Business Bio: Woolery spins a good yarn

Business Bio: Woolery spins a good yarn

Published: Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Business Bio is a feature in the Cabinet to let readers learn about new or expanding businesses in the area.



Name of the business: The Woolery Yarn Shop, Fine Yarns and Knitting Necessities.

Address: 604 Gibbons Highway (Route 101), Wilton. This is a new location and there will be a grand reopening event with door prizes and specials throughout the store on Saturday, April 25. Door prizes provided by Plymouth Yarns, Frog Tree, Royal Publications, Unicorn Books, Louet, KFI, Interweave Press, Green Mountain Spinnery, Rowan and Westminster Fibers.

Type of business: Yarns, needles, patterns and other supplies for knitting, crochet and needle felting; classes, too. 

Highlights of products and services: Personalized, friendly service, very good selection of yarns in many fibers and weights and an excellent selection of needles and books.

Owner/manager: Deb Degan.

Days/Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. (Summer hours will be Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.)

Web site: www.nhwoolery.com

Why did you start the business? "I had been working at Ben Franklin Crafts in Milford and running that yarn department. When Ben's closed, I knew there was a need for a yarn shop in the area and decided to open a shop. I am a lifelong knitter."

Is this a franchise? No.

How did you decide to open a business in this area? "I have lived in Wilton since 1979 and decided if I were going to have a business it should be where I live, not in some other town. That turned out to be a really good fit, because Wilton is the centerpoint between the Souhegan Valley and the Monadnock area. Also, we have two Waldorf schools in Wilton, Pine Hill and High Mowing, and the kids learn to knit, so that brings in some additional traffic."

Is your business geared toward a certain clientele? "I try to have something for everyone, but I would say I serve the average knitter – one who wants a good value and a quality product."

If you are opening a new business or expanding/moving an existing business in the area and want to participate in this feature, e-mail cabnews@ cabinet.com.

Rep actress' program bio makes plea for her native country

By Damien Jaques of the Journal Sentinel

Apr. 24, 2009 7:30 a.m.  

A theater critic reads hundreds of actor bios in programs every year, and the best are simple and informative. Do we really care that the actor is sending his/her love to Pookie (use email) or is thanking the director for this job?

Milwaukee Rep resident actor Lanise Antoine Shelley did something I have never before seen in her bio for the current Stiemke Theater production of  "I Just Stopped By to See the Man." She is asking the audience to become involved with Haiti, her native country, by including the website addresses of two Haitian charities. By going here you will learn about the orphanage where Lanise and her sister lived until they were adopted by an American woman when Lanise was 4.

The orphanage has moved and expanded since she left in 1985, and she returned last summer to paint a mural with the help of the children.

The other charity mentioned in the bio, Youthaiti, was founded and is run by Milwaukee nurse practitioner Gigi Pomerantz, and most of the organization's leadership is based here. Youthaitifocuses on the rural areas of Haiti. Its goal is to foster ecological and sustainable development by building composting toilets and promoting organic gardening.

Pomerantz explains that public sanitation is so poor in Haiti, 12% of the country's children under age 5 die from diarrhea. More than 80% of rural Haitians don't have access to sanitation systems. The composting toilets address that problem, and organic gardening is a natural result.