A Little Knitty Brings Together a Commun-Knitty With Their New Location

A Little Knitty opened in May 2016 when Liberty Jane offered Jen Reeves space to host a fixed pop-up shop. The offer allowed her to take a leap of faith and follow her dreams. With the pop-up shop, Reeves was able to gauge interest. “Obviously I discovered there is interest,” said Reeves.

Now almost three years later Reeves has graduated out of her space within Liberty Jane. A Little Knitty has relocated down the block to the fantastic retail space on the corner of E. Main St and Auburn Ave, right in the heart of downtown Auburn.

Support From The Business Community

Moving into a bigger space is a big deal for a small business.  Fellow small business owner Jessie Davis, owner of Bigfoot Quilts understands what this means to Reeves. “The support from our maker community is so encouraging, and to see A Little Knitty grow into a new larger space is so exciting.”
“A Little Knitty has been such an incredible asset for our Main Street and Auburn as a whole. I’m thrilled to see Jen expanding and moving to a beautiful new location. Congratulations to A Little Knitty and I wish her many more years of success!” said Brittiany Karlson, President of the Auburn Downtown Association President, and partner-owner of Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro.

To help to celebrate this accomplishment with A Little Knitty, so we chatted with Reeves to get to know a bit more about A Little Knitty, and about knitting!

All About A Little Knitty

Auburn Examiner: Describe A Little Knitty in your own words for me

Jen Reeves: We inspire creativity one stitch at a time. We want to be a place where people can come to learn something new, sharpen their skills and find others that share their passion for fiber.

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AE: Why did you open your own specialty yarn shop?

JR: It has always been my dream to open a yarn shop, but like a pie in the sky dream. I had no yarn shop experience. [But, I] had a small business and promotional marketing background. I lost my mom in February 2016, and it really shook me. She was only 57, and it made me think about going for my dreams because you don’t know how long you have. I had been designing and listing my designs with Liberty Jane, and when I mentioned, I was looking for retail space to open my shop. They offered to let me open within their shop at 218 E Main.

AE: Why did you decide to relocate?

JR: The space is all one floor and has better visibility.

AE: What does this move mean for you?

JR: This move allows me to continue to grow, add more inventory, and expand my hours.

AE: What are you most excited about for your new location?

JR: Being so easy to find!!!

AE: You were able to start with a clean slate – did you make any changes you’d always wanted to in the old space?

JR: With the old store I was so lucky to slide into a beautiful storefront that Liberty Jane created. We have very similar taste and the bones of the building are just so cool. I was nervous to see if I could create the same cool vibe. I did start with A VERY blank slate, but that was also a little intimidating

AE: Are there still things you have planned?

JR: Oh yes! If I had the money, I would buy about 10 more Ikea bookshelves and fill them with yarn. So, I have plans to add more as I’m able. I have a list of the yarn lines I plan to bring in as we grow.

AE: You have a lot of great windows looking out to Main St and Auburn Ave. Should we keep an eye out for fun window displays?

JR: I do have so many windows. I plan to have a lot of fun with them. But right now I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do with them. It will be a surprise for us all!!

What If You Don’t Knit?

AE: I don’t knit or sew. Why should I shop at A Little Knitty?

JR: Of course, my first passion is yarn. But I also have a huge heart for supporting locally made products. With the extra space, I want to expand our locally made items like candles, hand creams, jewelry, headbands, pottery and more. All these items can be enjoyed by those who love yarn and don’t.

AE: What types of classes do you host at A Little Knitty?

JR: We really focus on beginners, but we have all levels from beginning to advanced in knitting and crochet. We will be adding felting, yarn dying and weaving in the next year. You don’t have to knit or crochet to enjoy fiber!

AE: Your previous location, 218 E Main St, isn’t empty, what is still located there?

JR: Liberty Jane is still there. They have an online platform called Pixie Faire that has sold over a million sewing, knitting and crochet patterns for dolls, primarily American Girls. They also have a charity that has grown so much over the last couple years called Sew Powerful. They will utilize the space to help that awesome charity keep growing!

So, About Knitting

AE: What is the best thing about knitting for you?

JR: It is my therapy and my happy place. My grandma taught me, and it’s the best gift I have been given. It calms me when I’m stressed, helps me focus and slows me down in our crazy high-speed world.

AE: Is knitting just for grandmas?

JR: No way! Yes, there is that assumption. But there is a huge amount of 20, and 30 something’s who are knitting and crocheting up a storm. And there are so many young kids who are interested in it too. We even have “kids klub” for kids who want to learn.

AE: What types of things can you knit?

JR: Anything! And I mean anything!! But most of my customers are making hats, scarves, shawls, and sweaters and not a swimsuit or anything crazy.

AE: Your grand re-opening party is the 27th, anything fun planned for the shindig?

JR: Yes, April 27th at 5pm. Just a party to celebrate the shop, check out the new digs and have some cake!

About The Shop:

Owner: Jen Reeves
Address: 102 E. Main street Auburn, WA 98002
Hours: Wed 10 to 5, Thurs noon to 8, Fri 10 to 5 and sat 10 to 5. Mon and Tues by appointment only. We will expand those hours in the fall
Phone number: 206-659-5987
Website: www.alittleknitty.com
Social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (@alittleknitty)
Parking: Any public parking lot like the Safeway lot or the lot by Sunbreak and walk a block. Street parking is available but sometimes hard to come by.
Any loyalty program or specials: we have a loyalty program. For every $300 spent you earn a $15 gift card.