Closely knit plans: Yarn store to offer local, natural crafts and gifts

View larger image Joan Pembelton, of Winchester, stacks yarn on shelves inside Hooked on Fiber and Gifts in Middletown. She and friends Rebecca Stalcup and Valerie Kellam are opening the store on Oct. 1. Rich Cooley/Daily Recommend This Print This Get E-mail News Alerts Buy Photos/Page Reprints * Breaking News If local news is breaking and you know about it: * Call Us: 800-296-5137 * E-mail Us * Upload Your Photos View larger image Valerie Kellam, of Charles Town, W.Va., knits inside Hooked on Fiber and Gifts, at 7735 Main St. in Middletown. View larger image Rebecca Stalcup, who previously owned a retail store in Leesburg, stocks shelves with soy candles inside the yarn and gift shop. Gift items will be featured at the front of the store.

By M.K. Luther -- mkluther@nvdaily.com

MIDDLETOWN -- Three local women are going to start spinning yarn in Middletown.

When Valerie Kellam, a lifelong knitter and crocheter, reached a crossroads in her life, she joked with her husband about how she might just junk it all and open up her own yarn shop.

What started as a passing joke is about to become a reality for Kellam and business partners Joan Pembleton and Rebecca Stalcup, as the three women prepare to open Hooked on Fiber and Gifts in Middletown.

Kellam, who formerly worked as a veterinarian technician in Charles Town, W.Va., contacted her friend and fellow fiber artist, Pembleton, and found that the timing was right for the two to begin a business venture.

As inveterate knitters, both women had experienced frustration with the dearth of natural fiber yarn shops. The majority of retail stores carry imported yarn, Kellam explained, mainly because of the small amount of U.S. processing mills. Both women have been actively involved with the annual Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival, and were aware of the little-known artistry that is available through naturally processed fibers.

"In order to see the selection of yarns, you would have to travel from farm to farm to see them," Pembleton said. "We are kind of bringing them together."

The women also recognized that natural and organic products are gaining in popularity.
"Those things are starting to come to the forefront now," Kellam said. "Even though the economy is down and times are tough, there are a lot of people out of work -- people are getting back to basics and spending more time with families and doing things in the home and wanting to learn new crafts and maybe make a little money on the side."

The two joined forces with Stalcup, who previously owned and operated a retail shop in Leesburg, and through hard work, ingenuity and determination, the idea for a full-fledged natural fiber supply and local gift store was born.

"We wanted to really bring those people -- those local farms that have these beautiful yarns that they only got to showcase once or twice a year at fall festival -- we wanted to bring that to the general public and promote American-made products and local farms and buying in your community and keeping your dollars here," Kellam said.

The Hooked on Fiber and Gifts shop will concentrate on seven different fiber arts: knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, dyeing, rug hooking and needle felting. The store also will offer instructional fiber arts classes for all beginner and advanced levels, as well as certain specialty classes.

"It is all about the education," Pembleton said. "A lot of people don't realize that a finished product actually came from someone having a farm and having an animal and having to feed it."

The store will also carry the handmade work of local fiber artists and crafts, including gifts, candles and home items, and will feature many of the well-known vendors usually featured at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival.

"A lot of people don't have the time or money to have a brick and mortar store," Kellam said. "So, our goal is to have a fiber festival all year long."

The three entrepreneurs also want to delve into a host of charity possibilities and be a gathering place for the community, expanding the instructional class selections, hosting sit-and-knit nights and bringing in more and more local vendors.

"We are always open to more possibilities because there are tons of people out there who do beautiful work and no one knows about them," Kellam said. "Anyone is welcome."

Eventually, the store would like to host prayer shawl groups, and work to encourage local farmers or breeders to donate their unwanted or unused yarns.

"We want to have a little bit of everything for everybody," Stalcup said.

The store will be located at 7735 Main St., just a few doors down from the Wayside Inn.
Hooked on Fiber and Gifts will host a grand opening at 10 a.m. Oct. 1, with local potters, artisans and an array of farm animals on hand.

The shop will be open Tuesday-Sunday after Oct. 1. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, contact Hooked on Fiber and Gifts at 868-1780.