Article written by Sandie Michals, Community Reporter, 11/05/2004
Business name: Classic Yarns of Grafton
Address: 202 Worcester St., North Grafton
Owner's name: Eileen Smith
Background: "I grew up in Worcester but have been a Grafton resident for more than 25 years," Eileen Smith said. "I spent 30 years as a registered nurse before opening my yarn store. I come from a long line of knitters, but I never got the hang of it. Although I have been crocheting for many years, I only began knitting two and a half years ago. It is a great stress reliever and has a meditative quality. I have a certificate in holistic nursing and I am a registered aroma therapist. I will soon be offering a line of healing, moisturizing hand lotions in the store that are especially good for knitters."
Birthplace: Worcester
Current home: Grafton
Family: "I have four wonderful children, Jamie, Jesse, Adam and Rebecca and a 2-year-old grandson, Jonah."
Hobbies: "Knitting is my hobby. I also enjoy blending essential oils and playing with my grandson."
Business description: Classic Yarns is a retail yarn and accessory shop offering elegant, high quality yarns. We import our yarn from Italy, France, Germany, England, Japan, the U.S. and Bolivia. A portion of the money goes back to a women's mission in Bolivia to help fund education and housing.
"We carry Rowan, Jaeger, Colinette, Debbie Bliss, Tahki, Dale of Norway, Ironstone and many others. We also offer accessories such as bamboo needles, Addi Turbo needles, lotions and patterns to support all the yarn in stock. We have a wide selection of buttons. We like to offer the latest trends as well as the classics. We can special order items too."
Business history: "I established Classic Yarns of Grafton on May 15, 2004."
What motivated you to buy/start a business: "It was a hobby that became a passion. My goal was to provide a wide variety of yarns, from acrylic to cashmere. I saw a need for it in this area."
Hottest new products: "Ponchos and poncho patterns."
Question most often asked by my customers: "Do you offer classes?"
Answer to most often asked question: "Yes. We have knitting and crocheting classes and workshops for all levels of ability."
Most common misconception that customers have: "I often hear people say 'I could never do that,' but I encourage customers to attempt it. Joyce and I are always here for support if they run into an issue. We even have a class called 'Help me, I'm stuck.'"
Best advice I ever got was: "As a nurse, it was to be compassionate and caring to everyone."
The key to success is: "Being available and responsive to your customers."
Future business plans: "I plan to test more products to determine which are best for my customers. Here, we provide friendly personal service in a warm, comfortable atmosphere. Anyone is welcome to come in and browse or come in and knit with us. On Friday mornings we have a 'sit and knit' session and on Sunday afternoons, we have a 'football widows' knitting session. They are free for anyone who wants to join us for knitting and some good conversation."
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