Their story is the epitome of small business success. Three Crows Fiber opened a little over a year ago in Augusta on James Brown Boulevard. In less than a week, the niche business offering yarns and knitting classes drew customers from across the CSRA and as far away as Athens and Statesboro.
The business expanded to a space at 1026 Broad Street last week that will give them more room to spread their wings.
“The space is three times bigger than what we had before. We really needed that to offer more classes and expand our new lines of yarn and embroidery kits,” said Jeff Pullium, one of the owners of Three Crows Fiber.
You know you’ve arrived when TikTok has made knitting trendy and cool among a younger generation. You might think of your grandma when it comes to knitting, but Gen Z’s and Millennials have become hooked.
Before expanding into the building previously occupied by Earth Pantry, which closed in late June, “We were really standing on top of each other between customers and class participants.”
The Broad Street location crossed all the stitches for their growth plans. They have also contributed to employment in the CSRA by adding two part-time employees to stock yarn and run the register.
Pullium, who relishes “spinning a good yarn,” is retired after 26 years as a Media Specialist and Instructional Technology teacher at Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School.
He caught the knitting bug from Dr. Rebecca Talley, a family physician at the Center for Primary Care in Augusta. She says knitting got her through the stress of medical school.
The third of the Three Crows Fiber owners is Karen Heid, who retired as an Art Educator in Richmond County and has been an associate professor in Arts Education at the University of South Carolina.
They are a tight-knit group, and Pullium’s appreciation for the art of knitting and embroidery is contagious.
“We offer a beautiful selection of yarns. Some new lines are coming soon from local fiber producers, including Lola Bean and Sweet Georgia. Our shop is a great experience. It will make your heart sing.”
Three Crows Fiber will be celebrating its Grand Opening on September 4. You can follow them on Facebook here or give them a call at 706-619-1120.
As for the former owners of Earth Pantry, Alexia and Zane Redman, even though their shop for locally produced goods, including bulk foods and body care items, has closed, they will continue to operate their Pinefield Eco Farm in Hephzibah.
It’s where many of their offerings originated. For now, they are concentrating on a new baby and opening a mobile farm market. For more information, you can follow them here.
Editor’s Note: Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia, as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
