Heads up, local crafters, there’s a new yarn store in downtown Squamish.
The store, Sweet Threads, is located on Third Avenue near the intersection of Vancouver Street. Inside the store, a variety of yarns and other fibre materials are hung from the floor to ceiling, providing a rainbow sheen as you walk in.
“A big part of why I opened a physical store was so that I could provide a place to congregate around this crafting,” said owner Brooke McDonald. “I really wanted to create a space to welcome people into and then support them in their journey through fibre-craft.”
The products McDonald carries are somewhat unique, she said, in that they do not contain any synthetics and are largely organic.
“It's all-natural fibres from animals or plants. It all biodegrades,” she said.
The store has more than just wool, she said. It also carries cotton, silks and soft linens.
“Pretty much brought in every type of fibre that you can knit or spin with,” she said with a laugh. “And in every variety of colour and from different parts of the world.”
Beyond the products, Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings are set aside to allow crafters and customers to come into the store and meet other like-minded people and perhaps learn a thing or two from each other as well.
McDonald said those two gatherings will be “foundational” going forward and she hopes to include other sessions and classes as interest grows.
McDonald is no stranger to fibres and what goes into creating those products. For nearly a decade, McDonald and her family had an alpaca and sheep farm in Pemberton.
“I got very deep in the fibre-craft,” she said, “from shearing to carding and spinning and dyeing and then making end products with all of that material.”
About a year and a half ago, she and her family decided to move to Squamish which is when she began planning what she wanted the store to look and feel like.
Since opening in December 2022, McDonald said the response has been tremendous.
“Everyone’s been so joyful coming in,” she said. “It’s been really lovely and super supportive.”
Those interested in knitting and crocheting come from every age group and gender, she added.
McDonald has had a number of young kids, both boys and girls, already visit the store with projects in mind.
“We have lots of boys coming in, a few of them knitting full blankets at this point and hats for their friends,” she said.
Personally for McDonald, she’s found working with these types of materials to be calming.
“We get a lot from what we put into our crafting,” she said. “Even just the tactile interaction with these traditional materials … I see that a lot of people find it really grounding.”
And getting to share that with the community is part of what made her want to open the store in the first place.
“It’s phenomenal. It’s more than I even hoped,” she said. “Every day I feel full.”
“It fills my cup every day.”
For more information about Sweet Threads, please visit its website SweetThreads.com.
Editor's note: The Squamish Chief is piloting a new business beat based on feedback from readers. We will be covering some brand-new, independent business openings and closings, among other things, as our time and resources allow. To be considered for this pilot project, please email [email protected].
