During the Kansas City Yarn Crawl, I traveled to Lawrence, KS and stopped at Yarn Barn of Kansas. The owner, Susan Bateman, took the time to answer the following questions and I’m thrilled to share them with you.
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Please tell me about your journey into the world of yarn.
“My BFA degree from KU is in Textile Design in Weaving. I wanted to use my degree and decided right away to open up a supply store. Initially, we specialized in weaving, spinning, and natural dyeing.“
How did you first get interested in knitting/crocheting?
“Textile arts needed to include more than just weaving, however. I taught myself knitting along the way and I hired some staff that already had expertise in knitting and crochet to help customers. At one point, we also supplied materials for needlepoint, cross-stitch, basket making, and rug hooking.”
What was the most challenging part of starting your business? Any particular hurdles or surprises along the way?
“Initially, I borrowed $3,000 from my parents. It became obvious that I would need more so tried to get a loan from a bank. No business plan, no documentation, just the urgent desire to open the store. They said no so I went to work for the bank. I asked the next year and they said no again. I had to put up collateral to get that loan. Once paid off, we have never borrowed again.“
What can customers expect when they visit your shop?
“Yarn Barn of Kansas is kind of all-inclusive. We have separate sections on the showroom floor that highlight 1) knitting and crocheting yarns plus a wall of accessories, 2) weaving yarns, looms, and tools, and 3) spinning wheels and tools, natural breeds, indie dyed and commercially dyed fiber. Our staff is amazing and very qualified to answer questions. They thrive on helping you plan projects, assisting with technique questions, making sure the correct weight and fiber of yarn is appropriate for your needs, helping with color selections, and particularly enjoy seeing finished projects!“
Describe the atmosphere, layout, and any special features (e.g., cozy seating area, community board).
“Education and classes are a major part of our business. We come out with 3 schedules a year usually listing over 50 classes in any trimester. Classes cover knitting, crocheting, weaving, and spinning. We are fortunate to have exceptional teachers in our area. Most knitting and crochet classes are held on the showroom floor making easy access to available yarns and tools they may be needing. We also have acquired a large, well-lit classroom space for those classes meeting with larger equipment like looms and spinning wheel. With this larger space, we can also bring in nationally recognized instructors. Toni Lipsey (crochet), Beth Brown Reinsel (knitting), Bobbi Irwin, and Debby Greenlaw (weaving) brought rave reviews for 2024. Next year we will have Debby Greenlaw again and Patty Lyons (knitting) in the spring of 2025!”
Do you offer any unique products or services? Please highlight any exclusive yarn lines, tools.
“Not many stores specialize in weaving and spinning so I would say that those are unique to the store. Since weaving was my field, we have become one of the main go-to weaving shops in the country. We carry most brands of looms and spinning wheels which anyone can come in to see and touch! We also like to promote and carry indie dyers from Kansas. We carry 316, Th’Red Head, Life’s a Stitch, Red Door Silks—all from Kansas!“
How do you foster a sense of community among your customers?
“We do have a Stitch Night on the third Thursday of each month from 6-8 p.m. Several knitting groups and a tapestry weaving group meet up here at the store each week or month. Of course, when customers come in for help, we share our tables as well as our staff help. Mail order is a large portion of our business as well and we have a separate group of employees who help them every weekday. I always feel honored when phone customers give us praises for our courteous and detailed service on the phone. Daily we have people stopping in from all across the country.“
Does social media play a part in your business?
We have several staff members who post on Instagram and Facebook. We also have a YouTube channel and are adding more and more instructional programs to that. We always welcome showing customer’s projects off when they bring them into the store to show off!
(Watch the video if you’d like to see all our photos at Yarn Barn from the KC Yarn Crawl!)
Thank you, Susan, for answering my questions! If you are traveling to Lawrence, KS, be sure to visit Yarn Barn, you’ll be glad you did!
Yarn Barn of Kansas
930 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS
1-800-468-0035
https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com
Thanks for spending time with me today.
~ Belle
