Cream City Yarn has been a knitter's haven since 2011. But just two years ago, Nicole Maurer bought the business after falling in love with its community.
"The local yarn stores are huge in, it's kind of like a trickle-down, supporting other small businesses," says Nicole, owner of Cream City Yarn.
Carrying Wisconsin made bundles, like Northwoods Fibers and Wild Haven, Nicole has stayed true to her original goal.
"When I did buy this store, my biggest function that I wanted to do was to increase community, and then all of a sudden community changed," says Nicole.
With the pandemic forcing Cream City Yarn to close its doors, Nicole had to design more than one solution.
"We started up a new online store right away, now the whole store is available online. I'm not a person who loves to be in front of a camera all the time, but all of a sudden we were doing podcasts, having Instagram live videos, doing virtual classes," says Nicole.
Before she knew it, Cream City Yarn was able to reach communities way beyond Brookfield, Wisconsin.
"Having virtual events is helping us meet customers all around the country and even the world. We've had different virtual visits and classes with teachers from the Shetland Islands, people we probably wouldn't have thought to connect with before," says Nicole.
Slowly reuniting with customers face to face, you can visit Cream City Yarn in person.
"We just ask that you call ahead of time because we do only allow one customer in the store at a time. This way we help control traffic and no one's waiting outside in the cold," says Nicole.
Once inside, fair "yarning" you might unravel trying to decide what to make first.
Hours: Monday - Friday 10 AM - 6 PM
Saturday - Sunday 12 PM - 4 PM