honestly, who doesn’t love a jumper! Choose from a selection of patterns and yarns to make your perfect jumper. We’ll make sure there’s something for all abilities and sizes.
$500
Free coffee and 10% off for a year
We’ll make you a special voucher which gets you free coffee every time you visit for a year (so long as you don’t come twice a day, every day) PLUS 10% off all purchases from the store.
$1000
Deconstructed Jumper, Free Coffee & 15% Off For A Year
Basically come pick out the yarn for a jumper of your choice (or other, similar sized garment) and then enjoy free coffee and 15% off the rest of your purchases for the year!
Why?
But there are yarn shops in the Inner West already, we hear you say. If I fall over in the Inner West, I can't help but hit both knees and an elbow on a cafe serving great coffee, we hear you cry. This is true. We're not saying that we're going to be the only yarn shop or the only place where you can get a decent cup of coffee. But we will be the only place where you can get both and really, convenience is just...great.
On a more serious note, we want to be more than just a cafe or a yarn shop. We want to provide an accessible space, where people who wouldn't normally feel comfortable knitting or crocheting find themselves wanting to join in. We want to teach everyone who wants to how to knit and crochet, how to read a pattern and how not to be terrified of dropping stitches (we can't make any promises on this one). We want to use yarn and coffee as a force for social good and we think that's what makes us different.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you can't donate, that's totally cool. We're millennials and we understand that it's hard enough to buy smashed avo at the moment. It would still really help if you shared our campaign though! We're also in the process of setting up a market stall at the Marrickville Organic Markets before Christmas so if you want some quirky, handmade Christmas gifts or to ask us more questions face to face, you can visit us there! We'll post dates and details on our Facebook page.