Listen Live
DRYDEN, NY (CortacaToday) — Chris Cushman, owner of yarn and fiber shop Connected Stitches in Dryden, has turned a dream into reality.
Knitting since she was about eight years old, Cushman knows how important it is to be able to learn fiber arts in an environment that is welcoming and encouraging. She learned from the owner of a shop that her mother took her to and was able to learn the basics in a way that didn’t feel judgmental or incomplete.
“About five years ago when I was post-partum and living in Cleveland, there was a local shop where the owners were open until the last person left. Always very friendly and ready to help anybody that came in. I kind of fell down a rabbit hole with fiber arts and the shop there gave me a really good outlet to learn and grow,” Cushman says.
Although she knew how important shops that cultivate a supportive atmosphere were for those getting into fiber arts firsthand, actually owning a shop was not something she had always dreamt of or envisioned for herself.
“Everyone who’s obsessed with fiber arts is like, ‘How amazing would that be?’ at some point in their life. I didn’t think of it as something I would actually pursue or be able to do until recently. Moving here, there aren’t a lot of options for fiber arts that don’t mean taking an entire day trip, which was a hard adjustment for me.”
Using the event space out of the Corner Brew in Dryden, she began to hold workshops for people to come in and work on their fiber arts projects together. From there, she got into contact with the Small Business Development Center in order to better understand how to properly build a business.
“I can’t recommend them enough, they’re the reason why I’m here. They helped me make sure I was doing everything legally and safely so I could execute the vision that I had.”
With the grand opening on September 14th of this year, Cushman was able to turn a rental space on West Main Street in Dryden into a place that is welcome for all to come and try something new, or build on the knowledge and experience they already have. Having products from local farms and artists, the shop is centered around the local community and being able to connect people who might not have come together otherwise.
“The goal is to create brave spaces for people to learn. I also want it to feel as balanced as possible, for both myself and anyone who comes in. Having a balance between my personal and professional life is a priority of mine, as is hearing feedback from people who visit. I’m not close fisted about it and love to hear other peoples’ ideas and strive for a collaborative relationship between myself and customers and students.”
Connected Stitches offers workshops, private lessons, and classes for various kinds of fiber arts such as knitting, crocheting, and needle felting. To learn more about the shop and how to get connected with the local fiber arts scene, visit their website here as well as their Facebook here.