True Blue Fiber Friends

Thursday, February 11, 2010 was our second anniversary of opening the doors here at True Blue Fiber Friends (the brick and mortar store). Those of you who have been here from the beginning understand what it took and what we went through to get here. For those of you that don't, let me give you a little insight into what TBFF means to me.
True Blue Fiber Friends, the Ravelry Forum group, started in January 2008 as a support group for me, really, when my life was turned upside down just before the Holidays and I basically became a knitting refugee. The hundreds of knitting friends I had made over the years of running Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe were calling, emailing and querying everyone close to me trying to find out how I was doing. I tried to make it out to as many knitting social groups as I could ~ just to keep my sanity really. Lots of people had knitting questions and sought me out to help them....so we finally started the Ravelry group so that people could keep up and know where to find me, or ask me questions right there. Still, fiber folks wanted a place where they knew they could always find me again.
My life-long True Best Friend Forever, Shella Watson, mortgaged her life to come to my rescue. We got it all pulled together in February to open the doors to our fiber arts retail shop. We joke that we started this place on "four shoestrings and a puppy dogs tail". TBFF was to be more than just a retail store, though.
We started the TBFF members co-op as a "keep the lights on fund", but the community that has built up among our members continues to warm our hearts, as well. Our Friday night "Happy Hour" has become a celebration of weddings, birthdays, jobs, life, love and accomplishment....and all the fiber arts, of course. Everyday I get rejuvenated by the customers and friends that stop in. You are why we are here and we thank you everyday for keeping us here!