My Love for Local: A Sheep at the Wheel Yarn Co.
By Kayla Moses
Kayla Moses joined Main Street Hub three years ago and is currently one of our Marketing Specialists. The love for local runs deep in her family — her parents opened a yarn shop in her hometown two years ago. Every other Saturday, Kayla works at her parents’ shop, deepening her appreciation for local business and love for bringing communities together.
My mom and dad have always been fiends for hobbies. Their first project as a married couple was to learn to deep sea scuba dive. When I was a kid, my mom made stained glass windows and turned our garage into a home studio; my dad learned to build old British racing cars from scratch. In college, when she and my dad picked up motorcycle riding, they took a trip across the country “just to practice.” You get the idea. They really believe in hobbies.
So, that said, when my mom picked up knitting a few years ago, I probably should have known we’d end up running a yarn store.
My parents opened A Sheep at the Wheel Yarn Co. in my hometown of Georgetown, Texas in June of 2015. My mom had only been knitting for about six months when she decided that this was “The Next Big Thing” that she and my dad were going to do together. In a matter of weeks, she memorized basically everything there is to know about all kinds of yarn, fibers, stitches, needles, and patterns. (My dad followed shortly thereafter). My mom knitted dozens — literally dozens — of samples. We opened shop and the rodeo truly began: our quest to become the Yarn Barons of Central Texas. At least, that’s the family joke we’re running with for now.
I work at the shop every other Saturday to give my mom a day off, and two years in, I feel like I’ve finally settled into the culture of my family’s business. It’s so much more than just running the cash register for the day. There’s a richness to being surrounded by raw craft materials. We play folky country music, sometimes jazz, and people stop in for a cup of coffee to chat and knit for hours.
I’ve gotten to witness incredible stories from all generations: cheery grandmothers, knitting up booties for their grandchildren; little girls, picking out pink and purple yarns for their first winter hat; our class teachers, spinning out scarves and socks for charity causes all across the country.
We’re a yarn store, but the people are really what make what we do worth it. Every time I hear my mom answer the phone, I think how much like she sounds like my grandmother. There’s so much love in it. People drive in from all over Central Texas just to see my mom and to ask for her help on their projects. I can’t count the number of times that someone’s popped in and said: “I drove in all the way from San Antonio just to say hi to your mother!” There’s also nothing sweeter than my dad helping our elderly customers by taking their bags to their car in the parking lot.
People always laugh when I tell them my parents own a yarn shop. They chuckle and say, “I had no idea that sort of thing even existed!” Something about that makes it even more special for me, because to our regulars, we’re a second home. We’re the place they make new friends. The place they come to relax. The place they come to be creative. To share stories. It’s a lot of heart, all wound up in a dream my mom and dad had together. And that’s a yarn worth spinning.
