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Learn how-to stitch a bloom & foliage bag, holiday garland and cashmere neckie with Jimmy Beans Wool in Reno, Nevada.
How did you get started?
It all began when Laura (co-owner/founder of JBW) learned to knit in the Bay Area before she and her husband Doug relocated to the Lake Tahoe area. Both had been dot-com software engineers in Silicon Valley, but after changing elevation and the discovery of Laura's knitting obsession, they were bitten by the yarn bug and never looked back. Laura and Doug opened the original shop in 2002. It was a 500 square foot space in downtown Truckee, CA, and included both yarn and a coffee cart. Yarn quickly proved to be more in demand than the coffee and was soon phased out, though the coffee "beans" in Jimmy Beans Wool remains. By day Laura ran the small yarn shop, and by night Doug (after his real job) built the JBW website from scratch. Soon their online storefront was live, the first online order was placed, and the orders just kept coming. JBW eventually relocated the shop to Reno, Nevada where they're located today, and continue to provide the fiber-enthusiasts at home and abroad with endless yarny goodness.
Where are you located?
The Biggest Little City, Reno, Nevada!
Which products do you specialise in?
Our primary customer base is made up of yarn-o-holics, knitters and crocheters, but we also carry some weaving and spinning supplies. As you can imagine, we've got miles of yarn, tons of knitting needles and bushels of crochet hooks, not to mention all the necessary notions and accessories to get your yarn on.
Do you have a particular favorite product that you sell?
We love all yarn at JBW, but are often partial to the hand dyed variety from companies like Madelinetosh, Lorna's Laces and Malabrigo, as well as the smaller hand dyed companies featured in our Micro-brewed yarn collection. You can see all the Micro-brewed companies we've worked with this year at jimmybeanswool.com/Microbrewed15
What's on the stereo?
We listen to a lot of 90s alternative rock and top 40 in the warehouse while we're pulling, packing and shipping orders (dancing and singing along the whole time, of course), but depending on who's in control of the Pandora station, it could be anything from Hip Hop to Christmas tunes.
Where else should we visit in your area?
No trip to Reno is complete without a trek up to Tahoe! Lake Tahoe is a sight to be seen any time of year with lovely beaches and forested trails to be enjoyed during the spring, summer and fall, as well as epic snow for skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers in the winter. Virginia City, an old mining town with lots of cool historical stuff, is another unique day trip just outside of Reno. We also recommend spending time in Mid Town (the area just south of downtown Reno on Virginia Street), Reno's up-and-coming trendy neighborhood that has lots of amazing food, unique bars, and fun boutiques, not to mention the Reno Art Museum! Of course there are also casinos aplenty if you're a gambling man or woman. :)
You can check out or Roadtrip! Ravelry thread for a more comprehensive list of some of our favorite places: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/jimmy-beans-wool/3234921/1-25#7
Do you host any workshops, classes or special events?
Yes! We have a monthly class schedule, as well as private classes for those knitters and crocheters who need help with specific projects or skills. We also host a knitting retreat in the Spring and another in the Fall, and occasionally put on special events at the shop such as book signings, yarn tastings, and trunk shows. And of course we have knit nights every month!
You can see our monthly class schedules here: http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/class.asp
And subscribe to our email newsletters for the latest on what's happening at the shop (among other things): http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/newslettersHome.asp
Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
Laura was a regular contributor to the New York Times Blog, "You're the Boss, the Art of Running a Small Business" (which is now defunct), and is currently contributing to Forbes, sharing her insight into the ups, downs and all-arounds of running a small business.
http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/author/laura-zander/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurazander/
Do you have a favorite craft, art or supply shop in your town that we should feature? Send us a message!
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