Friday, August 20, 2010

A Visit to Colonial Needle, Part One












Linda & I had a very special treat today. I took the day away from my office, & we went to visit the home offices of Colonial Needle. In case you didn't know, Colonial Needle is local for us, and they purchased Lee's last year. Since then, the owners have taken Lee's to great heights, and there are clearly plans to go further. We are excited for them.

The owners, Terry, & her husband, Jim, were so gracious and pleasant with us, and so very generous with their time. Colonial Needle started, as you may have guessed from the name, as a needle company. A portion of their business still includes the most stunning wood knitting needles; they were so pretty & beautiful in my hand, that I felt a little longing to maybe---just maybe---knit something. But then I remembered my stash, & felt guilty even thinking about it....

They import a wide variety of high quality sewing, stitching, needlepoint, quilting and other needles. Their brands include Mary Arden, John James, Colonial, S. Thomas and Sons, to name just a few. I have been crafting forever, and even I didn't know there were so many kinds of needles (I hear my Nanny chastising me for not paying attention to her telling me this). I was very impressed with the efficiency of the operation. All of Colonial Needle, and Lee's, and a few other related companies are all run from five thousand square feet, with less than a dozen employees. A visit to the web site will give you an idea of the sheer numbers of just needles there are. The photos above are needles, and a mere portion of what's in the warehouse. Jim handed me a box of needles, about 1/3 the size of a shoe box, warning me of the weight, & I was still stunned.
Can you see the cute leopard box? That's a sewing box.....cool, right?
We will have lots more photos and more to report....but we wanted to give you an idea of what we saw. Did you want to know about canvases and leather goods? Stay tuned. There are big plans ahead for this company! We will share what we've learned!
Denise

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