KIM’S GOT THE KEYS TO YOUR CRAFTY CORNER!
New venture has local crocheters hooked
CROCHET lover Kim Turner has turned her hobby into a business by opening her own shop.
The 31-year-old has had a busy month as the business launch coincided with her wedding to longterm partner Andrew.
Mum-of-three Kim worked as a healthcare support worker when she first got into crocheting five years ago, and started selling items she had made.
When the pandemic hit, she began to find it difficult to get materials and so sourced her own.
After she started supplying to other crafters, she started renting a unit and office space before spotting an opportunity to set up a shop in Smallthorne.
Kim, of Sneyd Green, said: “My mum taught me to knit when I was young but I never got past doing a scarf.
“I started crocheting five years ago. I just decided to learn, it was something to do. I don’t like sitting doing nothing, I like to keep my hands busy.
“For two-and-a-half years, I had my own business making and selling. It was getting harder and harder to get the materials I used.
“I already had a website set up so, when I found suppliers, I started adding the materials on there.
“In March this year, I started with a unit in Moorland Road and rented an office space, but then this shop became available so I went for it.”
Kim got the keys to the shop, called Your Crafty Corner, on October
1 - less than a week before she and plasterer Andrew got married at The Moathouse.
The shop then opened on October 16, and the first day saw customers queueing along Smallthorne Bank.
Kim - mum to Russell, aged 11, Joe, aged eight, and three-year-old Dougie - stocks yarn alongside knitting and crochet accessories, cross stitch kits and macramé supplies. There is also a selection of crafty gifts.
She said: “Stoke-on-trent was lacking a craft shop and so many people have learned to craft over lockdown. It’s not the same buying online because you can’t see or feel what it’s like.
“It’s overwhelming having my own shop. I know what I like, but I need to find out what everyone else likes.
“I also have the upstairs which is empty at the moment, so I’m hoping to expand up there in the future and start stocking more crafts.”
Your Crafty Corner is open from 10am until 4pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and until 2pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. You can also visit the shop’s website.