We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annette Corsino-Blair. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annette below.
Annette, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry
The fiber arts, like other industries, have trends that go in and out of fashion. Right now, there are lots of crochet garments and accessories on the runway, so naturally, people are wanting to learn to crochet. I’ve taught record numbers of people how to crochet since the beginning of the year!
Young people especially are crocheting crop tops, making accessories, and amigurumi plushies.
Our Emotional Support Chicken knitting kits have been really popular! They are huggable, full size chickens with names like Hennifer Lopez and Betty Egg White. I think because the world is such an uncertain place, filled with anxiety and lonliness, these chickens give people permission to have a laugh, and be a little vunlnaerable!
Our store is always filled with people crafting together with others in community.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I got into the industry in a wacky way! in 2002 I had been an artist/photographer/printmaker/teacher/mom of 3, when I saw a chunky scarf in the Gap. I went to my local yarn store and asked for chunky yarn. They ordered some for me and when I started knitting, a firestorm wentoff inside me! I started teaching everyone I knew how to knit. Before long, there were 20 people in my kitchen every Monday night, and I thought “we need a store in the neighborhood!” Knowing nothing about business, I opened a store in 3 months with 2 friends.
The partnership did not go well, but we established ourselves as a community based store with lots of loyal customers.
I pride myself with unlocking people’s creativity – especially when they think they aren’t creative.
I’ll also work to find the best craft for the client, whether it be knitting, crochet, weaving, dyeing or spinning.
We offer lots of support along the way with tiered classes, drop in help, and private classes. We also have social knitting potlucks twice a week, where customers can get together with other crafters, compare projects, share food, make friends and laugh together! We joke that we solve all the worlds problems at our table.
All of the fiber arts are traditionall done in groups, so we are carrying on a long history of supporting each other.
I am very proud of building that community and creating our own little blue zone!
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
We started out just teaching selling yarn. Then we built our education department to keep our clients interested and learning to things.
A few years ago we saw a knitted chicken, and joked that we should have a “Knit an Emotional Support Chicken Pattern!”
The classes took off, and recently we started making our own kits to sell nationally.
My son helped me design the packaging (we got them manufactured overseas), and we gave them silly names like Betty Egg White and Lindsey Cluckingham.
The kits have been a big hit, so we are inspired to create more.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best sources for finding new clients are word of mouth, google and our rating on google. Yarn stores are destination businesses, so people get off the plane at the nearby LAX airport, google yarn stores near me, and come visit. They usually want something made locally, and I dye my own yarn, so it’s a winning combo.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theknittingtreela.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theknittingtreela/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theknittingtreela
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfgJ0MLjUnAXv2tVfi2WUVA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-knitting-tree-inglewood-3
- Other: https://linktr.ee/theknittingtreela
Image Credits
All Photos by Annette Corsino