Marin Fiber Arts

I started this blog way back in 2005 when I decided to open a yarn store. I used the blog as a diary of what I went through: the hoops I jumped through, the frustrations I experienced, the joys I felt. It was cathartic. It was fun. And it attracted quite a few readers.

Well, now the brick and mortar yarn shop is history. What’s left is the Marin Fiber Arts website that I hope will build into an amazing online place where people can visit who love to work with yarn. Kind of like the yarn shop. But before I blog about building an online yarn emporium and resource, I should take care of unfinished business and chronicle how one closes a yarn store.

Question: How do you close a 4-year old yarn store?

Answer: Painfully.

When did this story really begin? I can probably trace the roots of the store’s demise to a time before I ever opened Marin Fiber Arts. The root of the problem: my location. Awkwardly located in the back of a plaza in downtown San Rafael, it was just plain hard to find. If you didn’t live in the area, you probably had to call the store several times on the cell phone in order to find the place. We received many calls from people who were STANDING OUT ON FOURTH STREET IN FRONT OF THE PLAZA. “Hello? Where are you? Well, I’m standing out here and I can’t see you!” “All you have to do is walk to the rear of the plaza”, we’d say. “That’s right, I’m tucked in the corner! Yay, you found us.”

Of course, many people never got that far. In fact, my dear friend Bobbie (our Knit Doctor) says  it took her over a year to find the store. She (and many others) kept driving by, looking for my sign, never to see it. Oh, right: San Rafael does not allow any signage on Fourth Street for us merchants in the Plaza. Yep, we have to stay hidden from the general public. Don’t get me started. I am not happy with the way San Rafael treats small businesses.

In addition to location, high rent was the sucker-punch. Oh it was so high, especially when you consider that there was very little foot traffic going past the store. Normally one expects to pay high rent to be located in a high-traffic downtown shopping district. It’s that old real estate adage: location location location. In my case, even though I was located downtown, the Plaza hides its merchants by facing them perpendicular to the street. The plaza is not inviting; it’s a barren expanse of paving bricks with a cool waterfall in the back. Very little seating, no shade, no grassy area for kids to play, no trees. Why would anyone walk in there?

A better question would be: why would I rent such a space to begin with?!? Sigh, hindsight is 20/20. I thought the location was good enough (downtown San Rafael), close to the freeway. It’s a vibrant downtown neighborhood, right? Well, Fourth Street might be vibrant, but not in the City Plaza.

Next time: but where do I put my car??