We are turning 10! Can you believe it?

We are celebrating, we are looking back to remember the amazing things that have happened over the last 10 years.  I hope you join me on this journey or reflection, and a slow stroll down memory lane.  I can’t promise this will be short (I tend to ramble, it’s part of my charm) 

I remember so clearly the days deciding to open the shop.  I was recently divorced, just me and my dog.  I was working in Pharmacy, I loved the field I was in, but I also knew that there was something different pulling at my heart strings.

There was a Saturday afternoon, it was sunny despite it being fall, and warm.  I had met a “friend” for coffee in the park.  I had declined his dinner invitation that evening, because I had a lot of life decisions, with deadlines that I had to sort out by Monday.  I had 3 options, I had been accepted at the University in P.E.I., to continue Pharmacy studies.  I had an amazing job offer at a hospital in the Muskoka’s (which is a place that has shaped so much of my life), both of these options, were some would say wise decisions to make, pensions, benefits, great income, and the like.  Or, I could throw caution to the wind and open a small Local Yarn Store, in my small town, and hope for the best.  Today, just shy of 10 ten years, I wouldn’t make any other decision.  One of the best parts about this particular interlude of the story, is that the “friend” became my best friend, and later my husband.  So, I’d say combine the two things, and this was the best decision I have ever made.  We also became sheep farmers, so that was pretty cool, and fulfilled the circle of all things woolly.

So many things have changed over 10 years, once a small one room local yarn shop, where on Thursday nights, during stitch and bitch, sometimes we would overflow into the hallway, I remember the night and laughter, the night Gale said, she had a two person collapsible lawn chair in her car, and the two of us set up in the hallway and knit and laughed with the rest of the group.  Fortunately, we were able to assume more space in the same building, slowly, over time, we crept through the space as it became available.  Bootstrapping our way to what the shop is now.

(Our first expansion project...)

Our team grew.  Amanda, manages the retail store now, Ally and Silvia are her amazing back up, and incredible people.  During the pandemic we took another wild risk, and opened a warehouse.  That’s were I have been since February, trying to get it to work smoothly as possible.  Sydney, who started as an afterschool student is now our art department, social media person, and dye shop assistant. 

Without this team, I would be nowhere, on more than a work level.  They are dear friends, kindred spirits, we take care of one another, and love one another.  A true gift.

Of course the team is never just the employees, it's the friends and family who help you get through the day, through the good and the bad, you know who you are, and I am incredibly grateful.

So many things to remember, and so many things I am incredibly proud to be part of over the years here.  Probably the most memorable from an event standpoint is being detained at the border with Amanda.  We don’t need to get into the details, it’s out there on internet.  Some of my other favourite memories, are in the insane road trips Amanda and I take for festivals, from Nova Scotia, to Vancouver, and places in between, these are some of my most cherished memories.  I am so thankful, that this year, fingers crossed, we will do them all again.

The biggest gift that has come from this is you!  So many friendships made and treasured, so many lifelong bonds woven from a single unifying thread of creativity and craft.  Gifts like this are worth more than words can express.  Some of the best conversations I have ever had, have been gathered around the stitch and bitch table on a Thursday night.  Sometimes about absolutely nothing, sometimes about heartbreak, sometimes about just holding each up.  We love and we laugh at that table.  It’s the biggest thing I have missed the last 2 years, and I can’t wait until we are able to meet at that table again. 

Having the shop also gave me the opportunity to amply my own craft.  We launched a yarn line a while back, Tangled Poets.  It took on a life of it’s own in some respects, we had the opportunity to travel with it, to work with a “big” yarn company and design a line for them.  And recently, we have relaunched, rebranding, and loving each day of new colours we unleash to the world.

We will be posting more stories of Aberdeen’s Wool Company as we lead up to the official 10th anniversary.  With teasers about what will come in 2022, plans, dreams, and lots of new wonderful yarns.  We are looking forward to starting fresh, and brighter, and shinier.  After the last two years, the time to reflect has been plenty, and there are so many things we want to do, to unify us more. 

Step one, lets empty this warehouse of the goodies it withholds!  And surprises too!

One thing is for sure, we are getting this party started long before December 01, so buckle in, subscribe to our newsletter, or watch our socials for all the info of sales, events, and celebration.  

Thank you for strolling this far.  Let’s get this party started shall we!

With love, gratitude and eventually hugs when we see one another again

Heather