Black-Owned Yarn Shop In Union Co. Seeks Community's Support

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Still recovering from the lack of business during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Beyond Yarn in Union Township is looking for support from the community.

Founder Theresa Macklin recently launched a GoFundMe for Beyond Yarn — the only Black-owned yarn shop in Central Jersey.

Macklin, an NJ resident and longtime crafter, wrote on the GoFundMe that she "always dreamed of creating a welcoming, supportive crafting community in [her] own 'backyard.'"

She opened Beyond Yarn in 2019 and wrote that Union was a "perfect community to bring craft back to life, a place where people could learn and unravel their creativity."

But the 2020 lockdown hit the yarn shop hard, forcing them to close its doors only seven months after opening due to the quarantine mandate.

"It has been a struggle for the store to maintain many of the activities within the shop," Macklin wrote.

Throughout the two-and-a-half years of being open, Macklin's store has offered to the community:

• Specialty classes for knitting and crochet
• Private Sessions for crochet and knit classes
• Paint n Sips
• Yarn Tastings
• Children classes
• Events
• Hosted Union County Yarn Folk
• Hosted Rockin' Knitters Saturday Crafting Club
• Night Stitchers - a community night for the fiber artist
• Independent local artist events

Adapting to the new circumstances, the store launched its own website and transitioned its crafting group, yarn tastings and courses to an online platform.

"There were growing pains, but we managed to stay alive and bring in a new audience we couldn't have reached in Union alone," Macklin wrote.

Macklin said the store was heavily supported by the Union Township Economic Development Department and Special Improvement District by providing town events to bring the community together and help the local business.

Beyond Yarn partnered with Union Craft Crawl, LGBTQ+ groups and Local Yarn Store Day to support neighbors and give independent artisans a platform to grow their audiences. They also collaborated with the Recreational Center to engage grade school children into the world of crafting through knitting and crocheting.

"As we enter our 3rd year with high spirits, we still recognize we have a long recovery road," Macklin wrote. "Even though we applied for COVID-relief grants and loans, the local banks prioritized established businesses, and we weren't approved."

Macklin's GoFundMe has already raised more than $15K but still has a ways to go to meet its $45K goal.

Money that is donated will help Beyond Yarn achieve the following things:

• Maintain a community gathering space
• Expand participation in local artisan events
• Expand schedule of classes and crafting groups
• Provide more events and activities for children
• Start a mindfulness program
• Eliminate any debt accrued during the lockdown and since from to lack of products due to supply chain issues

Beyond Yarn is located at 1023 Stuyvesant Ave. and its website can be found here.

Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.

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