The BIG news edition!

My blog updates, as you may have noticed, have been slow in coming this summer. Mostly that's because I kept hoping to have big news to announce. At first it seemed like the news would come quickly. Then something would happen to slow things down again. Every time I thought it was a go, another speed bump would come along. There were times I thought it would NEVER happen and then, in a seemingly quick landslide of events, it DID happen!

What is this mysterious event, you ask? Well, some of you know already, but for those who don't, here it is.



I'm opening a new store!

You may have heard that Knit Knot Studio closed recently due to Elizabeth's retirement. I had originally looked into purchasing her shop, but then the first speed bump came along -- her landlord decided to sell the space rather than enter into a new lease.

That launched a search for a new location in the same Pearl District neighborhood, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. So, Elizabeth had clearance sales, closed the shop, and proceeded to spend a lot of quality time with her new grandchild and her family. I kept looking for a suitable location.

When I found a great location, there were speed bumps there relating to the previous tenant. I won't bore you with the details, but it took a while to get everything straightened out. Then it took some more time for negotiations to work out between me and the landlord. Happily, we finally reached a mutually-agreeable accord and I now have a lease!

Urban Fiber Arts is located at 428 NW 11th Avenue, between Glisan and Flanders, in the heart of Portland's Pearl District. We're directly on the streetcar line and within TriMet's "Free Rail" zone. It's a wonderful spot, with Madena of the Pearl Mediterranean restaurant on one side and WeVillage drop-in daycare on the other.

At Urban Fiber Arts, you'll find quality yarn and fiber from the Northwest and beyond. I'll have a good variety of regionally-produced products from independent fiber artists such as Stitchjones, Abstract Fiber, Black Trillium, Dicentra, Mountain Meadows, Sweetgrass Wool, and more. I'll have a good selection of spinning fiber along with spindles and even a couple of wheels. In addition, you'll find handspun yarns and locally made shawl pins, tote bags, stitch markers, and who knows what else.

If you can't make it to festivals such as Black Sheep Gathering or Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival, or if you go to those and then find you can't wait for another year to go by before you touch and see the pretty regionally-produced fibers and yarns again, then Urban Fiber Arts is where you want to be! We'll also have some great products from beyond the Northwest, so stay tuned for information about those.

I'm not sure when opening day will be, but if you want to be notified, as well as find out more about what's going on at the shop as we go along, just send email to info@urbanfiberarts.com and I'll add you to the mailing list.

I have a lot of great things planned for Urban Fiber Arts and I hope you'll come visit!