Selvedge talks to... Purl Soho
Run by Sisters, Joelle Hoverson and Jennifer Hoverson Jahnke, and their good friend, Page Marchese Norman (all editors and stylists in past lifetimes) Purl Soho in New York – and online – is a beloved resource for needle-crafters of every ilk, from knitters and crocheters to quilters and embroiderers.
What is the story of Purl Soho – what do you do and how did you get started?
Purl Soho opened in 2002 as a tiny yarn shop on Sullivan Street, in the heart of New York City's Soho neighbourhood. Four years later and just a few doors down, we opened an even tinier store for fabric, Purl Patchwork. And in 2010 we finally realised our dream of bringing together all fibre arts under one roof with the opening of our big, beautiful Purl Soho store at 459 Broome Street.
Our storefront and our online shop (purlsoho.com) are a much-loved resource for natural fibres and high quality craft supplies. We also design dozens of patterns annually, many of which we share for free. Additionally Purl Soho creates its own collections of natural yarns, linen fabrics, and inspiring kits!
What are your favourite projects at the moment?
We’re excited about our holiday kits! The winter holidays are such an inspiring time for crafting, and at Purl Soho we work all year long to make this time of year really special for our customers. This year we’ve introduced several amazing kits, including something a bit new for us, our Beads + Tassels Necklaces Kit. We think it’s really festive and gorgeous, and we hope our customers agree!
You have your own line of goods. What inspired you to create it?
Being around amazing fibres all day makes it very tempting to try to bring to life all the things you love and appreciate about yarn and fabric! We got really excited to bring our own vision of beautiful fibres to our shelves, and it has been incredibly satisfying. Our kits are rooted in one of our original goals, which was and is to share as much information about fibre crafts as we possibly can, to inspire people to learn new skills, to explore new avenues of creativity, and to get as much enjoyment out of all these things as we do!
What is the day to day like at Purl Soho?
Busy! Purl Soho is a much smaller business than some people realise, which means that the people who work for us wear a lot of different hats. They also work really hard! But we all care a lot about what we’re doing and the customers we’re doing it for, and so, even when it gets stressful (or even absolutely insane!), we feel inspired to do what we do… and we laugh a lot, too!
Do you host any events or classes, if so what’s on in the next couple of months?
Yes! Our biggest event, Knitting in the City, is coming up in March 2017. We are co-hosting it with Julie Hoover and Catherine Lowe’s Company, and it’s going to be an incredibly special weekend in New York City where knitters can really get to know each other. They’ll also get to meet and mingle with the guest designers, eat delicious food, hang out in beautiful spaces, and of course, knit!
We also offer a whole range of classes, some of which take place in our store and some in our new Studio Space down the street. We have a list of classes and events - which can all be found on our website.
Make sure to pop into Purl Soho for special Christmas presents, course and, of course, the latest copies of Selvedge!
459 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013