It’s Hip to Knit: Stewart Watkins

photo credit: Jake Lyell

All I can say is, thank God Stewart Watkins lost that job in Colorado. After completing her undergraduate degree in photography, Stewart headed out west to pursue her graduate studies. However, as often happens with native Richmonders, our River City wouldn’t let her be gone for long. As she puts it, the loss of her job and an “Aha!” moment set her course and the stars aligned to bring her back to Richmond to open her own shop: The Yarn Lounge.

Stewart is about as Richmond as they come. Her face lights up as she describes her deep roots here, mentioning that her family has been in Richmond for generations. She attended Collegiate and started knitting at age nine while attending “Cat’s CAP,” a summer creative arts program at St. Catherine’s School. Stewart put down her needles for a while, but picked them back up when she entered VCU and started taking classes at The Knitting Basket. A few years later, with her graduate studies and employment in Colorado cut short, Stewart realized that the time had come to turn her passion for knitting into her life’s work. Debating whether to open her store in Portland, Maine or here in Richmond, it all came down to where commercial space opened up. Lucky for us, Stewart found a place for her shop on the 3000 block of West Cary Street in the heart of Carytown.

Drawn to the character and quirkiness of the area, Stewart knew she had found the right place to begin her career as a business owner. Being a knitter from Richmond, she knew that Carytown and the Museum District were limited in what they had to offer local knitters. Not only that, Stewart wanted to help dispel the myths about safety and convenience in this part of town believed by many suburbanites and transplants to the Richmond area. By offering unique and luxurious inventory, as well as a variety of services, she would be able to draw customers into the area and help them see all the city has to offer.

The location has also allowed Stewart to create the kind of environment she felt was right for her store and its customers. Stewart loves that most shops in Carytown are locally owned, non-chain stores that allow you to escape the chaos of a mall. When asked how she wants her customers to feel while visiting her store, she mentioned three words that she hoped would come to their minds: welcoming, friendly, and comfortable. She wants her customers to have a place where they can hang out all day knitting away at their latest project, getting help when they are stuck, or just chatting with people who share their love for what can be a very addictive but wonderful craft. If you visit The Yarn Lounge, you’ll see that Stewart has succeeded in bringing her vision to fruition.

When you walk in you are greeted by Stewart herself and her pleasant and knowledgeable staff, as well as her indiscriminately friendly regulars who make up much of the local knitting community. Both sides of the store are lined with cubby after cubby of delicious-looking, natural fibers that would make even non-knitters want to pick up some needles. New yarns are displayed not just in the swatches that you would normally see at a typical yarn store, but instead in hand-knitted, miniature sweaters that allow you to see how each strand would look on a finished product. A large, wooden table sits in the middle of the store, covered in new inventory and works-in-progress. Towards the back you’ll find customers lounging around in the cozy nook Stewart as set up to let her regulars knit and catch up. If you’re as lucky as I was, her dog Homer, who makes his home in a bed by the radiator, might sneak up to you and give you a sniff to say hello-please be gentle though because he can be skittish.

If the inviting atmosphere of the store isn’t enough for you, Stewart has worked hard to provide plenty of after-hours learning and social opportunities to draw in customers. Stop by on the last Tuesday of every month for “Knit Night” and you’ll find knitters of all levels sharing tips, snacking on donut holes, and getting professional chair massages. The Yarn Lounge also offers classes at all levels, including a beginners’ class for those who have never touched needles, as well as specialized classes on knitting socks or knitting garments for you and your little ones. You can find information about The Yarn Lounge’s inventory and services on their web site and see Stewart proudly display her customers’ finished projects on the store’s blog.

As with many shops in Carytown, Stewart’s customers are drawn to the unique experience they will get when they visit The Yarn Lounge. There’s something about knowing that the people you meet in a store are truly invested in what they are doing for you. With Stewart, her personal involvement with The Yarn Lounge goes beyond the bottom line. She wants her customers to know that she is there to serve them in every way she can, whether that be showing you the best tools for the job or guiding your fingers through the untangling of your latest attempt at knitting a masterpiece. The Yarn Lounge is invested in its customers and its city, with Stewart hoping that its presence will continue to draw new people into this area that she loves. The city seems to love her back, considering Richmond Magazine voted The Yarn Lounge as the best non-chain knitting supply store in 2006. That’s one thing you can say about Richmond: we know a good thing when we see it. Hopefully, you’ll take some time to stop by and visit The Yarn Lounge yourself. Stewart would be glad to see you, and we don’t want her leaving us again, now do we?