This last Monday (07/27/2020) my guest was Jennifer Wenger-Turchen from Jennifer Knits. Jennifer joined me from her office in Los Angels. Jennifer's pronouns are she and her.
This interview lasted about an hour and twenty minutes. Most of our conversation revolved around business. Jennifer told us her story... how she had been working in an LYS since she was 15. She talked about eventually getting her own shop and figuring out how she wanted her business and her life to work. We talked about the economy, the challenges of COVID-19, and the fear of the uncertainty of how business is going to work in the next year. Jennifer did share with us her Top 10 things she'd advise a small business to do right now. But you'll have to listen to the show to hear them. (smile). Jennifer Wenger-Turchen's Biography: Jennifer has worked in the knitting industry since 1985. This year she is celebrating her 20th anniversary as the owner of Jennifer Knits, a fabulous, one-of-a-kind knit shop located in Brentwood Village, Los Angeles. She is known for her custom patterns—from her imagination, or inspired by your favorite ready-to-wear designer, and tailored to your gauge and measurements. Over the years, she has developed relationships with textile mills in Italy and imports the finest cashmere and merino directly to her shop. In 2005, she authored “Teen Knitting Club”, with Maureen Lasher and Carol Abrams, and embarked on a nationwide book tour, inspiring the creation of more than 500 knitting clubs in colleges and high schools across the country. She also offers a “How to Make a Profit” seminar, teaching women how to run successful small businesses (not just knit shops). Jennifer believes that anyone can have their dreams come true with hard work, integrity, and determination. Jennifer was president of the Brentwood Village Chamber of Commerce for eight years and served four years on the Brentwood Community Council. Her efforts helped bring local businesses together with the West LA VA to raise money for veteran’s housing, services, and job building. Working with government, the local community, and individuals, she was instrumental in helping to pass the HR3484 bill in 2017, helping to house previously homeless veterans on VA property—and made sure they had housewares, linens, and handknit potholders for their new homes. Jennifer was raised in the South Bay and resides there with her husband and their youngest daughter. She is also a favored aunt and knitwear supplier to her two darling nephews. Jennifer Knits sells across the country and beyond, with loyal longtime customers of all ages. With tons of Instagram instructional videos and a website full of beautiful yarns & accessories & kits, Jennifer Knits can be your “local yarn shop” no matter where you live! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are the resource links to some of the things we talked about on the show...
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This last Monday (07/13/2020) my guest was Heavenly Bresser. Heavenly joined me from her home in Warrenville, IL.
This show lasted an hour and forty five minutes. And we talked about a lot of things. We talking about Heavenly's career and her family. We talked about how she got into the fiber arts world. We talked about some of her work that has been published in various magazines (please see the links below). We talked about Heavenly's propensity to collect spinning wheels. We talked about her teaching career. And we talked about the things she's doing online... including Tour de Fleece. We also talked a little about the work she will be doing with STITCHES at Home (our upcoming virtual events). Heavenly also shared a disturbing story of her first experience in a yarn shop. Of course, Heavenly and I talked about a lot more than these highlights (above)... so I encourage you all to listen to the show. I think you'll really enjoy it. Heavenly Bresser's Biography: Heavenly Bresser is a self-taught, well-rounded fiber artist from Chicago. She has over 10 years of experience with crochet and knitting, but also loves dyeing fibers, hand spinning, weaving and repairing spinning wheels. Working from fleece to project is one of her favorite things to do. Her passion for fiber arts and the joy of seeing others grow in their craft is part of her motivation as an instructor. Heavenly’s goal is to uplift, inspire and encourage those around her and challenge them to think outside the box and to do things they’d never imagine could be done. Outside of her fiber adventures, her time is spent caring for her husband, two young boys, and Morkie named Samson. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are the resource links to some of the things we talked about on the show...
This last Monday (06/29/2020) my guest was Karida Collins from Neighborhood Fiber Co. Karida joined me from her studio in Baltimore, MD.
If you’ve been to a #STITCHESWest in the past couple of years, you might have met her and seen her wonderful work first hand. This show lasted just about and hour and twenty minutes. And we talked about a lot of things. Karida told us about going to school and deciding she did NOT want to be a lawyer. She talked about her time in Columbus, OH. She talked about coming back to Baltimore, MD to take care of her grandmother who was dying of cancer. Karida talked about her first TNNA show and the growth of her business--admitting that she made some mistakes early on in her career as an entrepreneur. Karida talked a lot about racism within the fiber arts industry as well as racism in America. We talked about the her activism and the way she's used her voice to talk about these important issues. We talked about her amazing GoFundMe campaign and how quickly it grew. Karida let us know that GoFundMe had made her a 'GoFundMe Hero'. I asked Karida about her outlook on our progress, as a people. She continues to be optimistic... especially about the fiber arts world. As she says... "Knitters get shit done!" Karida is incredibly busy. And she was very generous with her time. She was also wonderful to talk with. I hope you'll listen to the show so you can hear Karida's word yourself. Karida Collins' Biography: Karida learned how to knit immediately after finishing college, and fell in love. Hard. Enamored with knitting, she set out to create her own hand-dyed yarn business in 2006. She taught herself how to dye yarn and thus, Neighborhood Fiber Co. was born. Karida's love of saturated and vibrant colors is what gives her yarn it's signature style. Stirred by her surroundings, Karida set out to provide the world with hand-dyed yarns inspired by and named to reflect the natural beauty and diverse neighborhoods throughout the nation’s capital. Since then, she has added many more colors to reflect a multitude of neighborhoods, both inside and outside of DC. Now based in Baltimore, MD, Neighborhood Fiber Co. continues to offer vibrant, one-of-a-kind colors inspired by urban landscapes. ------------------------------------------------------------------ During the show we talked about a lot of things. Here are the resource links to some of those things...
This last Monday (05/18/2020) my guest was author Debbie Macomber. Debbie joined me from Hood Canal, Washington.
This show lasted just over an hour. Debbie is an old friend of mine. She was also the first and last guest on the original Fiber Hooligan show. You can check those episodes out on the archived episodes page. Debbie shared the story of how, as a young girl, her dyslexia moved her into knitting. It was a sweet story and you should listen to the podcast if for no other reason than that. We talked about her husband, her kids, and her grandkids. We talked about the 5 year time span it took her to get a book published... and the very personal, professional, and economic trials in her life during that time. Debbie told us that when she combined her two passions, knitting and story telling, her career as an author really took off. She talked about some of those successes; in some cases vindicating some of the earlier rejections she had gotten. Debbie and I talked about her connection to the fiber arts industry. She had actually been going to STITCHES for several year before I met her. We finally met when we served on the board of Warm Up America! together. Debbie talked about her series, Cedar Cove becoming a series on the Hallmark Channel. She also talked about her Mrs. Miricle books becoming movies and some of my Christmas favorites. Debbie talked about her two upcoming books... A Walk Along the Beach (to be released in July 2020) and Jingle All the Way (to be released in October 2020). We talked about her slowing down a bit and only writing maybe one book a year while helping with her new online magazine, Welcome Home Magazine. It was great to catch up with Debbie after so many years. She really is a delight and she knows how to tell a story. I hope you'll listen to the show and check it out for yourself. Debbie Macomber's Biography: Debbie Macomber is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of today’s most popular writers with more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. In her novels, Macomber brings to life compelling relationships that embrace family and enduring friendships, uplifting her readers with stories of connection and hope. Macomber’s novels have spent over 1,000 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Thirteen of these books hit the number 1 spot. In 2020, Macomber’s all-new hardcover publications include A Walk Along the Beach (July) and Jingle All the Way (October). In addition to fiction, Macomber has also published three bestselling cookbooks, an adult coloring book, numerous inspirational and nonfiction works, and two acclaimed children’s books. Celebrated as “the official storyteller of Christmas”, Macomber’s annual Christmas books are beloved and five have been crafted into original Hallmark Channel movies. Macomber is also the author of the bestselling Cedar Cove Series which the Hallmark Channel chose as the basis for its first dramatic scripted television series. Debuting in 2013, Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove was a ratings favorite for three seasons. She serves on the Guideposts National Advisory Cabinet, is a YFC National Ambassador, and is World Vision’s international spokesperson for their Knit for Kids charity initiative. A devoted grandmother, Debbie and Wayne live in Port Orchard, Washington, the town which inspired the Cedar Cove series. ------------------------------------------------------------------ During the show we talked about a lot of things. Here are the resource links to some of those things...
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