We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Rapp & Michelle Silberman recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole and Michelle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
It was a cold January morning (2021), and I was sitting at my computer contemplating our potential move back to GA the next summer when I remembered something my husband said to me. It was simply, “You have enough yarn to start your own yarn shop.” That got me thinking. I knew the area of GA that the Army was wanting to send us back to, and I knew that they didn’t have a local yarn shop, so being me, I went, alright, let’s do this! I remember telling my two best friends in Italy about this, and they were very supportive and encouraging. I then went up to go see my husband for lunch at work that day, and I excitedly told him my idea, and he was like, ok, do it! To say I was shocked was a bit of an understatement, but as I do, I rolled with it.
I went home and started doing some research. I verified that there was no local yarn shop anywhere in the nearby vicinity, and over the next couple of months started to look at different locations, different yarns, what exactly I wanted to offer, etc. I was quickly beginning to realize that I wanted a partner; someone who would help balance me out, who could help rein in some of the crazier ideas and bring more to the table education wise. I remember going to my favorite yarn “shop” with Michelle, in reality it’s a warehouse that doesn’t sell much straight to the public, but they knew us and would let us shop there. We had been talking about the potential yarn shop and I asked her if she wanted to join me in the crazy. Michelle was one of the first people I told about this back in January, and she said yes! It was crazy, and kind of daunting, but here we are!
Michelle and I talked and planned out all the yarns we wanted to carry, needles, notions, the classes we wanted to offer and more. We knew it would be quite a while before we were able to open as we were both moving back to the US after living in Italy and so that gave us plenty of time to plan and we never felt rushed about our decisions. We had started looking into different locations, but nothing felt quite right. I knew there were areas I didn’t want to be in and that there was a ton of construction going on in Evans. So we looked and looked and looked. We finally ended up tabling it until it got closer.
At the same time, I was also looking into e-cargo bikes. I wanted to get one so I could ride around easier with my kids, and again, my husband had the idea that I could use it for local deliveries and advertising. I thought, what a great idea! Then I started to really think about THAT some more, and we kind of went, well, why open up a yarn shop in a store front? Covid has taught us that many small businesses, and especially new ones aren’t doing well right now, the cost to remodel and stock a yarn shop is extremely high, plus then factoring in the cost of insurance and electricity and all the other overhead is just exorbitant. My husband is a huge fan of Vespa, always has been, always will be, and he suggested looking into a Piaggio Ape. I laughed and said, no way! They’re way too small. However, Michelle and I looked into it, mostly to humor him and thought, wait, maybe it was possible. I knew with only being mobile that it would be harder to get customers, but there are ways. I knew that there were farmers markets in the area and I reached out to a few local businesses and libraries to see if they would be okay with my setting up various Sit & Stitches.
So then we researched as much as we could about converting old Piaggio Ape’s, and reached out to a few different companies. We had gotten no response, and were getting discouraged when we finally found a company that responded to us almost immediately! Karpatia Trucks was fantastic to work with, they reached out and we did a video conference where we told them what we were thinking and what we wanted. They were a little taken aback at first, but they were excited to take on the project. They mostly do food trucks, so we were definitely their first yarn truck, but we worked with their head designer, Petra, and she was just wonderful! We worked on the plans for this all summer long to get the exact specifications we wanted (and I was literally moving things by millimeters to get enough room to do what I wanted to do). We chose the exterior color, the fabric on the inside of the Ape, what the interior of the back of the truck would look like and many other decisions. After months of planning, they were finally ready to begin the build! They found a 1965 Piaggio Ape and it was originally registered in a small town called Col de Lana, which translates to hill of wool. It was absolutely perfect (where it came from, not the actual Ape!) They had it transported over to Hungary where Norbert took over and was in charge of fixing her up. I ended up being able to go visit Hungary in January of 2022. It was an amazing trip, and I got to check up on our Ape, meet with Norbert in person and make sure everything was the way we wanted it before it was finished.
In February the Ape was finished, and the movers had come to pack up my house in Italy and the big move began, both for the Ape and me! I was stateside before the Ape, and I had the yarn and needles and notions we wanted to sell, so we unofficially “opened” and I started going to the local farmers market. Due to shipping and transportation issues, we didn’t get the Ape until the end of June, but we had our grand opening at Evans Farmers Market on June 25th, 2022!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Sheep 2 Stitch is a women owned small business dedicated to supporting artists and building community through a shared love of the fiber arts. Business owners Michelle and Nicole fortuitously met In 2019 in Vicenza Italy. Both are married to military servicemen and happened to be stationed in the same place at the same time. After becoming fast friends the idea of the business was set into motion and the business design began to take shape.
In building our business goals we knew early on that community building and education were very important. Every week, Nicole can be found at the Savannah River Brewing Company hosting Sip n Stitch, and at the local library where fellow knitters and crocheters gather to craft and create together. Michelle naturally dyes yarn using plants and organic materials and enjoys teaching the art of natural dyeing.
We sell hand dyed yarn sourced from small independent yarn dyers all around the world. In addition to yarn and fiber we have everything needed for knitting and crocheting to include stitch markers, hooks and needles, and a multitude of knitting accessories.
We are working hard to expand our teaching options so others can learn the fiber arts.
Sheep 2 Stitch strives to provide a space that showcases the work of independent artists and makers. We are passionate about supporting others in this industry and helping to encourage consumers to support small businesses and independent artists.
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
My absolute favorite sales story is about a little boy who was 5 at the time of all things. I was at the Evans Market on a Saturday, and I had on display what I call my “kid teaching spindles”. I have 6 of them, 1 for every color of the rainbow and I display them so that kids can see them. I always love it when kids ask what they are, and so I’ll explain to them that they are used for spinning fiber into yarn, and then I ask THEM if they want to try it. This little boy said yes, and so I let him choose his color and sat him down with the drop spindle. When I teach kids how to spin I always have to join (attach to either existing spun fiber or leader yarn) new fiber to the drop spindle because I let every child keep what they spin if they’d like (I will usually turn it into a wool bracelet or necklace so they can wear it and show it off proudly). I join it and explain why I do it and show them how I do that, and then I give them the spindle and let them have a go. It depends on the age and capabilities of the child as to how much I let them do by themselves, some require more assistance than others, and then there are some kids who just have an absolute knack for it. This boy, who was 5 years old, had an absolute knack for it! He picked it up like a seasoned pro and was soon spinning on his own and wanted more fiber. So I gave him some more. According to his mother, he had ADHD and never sat still and couldn’t focus much on things and she was just amazed at him and how well he was doing. I told her that while I couldn’t sell him that specific spindle (they really can’t be replaced easily as they’re sold by an Italian gentleman, in Italy), I did have others and that we offer different kits. She ended up buying him a drop spindle and a braid of fiber. It might not seem like the biggest sale, but to me it was so much more than just a sale. It was about teaching a little kid, and seeing the wonder and amazement and love that he had for this. It was about witnessing his mother be supportive of this and letting her son experience it. I’ve heard more than a few times from various people that spinning and all that “fiber nonsense” is only for girls. So to see her being so supportive just really touched me, and I honestly wish more parents, family and friends could all be that supportive.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: /sheep2stitch
- Facebook: /sheep2stitch
Image Credits
Dustin Williams Photography Karina Cantu Photography