New business has passion for yarns, ‘cozy creations’

Jessica Davis loves the world of crocheting. She also loves just about anything to do with yarns, fibers and creating garments. The Moline woman’s passion for all things to do with knitting, embroidery kits, hand dyed skeins and much more now is the centerpiece of a new storefront business called Fibre & Stem, located at […]

Jessica Davis loves the world of crocheting. She also loves just about anything to do with yarns, fibers and creating garments. The Moline woman’s passion for all things to do with knitting, embroidery kits, hand dyed skeins and much more now is the centerpiece of a new storefront business called Fibre & Stem, located at 821 18th Ave., Moline. Fibre & Stem opened in April in a vacant storefront that Ms. Davis and her husband, Michael, recently bought. That 800-square-foot store, which was a hair salon years ago, is next door to a longtime accounting business, Myers Accounting Service. The business is currently a one-woman shop with Ms. Davis being the sole employee. And she’s receiving great early reviews from her customers.

“Since I opened the store, people have been coming up to me and saying ‘We haven’t had a local yarn shop in years’ and ‘We’re so happy you opened this store,’” she told the QCBJ. Ms. Davis described Fibre & Stem as a  “fiber arts emporium that stocks small-batch hand-dyed yarn/fiber, notions, crocheted garments/accessories, as well as offering classes.” In addition to being a place where knitting and crocheting fans can buy supplies for their projects, Fibre & Stem also is a place that hosts classes and events. For instance, she will have a Knitting 101 class on Thursdays in June, beginning June 5. “You'll discover the magic of turning yarn into cozy creations, from simple dishcloths to a charming bag. With expert guidance, fun projects, and a supportive community, you'll be knitting like a pro in no time,” the class description says. (Go here to sign up for classes.) In addition to knitting “cozy creations,” many of the Fibre & Stem fans are coming in to look for materials to make sweaters, socks and various other garments. “I feel it (knitting) has been having a resurgence, especially with the millennials,” said Ms. Davis. The storeowner also is in the creative mood these days. In fact, during her spare hours when not busy in the new storefront, she is working to create a Tunisian crochet sweater.

Even though Fibre & Stem’s storefront is new, Ms. Davis is not new to the local fiber arts market. In the past few years, she has had pop-up shops in the Skeleton Key Art and Antiques  in Rock Island, and The Atlas Collective book store and coffee shop in downtown Moline. During her time hosting the pop-ups, she thought about opening a storefront but believed that would happen many years in the future. “I thought that would be a fun project for me after retirement,” she added. But her dream became a reality when the 18th Avenue location became available. In addition to having room for a “fiber arts emporium,” the building has an apartment on the second floor that Ms. Davis and her husband are looking to rent.  But her big focus is on the future of Fibre & Stem. She has some big plans for future development of the business such as hosting outdoor events and bringing in renowned experts to give talks and classes.  She also has started plans for creating what she calls a “fiberary.” (That’s a play on words for combining a library with fiber arts.) Her “fiberary” will be a place where people interested in crocheting and knitting can borrow equipment to make their “cozy creations.”

But the biggest future plan may be a square footage expansion. Ms. Davis said her next door business neighbor, Myers Accounting Service, might be retiring, and if that happens she will consider buying that business space to move her Fibre & Stem storefront into. She would like to transform her current storefront space into a classroom area for her customers. “It’s so hard. I have so many things I want to do, and I want to do them right away,” she added. Fibre & Stem is open three days a week. It is open noon to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, visit Fibre & Stem’s Facebook page.