Let's give a warm welcome to Jimmy Beans Wool!
When did the company start/was founded?
Jimmy Beans Wool started in May 2002 and our first shop ever was in Truckee, California!
Who started the company?
Laura and Doug Zander, two engineers who left Silicon Valley for the peace of the Sierra Nevada Mountains!
Why did you start?
The dot com bubble in Silicon Valley had officially burst so, Laura and Doug took to the mountains to retreat and figure out their next steps. As a new knitter, Laura couldn’t stop thinking/dreaming/loving yarn! After a chat with Lorna from Lorna Laces, Laura decided to open up a local yarn shop in her little town of Truckee.
Where are you located?
In 2004, we moved from Truckee and settled down in Reno, Nevada! We occupy a huge 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse (full of yarn!), that also includes our retail shop and offices!
Where did the inspiration for the name come from?
Jimmy is Laura’s nickname! It came from a Todd Snider song called “Doublewide Blues”. Beans is because our original location sold coffee, and wool because, well…:).
What do you offer (yarn, patterns, etc)?
Feels like the better question may be, ‘what DON’T we offer’!. Just kidding 🙂 But seriously, we have over 15,000 products in our inventory – everything from yarn, of course, to needles, notions, hooks, patterns, project bags, including our line of della Q and Maker’s bags, kits, subscriptions, accessories, and around the holidays, our famous Craftvents!
Who makes up your team? Can anyone become involved (affiliated, free lancers, just office staff)?
We’re a strong team of ~40 employees including our warehouse, customer service, marketing, tech, production, and retail staff. We also engage with a handful of influencers who help get the word out about our products!
How do you give back to the community?
This is something we’re super passionate about and love sharing!! Here are a few things we’ve enjoyed supporting:
- Beans For Brains, our new again yearly scholarship honoring students in accredited universities with a love of the fiber arts! Recipients receive $2,500 towards tuition.
- Breast Cancer Research & Survivors:
- We create kits every year that donate a portion of sales to BreastCancer.org
- We’re currently partnering with Knitted Knockers by selling our Knocker Blockers. A portion of sales goes back to that amazing organization!
- Our community:
- We had our our annual retreat attendees create winter beanies for residents of Eddy House last year.
- We created Camp Fire knitting kits for those who lost everything in Paradise, California.
- We are an Alice’s Embrace drop off location. Alice’s Embrace donates prayer shawls and blankets to those with Alzheimers in the community.
- We raised over $25K for Make-A-Wish last year to sponsor three kid’s wishes!
- In 2017, we created the I Knit for Harvey campaign that donated knitted bears to kids affected by Hurricane Harvey.
What’s the biggest achievement/accomplishment the company has had?
Laura inevitably would tell you it’s creating an organization that people love to work at in a space where they can truly be themselves!
What’s your biggest challenge?
Our biggest (most fun!) challenge is keeping up with all the new and amazing designers and indie dyers! There are SO many incredible talents out there, it feels impossible to get our hands on everything! We’ve had a total blast working recently with a handful of indie dyers and designers in both our 2020 Monthly Pop Ups and our new-for-summer, Sock Club!
Do you have a mascot?
Do office dogs count?! While we don’t have a mascot, we do have lots of furry friends that keep us company in the office! It’s hard to ever have a bad day when you’re surrounded by yarn and pups!
A HUGE THANK YOU goes to Alexandra from Jimmy Beans Wool for answering all of the questions and providing pictures. You rock!!
Now, go and give Jimmy Beans Wool some LOVE! Like, share, or purchase ANY of their fine and amazing products. Remember, supporting Jimmy Beans Wool is supporting a small business and Local Yarn Shop. We LOVE local places!
As for me? I’ll be adding one of those Maker Canvas Backpacks to my Christmas List 😉
Here are the links:
Instagram: @jimmybeanswool
Website: www.jimmybeanswool.com
Comment below if you have any questions for Jimmy Beans Wool.
And THANK YOU so much for reading and joining along on our Company Spotlight. You can see a new maker right here EVERY Monday. I have some AMAZING makers lined up and I cannot wait to share them with you.
xoxo, Lindsey
#MakerSpotlightMonday #puglovecrochetblog #allaboutmespotlight