Episode #143: Purl Soho

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a retail fabric and yarn shop, both online and in a brick-and-mortar setting, with my guests Joelle Hoverson and Page Marchese Norman.

Joelle and Page, along with Jennifer Hoverson Jahnke, are co-owners of Purl Soho, a fiber arts supply company that brings a modern sensibility to traditional needlecrafts.

We begin by talking about the story of how Joelle came to found Purl in 2002 as a small knitting store on Sullivan Street. Joelle explains how her vision for the store was different from most other yarns stores in existence at that time. Bringing her background as a stylist to curating the merchandise she says, "I really envisioned a shop that when you went in you felt that the shop had a vision."

Her sister, Jennifer, started the ecommerce side of the business not long after. Joelle explains how high-quality tutorials presented on the company's blog really drove the business's growth. The business grew into a second storefront, Purl Patchwork, and the two later merged into a single location on Broome Street. Purl Soho also has a large warehouse in Tustin, California that's open to the public.

Page and Joelle became friends while working together at Martha Stewart and have now been business partners for 11 years. They talk about how to have a successful partnership by listening to and respecting one another.

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This episode is sponsored by Needle Sharp. Needle Sharp is a subscription service that let’s you sew your own style with carefully curated sewing kits, set directly to your door. Each month they pick a fabulous sewing pattern from independent pattern companies then pair high-quality fabrics to that pattern, gather all the notions you need, and put it one convenient box. Let Needle Sharp do all the hard work for you so you can get straight to the fun part: Sewing your own clothes!

And just for listeners of this podcast, they are offering an exclusive discount of 15% off your first order of a subscription box. Simply use the coupon code WhileSheNaps (all one word) at checkout. Try it today!

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Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same.

To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.