Celebrating Purl Talk's 3rd Anniversary at Shepherd's Harvest

I was so excited to be able to go to Shepherd's Harvest in Lake Elmo, Minnesota a few weekends back!  It's held at the Washington County fairgrounds a little northeast of the twin cities every Mother's Day weekend.  

This show is always a celebration for me!  -I celebrate the anniversary of the launch of my business.  Thinking about it helps me to appreciate how far I've come as a small business.  I also can recognize the highs and lows.  So anyway - here's how it all started.

In January 2022, after dabbling in dyeing yarn for quite a while, I decided to start Purl Talk.  Initially, there are so many "business-y" things to do in terms of "starting a business" - like setting up the legal entity - and registering with the state and applying for an FEIN number- etc...  all the boring stuff.  Then you might figure out how you will offer your products, meaning will you sell online and what platform you will use?  Will you go to retail shows?  Then there's branding.  How do you present yourself to the world?  Next you might try to figure out WHAT you're going to offer your customers - if you are a maker, this means  developing your product.

I applied to a few retail shows - the first of which was Shepherd's Harvest.  Then I spent several months playing around in my garage - developing a kettle dye process  that created the look I was going for.  I also developed what I thought was a cohesive color palette - where the colors worked together.  It was a super fun, creative time for me but I was also using my chemistry background to problem solve and document each process.   After this - I spent some time making inventory to put in my online store and take to the few shows I had applied for.  It was all a big experiment! - and I hadn't even sold a single skein of yarn as a business yet.

Photo:  Cheryl and I at Shepherd's Harvest -2023.  She's always been there for me.  I love her like a sister.

So, in May 2022 - I loaded up my Outback with my hand dyed yarn and some rickety shelves and I headed north to meet up with one of my besties, Cheryl, who had offered to help me out and be a part of the adventure.  We got to the show grounds and set up my very first booth and Saturday morning, we opened up the shop.  The reception we got from the Twin Cities crowd was overwhelming!  They seemed to love it!

Mid afternoon I went off for a break, and when I came back, Cheryl says  "Hey Laura, Steven Be stopped by and would like to talk to you about having your yarn in his store." 

For those of you who don't know Steven Be - He's a knitting Rockstar.  He has one of the biggest, most fun and interesting yarn shops in the Midwest.  A decade ago, when my daughter was going to college at the University of Minnesota - I used to stop by his store.  It was two stories of amazing yarns and inspiration.  He also developed special Steven Be colorways with yarn manufacturers like Universal Yarns etc.  He has a big name in the industry and an even bigger persona. 

Well, I was  speechless.  Next thing I know - he and his group returned to my booth and he starts asking me about wholesale.  Well - that was the one thing I hadn't considered.  It was my very first show, after all.  Next, he starts asking about buying my yarn right off the shelf at the show.  I was floored -  I had another show in two weeks and knew I wouldn't have the time to make more product.   

It was a bit of a whirlwind - I gave him a couple of sample skeins and we talked about putting in an order that I could work on over the summer.   This was my introduction to working with yarn stores - which is a business space that I truly love.  But I have to say, I love the working relationship we've come to over the years.  It's been wonderful.  He is a fun, kind, community oriented, individual with a fabulous sense of style. He empowers knitters and crocheters to create amazing garments.  Anyway - that's the way my very first show went.  I think my head was spinning for another couple of weeks.

It's been 4 years since I launched at Shepherd's Harvest - and I celebrated my 3rd Business Anniversary with cupcakes for my customers.  I love to reflect back on when I started - the great people I've met over the years, the changes I've made to the business, the problems I've had -all of it.  It's been fun and stressful and wonderful all at the same time.    I've loved every moment of it.

So as I reflect - I'd like to say a big "Thank You!"  to all of my customers, both my retail customers and yarn stores, like Steven.  And thanks to all the people who have helped me along the way - like Cheryl and my family.  You and the projects you make bring me joy!  A MILLION THANKS!