Natural Entrepreneur: Needle Arts Revival

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Needle Arts Revival

Survey shows an ancient cottage industry is making a comeback

by Margaret LaBerge, Alexandria, NH

Crocheting, knitting and quilting are among the needle arts experiencing a revival in New Hampshire and throughout the nation. It is not just an art and craft, but an entrepreneurial cottage industry. I conducted a survey of shops in New Hampshire to research the state of this art and better understand the factors that led to its revival.

Needle arts—the use of threads and needles to fashion products—predates our earliest records of history. Whether a smooth bone, tempered stainless steel hook, finely sanded wood or plastic needle, when coupled with sinew, threads, wool strands, straw or branches, man’s basic needs for clothing and shelter have been met through this vital art.

Plants and animals provided the earliest threads. Skills were usually learned at a parent’s knee, followed by a lifetime of practice to produce a high levels of expertise. Needle arts have been part of every war and indeed some may even remember knitting socks for the ‘boys’ in World War I. Youngsters learned various types of needle arts at home and were often expected to continue as a supplementary clothing provider.

As populations moved from a farming society to more urban settings, the very skilled among them, both men and women, began selling their abilities and products made of needle and threads. Many of these were early entrepreneurs. As the industrial world evolved, clothing became easier and less expensive to buy ready-made, rather than specially made. However, entrepreneurs in the needle and thread business often continued to work at home.

With encouragement and support from family and friends, these entrepreneurs opened small shops providing specialized products for needle arts. Owners of these businesses found they could expand their opportunity by providing instruction and support to new customers.

During the 1980’s and 1990’s instruction and use of needle and thread was placed on the back burner. Skills fell by the wayside and yarn had become a ho-hum industry. Small stores were being forced out of business with the advent of discount stores. The use of needle and thread at home was quickly becoming a dying art.

It was the year 2000 when I first noticed the resurgence of needle arts. Bright, colorful threads and yarns began to dot the small and large purveyors of threads. Yarns from Turkey, Wales, Hungary, China, Ireland and others presented a brisk challenge to the American thread/yarn businesses.

Soon thereafter, new, fashionable, and fun yarns began to work their way into American businesses but competition remains strong. Along with the new products, many new yarn shops began to pop up everywhere. Pieces made out of the new products were hung, draped, folded and strung around shops to show the versatility of global threads and yarns. Business picked up in needle art shops and is increasing at a quick pace, with no signs of stopping. Business owners report having to continually add more products and recommend ways to use them.

Some people credit the resurgence of needle arts to events of 9-11 and the return to home and nesting. But, as I surveyed several thread and yarn companies I found several other possibilities including:

New products and materials that help make the art more interesting and accessible;
Youngsters becoming curious watching grandmothers and aunts manipulate needles into wonderful articles;
The craft is mobile and thus fits with the lifestyle of people who are constantly on the go;
It is a relaxing, family-oriented pastime;
It is a business that permits a person to feel in control;
It is a person’s counter-response to a technological dominated society.

Some of the challenges facing needle arts shops include the timely delivery of yarn inventories, the need for more marketing, and finding qualified teachers with more than one creative production skill.

In particular, small needle arts shops face the problem of how to market their products. In the shops I reviewed, similar problems are prevalent: How do we let people know what we have? How can we spread the word? How can we best recruit and keep employees who are knowledgeable and able to explain the variety of needle arts to customers?

Here are some suggestions for these small shops:

Ask the local high school to participate in an art contest featuring your shop.
Offer to present small yarn projects to elementary school classes--You may just find a life long customer!
Contact summer camps and discuss a thread/yarn workshop for staff and students. Several parents were looking for yarn kits for their children at camp.
Reach out to the community to recruit and train future customers and employees through adult education, summer school, and tech classes (use of knitting machines and computer aided designing).
Form a collaborative with another small yarn shop to refer and support each other. My research shows that small shops tend to offer what they know best: crocheting, new yarns, knitting or quilting. If shops can work together as a team, you both can be mutually successful.
Sponsor and participate in a regional thread/yarn seminar/show.
Employ seniors to make articles out of new yarns, try them out and be creative. You never know when a pair of sparkle socks can make a day!

And, as with any marketing initiatives, maintain contact with those you meet at your promotions and events, always ask new customers how they heard about you, and keep good records so you can evaluate what promotions are working best to keep improving.

Some needle artists sell their work as juried craftsmen in craftsman shops and galleries. One such artisan’s outlet is in Ashland, NH. In fact, there is a group of people hired by specialty yarn companies to produce creative new items from new commercial threads and yarn.

As a final note, one of the fastest rising skills is home embroidery with the aid of a personal computer. Computers have made serious inroads into needle arts. Sewing machines, knitting machines and embroidery machines are largely computerized at this point, including both home and commercial versions.

Needle Arts Shops Surveyed:

An Essex Yarn Shop, Essex, MA
Calico Cupboard, Rumney, NH
Cranberry Fiber Arts, So. Hamilton, MA
Jo-Ann Fabrics, Concord, NH
Keepsake Embroidery, Center Harbor, NH
Keepsake Yarn, Center Harbor, NH
Snug Harbor Artisans, Swanzey, NH
Yarn Shop, Lebanon, NH
Yarn Shop & Fibres, Laconia, NH

Margaret LaBerge is history teacher, educational specialist and writer. She has been an ardent supporter and practitioner of needle arts learned at the age of 5 at her mother’s knee. Since then she had the opportunity to live overseas and study both hand and machine needle arts as well as regional foods and ingredients in Japan, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Margaret lives in Alexandria, New Hampshire. 603-744-8407 - e-mail: maglaberge@yahoo.com

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