COORIE CREATIVE
This Stirling-based store puts the community at the heart of everything it does, as founder Mairi Breslin explains
COORIE CREATIVE is an exciting crafting venture in the heart of Stirling, which is a yarn store, a workshop space and a social enterprise project. Set up to provide support to people at risk of social isolation due to loss or trauma, Coorie Creative opened its shop and studio space in August 2021. The initiative was founded by Mairi Breslin, and we spoke with Mairi about what Coorie Creative has to offer.
Why did you set up Coorie Creative?
“I previously lectured at Stirling University in mental health, with a focus on trauma and loss. From my research and my personal experience of loss, I realised that creative therapeutic communities can be very helpful for long-term survivors. I wanted to make a safe place for people to come to, where the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and where they can join with others in a mutually supportive environment. I mainly weave nowadays, so to test whether the idea was something that people would want to use, I ran a small Crowdfunder campaign to raise funds for looms and yarns. In the end, the campaign raised three times the target, so this told me all I needed to know, and I left my academic career to set up the social enterprise that is Coorie Creative.”
What can visitors expect when they pop into the shop?
“The shop is a beautiful yarnie oasis in the main shopping centre in Stirling, filled with colours and textures! We have a knit and natter space, and there’s a seating area beside our pattern books where customers are welcome to take a while to browse the inspirational content. Our studio has views to the Wallace Monument and Ochil Hills.
“Knit, crochet, spinning and weaving classes take place in our workshop area. We will be adding dyeing and felting to the list soon. Our classes have a relaxed, friendly vibe, with a policy of ‘there are no such thing as mistakes, just unintended design features’, which helps to make everyone feel rightly proud of their handmade pieces.
“Finally, at the far end of the studio we have a design space, where we plan and develop our next season’s kit.
“All the money raised from shop sales funds our community activities. We have been helped along the way by organisations such as the National Lottery, but our aim is to become financially self-sufficient, generating enough commercial revenue to pay for all of our charity work.”
What brands do you stock?
“We stock Rowan, Drops, JC Rennie and King Cole yarns, as well as a range of kits for knitting, crochet and weaving. All of our kits are made in Scotland; we manufacture our own kits and employ people who might find getting or keeping a job difficult for a variety of reasons.
“We like to support small businesses, so we stock Caithness Yarns, Wee County Yarns and Knitrospective products, as well as a range of indie dyers including
Dye Candy, AMOyarns, GamerCrafting, Buzzin Yarns and Bow Fiddle Yarns.
“We have KnitPro, Clover and ChiaoGoo needles, and we are always on the lookout for new suppliers, especially independents, who we can help to start up and grow.”
Can you tell us about the team you have working with you?
“We are a team of ten paid employees and ten volunteers. We now have three members of staff who have creative degrees but who weren’t able to find jobs that matched their interests. The design space allows our team the freedom to research and explore new ideas, which feeds into our choice of yarns, patterns, and kits. We have employed two women who were previously volunteers to run workshops, and five of our staff are young people in their first job. Our social purpose runs throughout our organisation, so with employment and volunteering decisions, along with supply chain partnerships, we always aim to support independents and people who are sympathetic to our social mission.”
What would you say are the highlights and challenges of running a yarn?
“The highlight is definitely when a new yarn order arrives - we are like kids at Christmas diving in to see what it looks and feels like! I have to hide in the office to get work done, to tear myself away from all of the distractions in the shop…
“One of our challenges is having enough of the right stock, without having too much. We could always do with more volunteers, and we have a need for more board members to help us with the delicate balance of commercial and community work - so if anyone would be interested in a trustee post, please do get in touch!”
What has been your proudest achievement?
“It’s the Coorie community, without a doubt. Most of our staff and volunteers are either survivors of trauma or loss, or were at risk of social isolation themselves. They naturally ‘get it’, and it shows in everything they do. Although we’re a small organisation, we are quite complex, and a lot of time is spent spinning one plate whilst keeping an eye on another three or four. I know I can rely on the team to go the extra mile to make a difference, and to step up when I need them to.”
Are you a knitter yourself?
“I’ve knitted since I was five years old. In recent years, I’ve discovered weaving, which suits me better. It’s very forgiving of people like me who are a wee bit hamfisted with a very short attention span. I’m finding more and more that I’m heading back into the world of knitting now, but who could blame me, being surrounded by all that beautiful yarn every day.”