Growing Yarn Business Moves to 1,700 Sq. Ft. Eastside Shop

Rae’s Yarn Boutique owner, Rae Blackledge, recently moved her store to a bigger space on Lansing’s Eastside. This is the second time Blackledge’s business has grown to the degree that she’s needed to find a bigger operating space.

According to excerpts from the article:

Starting out in a stall at the Mega Mall, on Lansing’s north side, Blackledge brought her passion for knitting to the people. “I have knitted since fourth grade; my grandma taught me,” she says.  “I get very nervous when I’m sitting still, and it helps to have something in my hands to keep me calm.

Blackledge has come a long way since the fourth grade, but her love for knitting hasn’t faded a bit. A year after opening shop, she moved the business to the Frandor Shopping Center, where it flourished for nearly three years. On the day of this interview, she proudly sported a “Got Yarn?” T-shirt behind the counter of her shop’s new home on East Michigan Avenue. Blackledge moved the boutique to the roomier digs in early January.

“We mainly moved because we felt it was time to expand our shop,” she says. “We were feeling very crowded.”

Blackledge says the Frandor location was “divided up very poorly” and had a lot of wasted space. Now with an open 1,700 square feet, Rae’s has more than doubled in size, allowing customers more space to learn to knit or crochet with one of Blackledge’s classes, work on projects or simply shop for yarn and supplies, Blackledge says her shoppers have responded well to the move. “I think almost all of our customers have been in to see the new space,” she says.

Blackledge says the boutique’s selection and knowledgeable employees separate it from the “big box stores.” “We can really help out if you have problems or specific questions,” Blackledge says.

Read the entire article here.