This isn't the kind of post I wanted to write first thing on a Monday morning. For regular readers of my blog, you know that there is nothing I love more than getting a good deal on something. But I also love luxury yarns and I'm willing to pay luxury prices if I think they're worth it. So the sale at Doodlebug Yarn that's happening right now would be the best thing ever except for one important detail: it's a store closing sale.
I've read countless articles about how hard it is for the LYS to keep its doors open in the face of online competition, and I don't mean to belittle that because I know it IS hard - I'm part of the problem since I prefer to do 90% of my shopping online! However, it's also very hard for online-only shops to compete with both bricks-and-mortar shops AND the powerhouses that are Jimmy Beans Wool, Webs and the like. I shop both of those sites from time to time, plus Craftsy and Doodlebug when I purchase yarn online. I like each one for different reasons - a specific yarn line, a notion I need for my knitting bag, or a deal I just can't pass up.
Getting back to the matter at hand: In the case of Doodlebug, sometimes it's not even about all of these other factors, it's just time to move on to something new. That appears to the case in this instance, and I can understand that - it's sort of what I did with my massage therapy career.
For me, the closing of Doodlebug Yarn is also personal: I did a lot of shopping there over the past few years, as my Ravely projects and stash will prove. I also got to know some of the folks in the Ravelry group as I shared my WIPs and FOs. Finally, I also had the pleasure to work with Gayla and Doug (the owners) on a professional level, and I know how much care went into selecting each luxurious line of yarn. There were several yarn companies that I discovered at Doodlebug: Skein (Gayla was among the first to bring this line stateside), Baah! and The Uncommon Thread come readily to mind.
If you're just now discovering Doodlebug Yarn, I hope you'll find something new and different to try and remember them by. And if you've been a loyal customer like me, then let's be sure to share the last of our DBY stash and raise our needles and hooks to a great online yarn store!
I've read countless articles about how hard it is for the LYS to keep its doors open in the face of online competition, and I don't mean to belittle that because I know it IS hard - I'm part of the problem since I prefer to do 90% of my shopping online! However, it's also very hard for online-only shops to compete with both bricks-and-mortar shops AND the powerhouses that are Jimmy Beans Wool, Webs and the like. I shop both of those sites from time to time, plus Craftsy and Doodlebug when I purchase yarn online. I like each one for different reasons - a specific yarn line, a notion I need for my knitting bag, or a deal I just can't pass up.
Getting back to the matter at hand: In the case of Doodlebug, sometimes it's not even about all of these other factors, it's just time to move on to something new. That appears to the case in this instance, and I can understand that - it's sort of what I did with my massage therapy career.
For me, the closing of Doodlebug Yarn is also personal: I did a lot of shopping there over the past few years, as my Ravely projects and stash will prove. I also got to know some of the folks in the Ravelry group as I shared my WIPs and FOs. Finally, I also had the pleasure to work with Gayla and Doug (the owners) on a professional level, and I know how much care went into selecting each luxurious line of yarn. There were several yarn companies that I discovered at Doodlebug: Skein (Gayla was among the first to bring this line stateside), Baah! and The Uncommon Thread come readily to mind.
If you're just now discovering Doodlebug Yarn, I hope you'll find something new and different to try and remember them by. And if you've been a loyal customer like me, then let's be sure to share the last of our DBY stash and raise our needles and hooks to a great online yarn store!
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