As
many of you have now heard, Classic Elite Yarns will be closing its doors in
the very near future. It was a difficult decision; one made with a lot of careful
thought. Times change; tastes change; business changes. As much as those of us
in the company love working with yarn, creating beautiful products, fostering a
nurturing work environment, in the end it’s a business. Kristin Nicholas, one
the company’s first creative directors, wrote a nice piece about changes in the
yarn business, and among other things she says “business has gotten tougher and tougher over
the last few years. The business model is changing and it is not going to stop
changing.”
All
that being said, I cannot express enough how special it has been to provide
beautiful products to you – the knitters and crocheters and makers – over these
many years. We just published Web-letter #553. That’s over 553 weeks of
patterns and inspiration, starting with a market bag in July 2007. And just
like that market bag, so many of our patterns – both free and for-a-fee –
continue to be relevant! That's a nice legacy.
In
our final post to you, I want to publicly thank many people for their hard work
and dedication. To the amazing team working here in Massachusetts – they are dedicated, hard-working, and much like a family. I wish them only the best as
they start their next chapters. To the sales team – these are people who are on
the road all year long, presenting our products to amazing small business
owners who work so hard to bring the very best into their shops so that you can
have the very best materials to work with. A special shout-out to those local yarn
shops. In a time when small business is under incredible pressure, these women
and men get up every day and are in their shops to serve you – with products,
with inspiration, with knowledge, and with a helping hand! Please take a minute the
next time you are in a shop, to thank the owner and employees, and to make a
purchase, no matter how small! It all adds up.
I
am proud of what we did for all these years. Classic Elite Yarns will live on –
on your needles or in your stash, as finished pieces, on Ravelry, and yes, for a while anyway, in
shops. But as it fades away, be sure you do your best to enjoy the craft and do
your best to support those who bring you the fibers and designs we all love.
On a personal level, I'll be taking some family time and trying out retirement - and hopefully doing some knitting!
Thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart.
Betsy Perry, President