We met at the Sideways Cafe for breakfast just around the corner from their fabulous Yarn Shop. Skein Sisters is a short walk up the street from the Light Rail at Dulwich Grove Stop.
Debbie and Janine shared stories with us about how they learned to knit and why they started their yarn business. They work together in their partnership and have a very good piece of advice for our readers that are thinking about or just getting started with their own creative business.
I learned how to crochet from a neighbor that migrated to the United States from Germany. Can you tell us who introduced each of you to knitting and yarn?
My Mom taught me how to knit. It was handed down from my Grandmother to my Mother. They were in London during World War 2 and there was an absolute need to make your own clothes and grow your own veges. A basic absolute need! I grew up with my mom knitting, sewing, embroidery, crocheting, macrame, absolutely everything creative!
My Mother grew up in Brisbane North of us in Queensland with an older Sister and my Grandmother. They taught my Mom to sew. My mom became a dressmaker by trade. It extended to Quilting, Knitting, Basketry, Millinary, Beading. My mother was also a very crafty lady !
We see lots of yarn for sale in the United States that is made in China. We've read that Australia and New Zealand are one of the top producers of high quality wool and yarn in the world. As owners of a yarn shop do you find this to be true?
It used to be; but Australia had a huge problem with a lack of water for scouring the wool and how to handle the resulting waste products. Our country began outsourcing the process of scouring, dying, and spinning to China. The quality started to go down. Recently there has been a big movement to bring the entire process of making yarn back to Australia and New Zealand.
Smaller mills are opening or revamping to bring back production of high quality yarn. I know of one mill in Australia that has two engineers looking closely into efficient ways to treat the waste water that comes from scouring the wool.
You carry yarn in your shop made in Australia, New Zealand, United States, and Ireland. Do you find your customers in Australia are educated about yarn and looking for locally made yarn?
The country of origin is not as important for our customers as having a variety of beautiful high quality yarn they can see and feel.
We market our yarn by Brand. Our customers range from the novice to expert. We also have customers that are fashion students in the local university. We offer to give new customers to the store a tour of our shop and explain the characteristics and qualities of the different brands.
We also list yarn by the brand in our online store as well and explain the process used by the maker of each brand. We find that having a physical store is promoting our online shop as well. We ship our yarn anywhere in the world.
It's a unique experience for our customers to be able to find such a variety of gorgeous yarn in one place.
We also want to give great customer service in our shop and provide an unmet need for high quality yarn for creative people.
Sisters Spotlight
We learned from your website, that you recently started offering knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, and dying classes in your shop. Where do your teachers come from?
Most of the instructors come from the New South Wales Knitters Guild. We are offering a variety of classes for the beginner to the experienced knitter and crocheter.
We will be having some holiday workshops.
- Weaving a Wall Hanging With Sky Carter
- Learn to Crochet Christmas Amigurumi.
Skein Sisters Classes and Workshops Schedule.
We read about your very complimentary talents, Debbie with retail fashion & textiles and Janine with advertising and marketing as well as writing. As business partners in Skein Sisters, do you have a method for assigning the tasks and responsibilities with running your business?
When we decided we wanted to open a Yarn Store we made a long list. It included everything we thought should be part of a dream yarn store.
We knew we wanted a sophisticated point of sale system that would track inventory between the brick and mortar store and the online store.
We also wanted an easy to navigate, beautiful and clear website for ordering online. We ended up dividing our responsibilities down the middle.
The store we found was an old tool store covered in sheet metal with bars on the windows. We needed to rip out everything.
Our husbands got involved in helping us create the coolest yarn shop in the world! We were lucky to have their expertise as well.
Debbie:
My husband is an architect and he designed the store in such a way to make yarn the focus.
My husband has an interest in photography and took photography classes in the past. He has a great eye for photographing the wool to show color and texture as accurately as possible in a picture.
Check out the example below and see more photographs at Skein Sisters.
Kidsilk Lace Yarn
Now we divide our responsibilities as we go. We talk about everything and get input from our employees about social marketing and business. It's very collaborative.
We work well together which is great because there are very long days!
Our biggest issue is finding time to do everything we want to do...
We've learned that "It doesn't all need to be done now"
Great advice from Skein Sisters for creative businesses just getting started.
Libby at Truly Myrtle chats with Janine and Deb from Skein Sisters