Clay Wood & Cotton logo. Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

For this interview, we’re headed over to Beacon, New York, near the Hudson River to talk to Kristy from Clay Wood & Cotton! This whole area has a long and fascinating history, especially surrounding the Revolutionary War, which is not surprising since  Beacon is a very old area of New York, founded in the early 1700s. (Originally, it was actually two villages, but they were merged exactly a century ago; coincidentally, two weeks ago marked the centennial of the town!)

Falls on Fishkill Creek. Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: Kristy, thanks so much for being here today!

Kristy: Absolutely, it’s my pleasure!

Kristy from Clay Wood & Cotton! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: Let’s get started, as I have a feeling this will be a fun interview. But first… I must ask…

Standing right outside Clay Wood & Cotton. What awaits us inside?? Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: What’s that I see in the lower left corner next to the Spud & Chloë sign? Is that… an enormous pair of knitting needles? *squints*

Kristy: It sure is!

Love the quirky giant needles! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: Haha, excellent attention-grabbing for the front window! So, we talked a bit about Beacon above, but tell me more about your shop’s neighborhood and how you chose it.

Kristy: Beacon is a small town in New York’s Hudson Valley that has really reinvented itself in the past decade or so. It used to be extremely economically depressed and overrun with drugs. Then, artists starting moving up from the city and small galleries started opening up. When the Dia:Beacon (a contemporary art museum) opened up in an old factory, many more artists moved here, more galleries opened, and the tourists started coming, too! Now there are young families, as well as artists, moving here, and the row of galleries up Main Street is being broken up by more shops and new restaurants. We feel like Clay Wood & Cotton is the perfect shop for Beacon, since what we sell is essentially functional art.

Shop entrance. Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: Great segue, as I was just about to ask you to go into detail about what your shop sells, as its name tells me it is probably a varied selection!

Kristy: When we opened our shop in the Fall of 2009, the name was a way to reference the products we opened the shop with: ceramics, kitchen textiles, and wooden cutting boards. We’ve since grown a lot to include handmade jewelry, greeting cards, and wool. Last year we moved down the block to a space double the previous size. The move let us bring in yarn, patterns, and kits.

Shop interior. Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: It sounds like there is something for everyone, especially for people who appreciate and enjoy handcrafted, unique items!

Kristy: With the exception of the yarn and craft supplies, nearly every item we sell at Clay Wood & Cotton is made by hand. When you buy handmade, you’re supporting an independent artist and you are receiving something that has been made with love and care from start to finish. Your money doesn’t go to a huge corporation, it goes directly to the artisan or craftperson who created your new mug, scarf, napkin, or print. Buying handmade allows these artists to continue to thoughtfully create one-of-a-kind goods. Additionally, many handmade artists use recycled, repurposed, or eco-friendly materials, which makes buying handmade items good for the planet, too.

A place for handmade! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: Absolutely! Since yarn and patterns are a new addition to your shop, tell us about the fun activities you did to introduce Spud & Chloë! I saw an adorable flier you guys made, as well as an announcement on your web site. What made you decide to bring Spud & Chloë into your shop?

Spud & Chloë front window display as seen from the exterior! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Kristy: When we brought in yarn last year, Blue Sky Alpacas was at the top of our list. We love having it here and thought hosting a Spud & Chloë yarn tasting would be the perfect way to introduce those yarns to the area. And the beginning of Spring seemed like the perfect time to introduce the wool/cotton blend and, of course, the bright new colors are just what everyone wants after a cold, drab winter. We turned the front display into all Spud & Chloë and held a yarn tasting with treats and passed out project bags with some goodies inside. It was a hit! We had a great turnout and definitely created a few new Spud & Chloë addicts. (In fact, the other night at our knit circle, I glanced up and noticed that EVERY SINGLE person was either knitting with Blue Sky Alpacas or Spud & Chloë yarn. Made me smile!)

Spud & Chloë front window display as seen from the interior! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: Haha, that is excellent! We love to hear that. Is the knit circle held at the shop?

Kristy: Actually, we’re now right next door to the coffeehouse, and that is where we meet up on Monday nights to knit/crochet and hang out.

Jillian: That sounds fun!

Kristy: Yes, my husband recently learned to knit so he could join in on the fun (though it helps that the coffeehouse also serves beer…)!

Jillian: Hmm… maybe that’s how I can get my husband to try knitting or crochet: just add beer! XD Speaking of knitting and crocheting, how did you become interested in yarn and yarn crafts?

Kristy: Well, I’ve always made things! In fact, I received my first sewing machine the Christmas I was five. But, I didn’t knit or crochet until after I moved to New York after art school in my early twenties. Growing up in Texas, I had never needed a scarf or winter coat before, but I suddenly found myself in need of not just a scarf and winter coat, but hats, mittens, and warm socks! So, of course I had to learn how to knit! I taught myself over a long weekend, and then a few years later taught myself how to crochet when I was commuting daily on the train (crochet seemed less intrusive to my seatmates). A decade later, a day doesn’t go by without some needle or hook time. Or both.

Knit flowers. Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: We here at Spud & Chloë can relate! Cousin Katie and I definitely have needle and/or hook time as part of our daily routines. How did your passion for these activities lead you to opening a shop?

Kristy: The shop came about after I met my kindred spirit Kristen Couse in 2008. We met when we were both making and selling our work on the New York City craft fair circuit. She recently left to focus on her family, but she helped build a solid foundation of supporting and promoting handmade. Our backgrounds and experience as artists and crafters helped us set up an environment that focused on the needs of the independent makers whose work fills the shop.

Jillian: That is so cool! It is fun and inspiring to find a partner who has the same vision you do. Before we end our talk today, I just wanted to talk more about other interests you might have. Through our talks while planning this interview, you mentioned you were busy baking a strawberry pie! Sounds delish! Do you bake a lot?

Kristy’s homemade strawberry pie! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Kristy: Oh, yes, I love to bake and cook. I actually have an annual pie party/cookout at my house in the Fall (this year will be the sixth year). We end up with over 20 pies! You can imagine the reputation I have around town. (Plus, that’s the only way I can get my friends down in NYC to take the train up to visit—bribe them with pie.)

Jillian: The pie party sounds amaaazing!! What fun! I would totally travel long and far to experience that, so I’m not surprised your friends are willing to! Let’s continue the fun: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

Kristy: Anne of Green Gables! It’s been years since I watched the mini-series, it’s probably time for a rewatch. Puffed sleeves and raspberry cordial and Gilbert Blythe… *sigh*

Speaking of strawberries, these knit strawberries look good enough to eat! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: *also gives a dreamy sigh* Haha, oh, gosh, the raspberry cordial! XD One of the funniest scenes ever. Anne of Green Gables is actually one of my favorite fictional characters, too. She is so spunky and strong-minded. Definitely one-of-a-kind! I smiled when you mentioned that Kristen is a kindred spirit because that is so something Ann-with-an-E of Green Gables would say! One last question before we close for today: If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Kristy: Hmmmm… this is a tough one… Maybe the ability to not have to sleep! Just imagine all the additional crafting time! Oh, yeah, and doing good deeds.

Look at all the colors and yarn! So pretty! Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Jillian: *laughs* There’s a superpower I can relate to! If I didn’t have to devote so many hours to sleep, I could tackle even more crafty things! Kristy, I had such a good time talking with you! Thank you for being here and telling us all about you and your shop.

And thanks to our dear readers for being here today! If you want to learn more about Clay Wood & Cotton but aren’t close enough to visit in person, you can visit their website, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, check out their pins, and read their blog.

And, remember, if you own or visit a local yarn shop that is doing fun activities with Spud & Chloë yarns, let us know by emailing info@spudandchloe.com. We are always looking for more stores to interview!

Shop sign. Photo © Clay Wood & Cotton

Here I am, back in California for the third subject in our shop interview series! Usually, I like more variety in terms of locations, but I simply could not pass up the timely opportunity to write about this most unusual shop, which has just held its grand opening and may be traveling (you read that right: traveling!) to a town near you.

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Readers who are similar in age to me may remember the Bookmobile from our youth, which drove around local neighborhoods, lending books to children. I found many favorite paperbacks as a preteen scouring the Bookmobile’s shelves. Some years later, this idea seemed to have been applied to restaurants, and food trucks began to spring up all over, especially in downtown areas. I worked in Downtown Minneapolis a couple years ago, and at lunch time during the warmer months there were lines nearly a block long to buy food from some of these trucks! Well, buckle your seatbelt, because two intrepid women have taken this idea another step further, creating Yarnover Truck:

Yarnover Truck is your local yarn store on wheels, implementing the food truck business model and applying it to a mobile yarn store. The truck will make appearances at a variety of local events … throughout Southern California. Our goal is not only to sell yarn, but to increase awareness and provide needlearts education, with a focus on knitting and crocheting.

Curious? Me, too. Let’s put the pedal to the metal, and speed on over as quickly as we can so Maridee and Barbra can tell us how this incredible idea came to fruition!

Wait, wait, though. First we should get in the mood… how about Venice Beach, one of the most popular beaches in Southern California (I can see why!)?

Photo © http://www.scottyphotos.com

Ahhhhhh… Okay, now we’re ready for adventure!

Neighbor Jillian: *knocks on Yarnover Truck door, then steps back a bit* Helloooooo?? Neighbor Jillian here to interview you for the Spud & Chloë blog!

The door pops open, and out come Maridee and Barbra, both waving at me to come on in!

Maridee is on the left, Barbra is on the right! Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: *mouth agape* Ladies, this is so fantastic! Gosh, I can hardly wait to talk to you about all of this. Let’s start at the beginning with your knitting histories.

Maridee: My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was 12 years old. My first project was a set of granny square Christmas stockings that were black and pink instead of red and green! (I was a bit of a rebel, even at age 12.) Then, several years ago, I picked up the craft again and then discovered Ravelry. Oh, the joys of digital pattern downloads!! Through Ravelry I found a knit/crochet group that met near my home and that is how I met Barbra. Since joining the group, I have also learned to knit with their help and have been asked to show some of my coworkers how to do it.

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Barbra: I taught myself to knit 11 years ago. Knitting had always been around while I was growing up, as my grandmother was an avid knitter. Although my grandmother is no longer with us, I am sure she is watching to make sure I don’t drop too many stitches.

Neighbor Jillian: Now we know how you met! And, while your story is all over your website and Ravelry group, I’m hoping you can go into more detail about how all this came about or perhaps share any other neat inside details?

Maridee: The idea came about because I was thinking about opening a yarn store. I had come up with a great name for the shop if I could find a spot in Hollywood to have it: Yarn Over Hollywood! I thought it would be great to decorate the shop using many of the photos of actresses knitting while on set. I mentioned my idea to Barbra because I knew she was already working with many LYS’s in our area, helping them with their social media. Barbra mentioned to her knitting group at work that I was looking into opening a store and one of them suggested we use a truck. Well, Barbra then went searching on Google to explore other mobile retail trucks and sent me a very long email, and later that day we went to a little truck event to see one of the local retail trucks. That night, we became business partners and decided Yarn Over Hollywood would become Yarnover Truck. (We decided to make “yarn over” into one word because it looked better in our logo design!)

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: Well, I just got chills because that is such a cool story of how your partnership developed. Now that you knew you were going to have a truck, where did you find one to turn into Yarnover Truck and how did the renovations go?

Barbra: We found our truck on Craig’s List! She was a former Little Debbie delivery truck, and before that transported uniform laundry. We were very lucky in getting the truck renovated, as one of my brothers works in construction and did all the renovations for us! My other brother (they are twins) designed our logo and truck wrap. We like keeping it all in the family.

Neighbor Jillian: That is so cool. I would imagine the truck itself is like family now, too. Does she have a name?

Maridee: We LOVE that she was a Little Debbie delivery truck, and have eaten way too many Swiss Rolls in celebration, so we named her Debbie in honor of her past life!

Neighbor Jillian: So cute! Tell me about the launch party!

Barbra: The launch party was held in a park near where we both live, just behind the studio where “The Tonight Show” used to be filmed in Burbank, California. We sold tickets initially through our Indiegogo Campaign for those who wanted to be the “first” to see and shop in the truck. Then, once that campaign ended, we continued to sell tickets and in the end sold close to 100 of them! We had many of our friends and supporters there, plus people we had never met come and cheer us on. Everyone loved the truck and we received many compliments on her design and inventory of great yarns that we chose to sell!

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Maridee: The afternoon was a resounding success and many people spent several hours with us in the park knitting and crocheting with new and old friends. We had a great gift bag for all who came, fun drawings throughout the afternoon, and light food and drinks—including Little Debbie snacks in honor of our truck! There are a bunch of photos from the event up on our Facebook page and more continue to get posted as the days pass. We keep getting messages from people who came and just had a wonderful time. It was a great way for us to launch our business!

Neighbor Jillian: It sounds like a fun time was had by all, especially these ladies, who got Yarnover Makeovers!

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: We’ve covered how Yarnover Truck came to be, but what exactly is inside it? Obviously, it carries yarn, including our very own Spud & Chloë, but do you sell knitting needles and other implements so that if someone wants to buy yarn but didn’t bring items to start working right away you have them covered?

Barbra: Yes, we carry knitting needles and crochet hooks. Even though space is limited and we are not carrying a very big variety, if someone does fall in love with a wonderful yarn and wants to start a project immediately, we have the tools to help them do just that! We also believe that at some of the larger community events and festivals, we will have people coming to the truck who have never knitted or crocheted anything before. We will be their first exposure to these wonderful crafts and we want to help them get started right away and hopefully fall in love with it like we both have!

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Neighbor Jillian: Excellent! It sounds like you ladies have thought of everything. How did you decide to bring Spud & Chloë onboard as part of your stock?

Maridee: We have both used Spud & Chloe for several projects and really fell in love with the yarn. For me, I have to admit that, as a crocheter, yarn that is fine intimidates me a bit, but Spud & Chloë Fine has become one of my favorites! I love that the pieces I have made are easy to care for. That is very important to me!

Neighbor Jillian: Spud & Chloë Fine is one of my favorites also! Earlier you touched a bit on going to larger community events and festivals, and I noticed you have put a handy calendar up on your site so shoppers know where to find you! Can you talk more about your plans for where people can find Yarnover Truck in the coming months?

Photo © Yarnover Truck

Maridee: We had created a list of events we felt we should check out when we were writing up our business plan, but since our launch and article in the Los Angeles Times, many people have reached out to us with suggestions for places to visit and events to attend. We are going through that very LONG list right now and will be mapping out our plans for the next several months.

Neighbor Jillian: I know that you have stated that you plan to go up and down the coast of Southern California, but is there any chance you would take Yarnover Truck on the road for a true roadtrip? Saaaaaaaaay, to Minnesota, which is the location of Spud & Chloë World Headquarters?

Barbra: Maridee is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota so you are not the first to ask this question!! We have requests to bring the truck all over the country. While nothing is set yet, we might consider a road trip or two—we just need to work out the logistics (and hope that the price of gas stays where it is or gets lower!).

Neighbor Jillian: So, we know where Debbie will go, but now the question is… who gets to drive??

Maridee: We both drive Debbie, and the other follows in their car filled with back-up stock and supplies. There is only so much we can fit on Debbie

Photo © Yarnover Truck

As the sun sets, I exit Yarnover Truck and come back to reality. Leaving California behind, I daydream of yarn and beaches…

Photo © http://www.pbase.com

Follow Yarnover Truck (figuratively, not literally!) by going to their website, liking their Facebook page, finding them on Twitter, signing up for their mailing list, or joining their group on Ravelry!

If you own or visit a local yarn shop that is doing fun activities with Spud & Chloë yarns, let us know by emailing info@spudandchloe.com. We are always looking for more stores to interview!