Meet Heather Harmison | Owner and Head Yarn Enabler

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Harmison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Around 15 years ago, I desperately wanted to own my own yarn store. At the time, I was a single mother of two boys and worked full time in the medical industry. I started planning out how I would make my dream come to fruition. Once I realized that many people were not taking me seriously on this journey, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I immediately enrolled into college in order to learn everything I could about marketing and business management. Many business plans were made and years of research began on how to effectively run a yarn store. The goal was to show my children that your circumstances do not define you. With hard work and pushing towards your goal, you can accomplish anything. I have since remarried and have another child , but the drive of all of my children and now granddaughters, seeing me work towards and continue my dream has been the most rewarding.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The doors to the shop opened in December of 2019. Never in a million years could anyone have predicted a pandemic was just on the horizon. The 3 months that we were open to the public, were the most phenomenal. The reception from the fiber community was beyond anything I would ever have imagined. The shop sells items for crocheting, knitting and spinning yarn and we offer classes for beginners to advanced. We offer a space for indie dyers to be able to get their product out to the world. Most importantly, we have fiber night every Thursday night. From 5-8pm, we have friends come in and knit, crochet, or just come to visit. The community of fiber artists that meet weekly have made the drive to survive the pandemic even more important. Everyone is welcome to come spend time at the shop, learn something new or get a little help when needed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The shop is very lucky to be located in Grapevine. We are located on main street just north of the historic district. Our shopping center is home to LA burgers, Sauce’d and the British Emporium. Just a short walk will get you to all of the quaint shopping of Main Street. The Gaylord and Great Wolf Lodge are a short car ride from the shop as well. Grapevine is the Christmas Capital of Texas and is a must see during the holidays. We are home to many winery’s, brewery’s and festivals!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, friends and fiber community have been the backbone of keeping the shop going this past year and a half. There are not enough words to express the gratitude that I have for them all.

When I started my first day of college, I sat down and pulled out my knitting. The girl next to me did exactly the same. Her name is Gloria and we have been best friends ever since. She has been a huge part of making my shop successful. The day I opened in 2019, she asked me “what can I do?” I jokingly said “Go dye yarn”. Next thing I know, her company Hank Me Home Tonight was created. Not only does she dye the most gorgeous yarn exclusively for my shop, she also teaches classes and encourages any crazy idea I have.

Sarah is a surgeon by day and amazing teacher and knitter by night. She has volunteered so many hours of her time during the pandemic in order to help the shop succeed. On the weekends you can usually find her teaching students at the shop or helping customers find the perfect yarn for their next project.

The dream of making the shop a reality was fueled by the cheerleading of my children, parents, brothers, sister-n-law and husband. Without them and without my friends that have stepped up to help, I would not be nearly as successful.

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