I first visited the shop when it was at it's previous location adjacent to the Schoolhouse complex just down the road. It was there that I found a precious skein of lavender sugar cane yarn that knitted up into one of my favorite small shawls. I continuously get compliments on it and promised myself that if I ever got the chance to find that magical yarn again I'd grab it. My dream was fulfilled when I realized that the very first yarn I touched in the shop happened to be another beautiful colorway of the sugarcane! Needless to say, it came home with me and I can't wait to get to playing with it!
There be magic in that yarn!
So without further a-do, please welcome Rebecca Abecassis, owner of Knit Wit!
How did you get started?
It was a combination of my daughter going off to college, my son finishing high school and always wanting to own my own shop. I also have a couple of friends who have their own shops and they encouraged me to start one of my own. My friend turned me on to a perfect location in Sperryville. It was a beautifully restored home that was around 400 square feet. Having a small space allowed me to be open weekends and continue working my full time job. I started out with a very small inventory and as sales increased so did the inventory of yarn. I outgrew the first location and had the opportunity to move to a larger space in Sperryville, which I enjoyed, but missed being on Main Street. The opportunity came along to move back to Main Street last September so I relocated again, hopefully for the last time. In August, I will celebrate my seventh anniversary. I still enjoy the shop and look forward to being there on the weekends and have a wonderful lady at the shop during the week so the shop can be open when I'm at work. I also have a wonderful business partner, and we enjoy having another shop that we call Comfort.
Why specifically yarn and knitting for your business?
I learned to knit when my husband was stationed in Iceland 27 years ago, and I was awaiting the birth of our daughter. We were stationed there for 3 1/2 years and every family member got a hand knit sweater. Also, right before we left Iceland I taught a group of ladies to knit Icelandic sweaters and enjoyed the experience of showing other people how to knit. However, the birth of my second child, working, and not having access to wonderful yarn left knitting as a fond memory. But when my friend opened 145 Art and Design Studio in Culpeper she offered knitting classes. I took my daughter to the class thinking she would like to learn to knit and discovered all of the varieties of yarns that I had been missing out on and got the bug to knit again. I love the colors, textures, and the endless possibilities of what can be created.
What's your favorite thing about owning a yarn shop?
It's a tie between finding the yarn and the people who come to the shop. I enjoy having local yarns as well as supporting organizations that offer fair trade and US made yarns. And I can't say enough about the wonderful people who have come to the shop and the group of knitters who faithfully attend Thursday night Sit and Knit. Whether it's fiber artists or those curious about knitting and/or fiber, I have met a lot of wonderful people that I otherwise would never have had the opportunity to meet.
What surprised you?
The passion and joy that knitters, crocheters, felters, spinners, and weavers derive from working with fiber. As soon as they walk through the door, they smile and immediately start touching the yarn. I can't help but be inspired when I see that people are enjoying the shop.
Baaaaaaa!
Any advice for folks considering opening up a yarn shop of their own?
Start small, enjoy what you're doing, like helping people, and smile because you're surrounded by beautiful yarn.
Random factoid about yourself!
Thank you so much for featuring Knit Wit. I hope you will stop in and show me the result of your sugar cane yarn.
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