Congratulations to guild member Katherine McLeod! Her new store, Kat’s Craft Corner https://katscraftcorner.ca/, will officially open the week of December 8, 2024, and her longstanding dream will become a reality.
“I played with the idea of a store for years,” Katherine says. “Wouldn’t it be cool? Or, When I retire…” Then, like knitwear designer Shirley Paden, Katherine faced long-term disability, a state that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. “What helped me then was knitting, crocheting, and other fabric arts, and I realized I wanted to start a store now. I wanted to wake up every morning excited about going to work!”
It took Katherine roughly three months to conduct market research, develop a business plan, source suppliers, and average commercial space costs. “Three months to feel comfortable enough to act and go ask the bank for money,” she recalls.
Kat’s Craft Corner is located at 688 Hortop Street, Oshawa, Ontario, L1G 4N6. Guild members can shop in person or online.
When customers first walk into her store, Katherine hopes they experience a sense of hygge, that coziness which brings about contentment and a sense of well-being. She wants fellow makers to appreciate the mindfulness of fibre arts, to care for themselves, and to deepen their appreciation of the art of knitting.
Over half of the products at Kat’s Craft Corner have been sourced, produced and/or dyed in Canada—from Pictou, Nova Scotia, to Okanagan, British Columbia. In addition to knitting supplies such as Kollage Square Needles, the store will offer other fibre arts such as embroidery and needlepoint.
Katherine is passionate about making higher quality fibre arts accessible to more people, and her love originates with her ancestors. “Many women on my mom’s side used fibre arts to destress, support their family, make family heirlooms,” she says. “They bonded with younger generations by teaching needle point, knitting, and crocheting. And my paternal grandmother was an artist; she and I bonded through creativity and art. So, I remain close to the amazing women in my family even if they are no longer present.”
Where to next? “My fondest hope,” says Katherine, “is to include more Canadian suppliers and extremely well known (but also very expensive) international brands such as Malabrigo and La Bien Aimée. I also want to increase the shop’s bricks-and-mortar square footage and strengthen the fibre arts community in Canada as a whole with a focus on knitting and crocheting.”
Best of luck with Kat’s Craft Corner, Katherine. The Toronto Knitters Guild is rooting for you!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kats_craft_corner/
