this blog post was written by Bee

I’ve spent well over a decade working in the service industry, mostly at coffee shops and even in my own retail clothing store, so it’s with confidence that I report that LYS patrons are some of the most kind, patient, creative and fun out there. Still, you can’t interact with the public every day and have every interaction be all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows.

Last month I had a customer come in and we had this great conversation about how important it is to support local, we were really vibing and joking around. But, when she asked me to help her find what she had come in for, I realized we didn’t have it in stock. When I assured her we’d have it in two days and I could call her when it came in she just said “oh it’s ok, I’ll just get it on Amazon.”

I was baffled by her nonchalance (at least don’t say it to my face!) but I get where she’s coming from, there’s a conception that things are cheaper online, and it’s hard to beat same day delivery! My first thought after she said that was “wow, it’s amazing that any small business stays open with the prevalence of these big box stores and the rise of Amazon these days!”

After reflecting on it for a few weeks, my perspective has changed. Amazon has been around for over thirty years at this point, and Baaad Anna’s is still here on Hastings, thriving. To me, that means there’s a real case to be made for the place of a yarn store in the fibre arts world.

I think we succeed despite these retail giants because we offer so much more than just yarn. Yes, it will always be fun to come in and squish the yarn before you buy it, but what we’re really offering that you can’t get anywhere else is a community space. Combined between all of us, our staff offer you over 250 years of fibre arts expertise. We’re a place you can come and enjoy yourself, feel inspired and creatively supported. We offer a level of quality that is hard to match, and test products ourselves to give you real feedback on what is appropriate for what you want to make. I doubt she’d ever toot her own horn like this (so I’ll do it for her!) but Paula ensures Baaad Anna’s is involved in significant community work. She helps with the fibre libraries, and collects and distributes pounds and pounds of yarn every month that go out to various community organizations. She uses Baaad Anna’s to give back to our community.

Something that has become so clear to me after stewing on this interaction and through my first year at BAYS is that when you take care of a community it, it will, in turn, take care of you.

Thanks for shopping small, Baaadies!