This month we’re celebrating our Sixth Loopy Anniversary! We officially opened our virtual doors on August 1, 2006. We’ve shared a few of these photos before, but celebrations are all about pulling out the scrapbooks and fondly reminiscing, right? Here is a peek at our Loopy (virtual) scrapbook.
The shop started in a tiny corner of our basement, not much bigger than what you can see in this photo – about 90 sq. feet. This was our first group of in-store shoppers. This corner worked well for the first couple of months, and then someone (that might be me …) just kept ordering more yarn and we needed more space.
We decided “who needs a basement?” and expanded from the little corner, into the rest of the finished area that we had.
We had to stack boxes on our front porch and in our front hallway, waiting for the mailman each day. Some days, there were a lot of boxes!
After a year at home, we made the move to office/retail space a few blocks away, and that was our Loopy home for the next 4+ years. After our first year there, we doubled the space by knocking down the walls and taking the offices next door. That was fun, although it made for a bit of an interesting (weird) floor layout.
Last December, we put everything on two large moving trucks, and moved to our current location here in Fort Collins, CO, about an hour north of Denver.
With 4500 sq. ft. here, I’m hoping we will have enough room to put off any other moves for the time being. You all need to come visit so that you can walk in here and look around that corner. It goes down a long way, and every bit of it is filled with yarn! (Here’s a peek down one of our four long aisles.)
Of course none of this would be here without YOU and your incredible support. We love hearing from you, we love pulling and packing orders for you, and we love seeing what you have made when you finish your projects. So often, our yarn companies and indie artisans tell us, “You guys have the BEST customers!” and we totally agree. You are the best. We sure appreciate you.
In celebration of our six years, we will be doing a few different blog contests this month, in addition to a couple of other things. This week’s blog contest question is: How long have you been with us at The Loopy Ewe? I know we have six year Loopy veterans who ordered that very first week, and one day Loopy newbies, who discovered us today when they saw the sign on the building and popped up to see us, hoping “The Loopy Ewe” had something to do with yarn. Leave your answer in the comments below, and we’ll do a random drawing next week for some Wollmeise Lace, that I saved just for our anniversary contests. 🙂
Sheri thinkingLoopymightneedtowearapartyhatthismonth
probably 4-5 years…
I’ve been shopping with you guys since May of 2011! You guys have the best service and selection.
Congrats on your anniversary. Hope to visit your shop in person one day.
Melissa
I estimate 3 – 4 years.
Happy Anniversary.
My first order was May 2007, though it took me a while to become a regular. I feared spending too much money. I obviously got over that fear. Your shop is awesome!
I’ve been following your blog for at least a couple of years, but have to admit I haven’t ordered anything – yet. Will remedy that soon. Find it all very inspiring. Congratulations on your anniversary!
About a year and a half, when I learned you had Wollmeise and I was lucky enough to score some!
You were still in your basement when I discovered you, but when I checked it was just before the store moved out into the bigger world. Happy anniversary! Love the Loopy Ewe.
I think it’s about 3 years now.
My first order was about 4 years ago.
Congratulations, Sheri!
I think it was maybe 5 1/2 years ago…my friend Martha mentioned The Loopy Ewe to me and the result has been a lot of yarn!
Let’s see – I visited you when you were still in the tiny corner of your basement! I brought along Meg and our friend Ann Konzan who had told me allll about you! So it’s been at least 5ish years; my next Christmas trip back you had moved into the building in the first of the spaces TLE was going to take over.
i can’t say with any certainty when my first order was. i would guess it was in 2008 or 2009.
i was in one or two of your sock clubs, and was fortunate to go to spring fling 2010.
I’ve been a fan/customer of the Loopy Ewe since 2007 🙂 (PS. the name “Rachel” means “Ewe”. Was I destined to be a knitter, or what?)
I have only been a serious shopper at Loopy Ewe for 1 year now but have placed the random order and dreamed and drooled looking at your sight for about 3 years.
I have never been anything but happy with my orders from Loopy Ewe. I hope to come see the shop in person one day.
Congratulations and keep up the good work. Heres to another 6 years!
I just found the store and web site. I live in Longmont and searched for Yarn stores and stopped by… now I can not stop ordering. Love the store and the website.
Five years! Somewhat to my surprise.
I don’t remember exactly, but more than 2 years, for sure.
I started with the Loopy Ewe when you were still in your basement. Sofia was not quite 2 & she’s turning 7. I wish you were still here!!!
My daughter & I came to your house (with my great granddaughter). That’s when I fell in love with knitting socks!!! I think it’s been about 5 or 6 years! A woman recommended you to us when we were leaving another local knitting store – after that it was all over – so much gorgeous yarn!!!!
I am new to the Loopy Ewe. I read about you all on Wendy Knit’s blog and found out about Camp Loopy. So I ordered and came to camp!! It has been such fun and your yarns are gorgeous!!
I placed my first order a little over a year ago when I first heard about Camp Loopy on Wendy Johnson’s blog. Looking at how much my stash has grown, though, you’d think I’ve been a customer since the beginning!
I had to look back to see when I placed my first order. It really can’t be that long ago … 3 years ago my SIL, Wasie, told me I had to check out TLE and ravelry. With 6 yarn shops less than 10 miles away from me, I thought, “Why order online?” It did not take long to realize that the yarns at TLE were special and the color photos were as good as IRL (I would go to lys’s to check the real life colors) and I could always figure out if there were enough skeins or colors in stock. Besides fantastic yarn, TLE is a fun place and shipping is fast (yarn is always on front porch on 2nd day after my order was placed).
Happy Anniversary, Loopy Ewe!! It still cracks me up to see that picture of our first visit in your basement. We had such a wonderful time. Here’s hoping for many more successful years to come!!
I had to look! My first order was in May, 2007.
I’m still a newbie, my first order was June 2012 – then I heard about Camp Loopy and my stash has been growing ever since! Happy Anniversary!!
I’ve been following your blog for a year or two I think. I have not done Camp Loopy, but I do enjoy reading your blog.
I’m not sure when I first ordered from you. It was several years ago, but not 6 years.
Congrats on your 6th anniversary!
Happy 6-year anniversary! I’ve been following the store for a while now, but I guess my first order wasn’t until December 2011.
I placed my first order in April, 2011 (I went and looked up my account). But it feels like I’ve always known Loopy Ewe. I rarely shop for knitting supplies anywhere else even though there are several LYS that I can drive to in only 20 minutes or so, and one that I can actually walk to. I only use them for emergencies – like last week when I snapped one of my interchangeable needle tips in half while tightening it. The yarn selection is fantastic – my wishlist can attest to that, and the customer service can’t be beat. You make every customer feel like a personal friend and that nothing is too much trouble. Happy Anniversary!!!! and many, many more!!!!!!!
About 2 years. Loyal customer since.
November 2006 I placed my first order. Wow has it really been that long ago????
How quickly 6 years go by! You have come a long way and I have been with you since placing 2 orders in November of 2006. Must have been one order per paycheck. Still love the personal attention and notes on the invoices. You make each one of us feel as if we are special knitting friends. Happy Anniversary Loopy!! Ruth Ann
I’m a Fort Collins local and have been with the Loopy Ewe since you opened your doors in town. Happy Anniversary!
I think it has been a couple of years and I made Loopy Groupie status finally due to Wollmeise purchases!
I’m guessing its been 3-4 years for me. The Loopy Ewe is the first source I turn to for new yarn.
I still think of myself as a newbie. I had been reading about The Loopy Ewe for years on Judy Laquidara’s blog, Patchwork Times, but only placed my first order in 2012 (February, I think) — shortly after joining Ravelry. Coincidence? Probably not! 🙂 Now I wonder how I ever lived without my TLE ” care packages” to look forward to. I <3 TLE!
I believe I’m around 5 years… and I became a Loopy Groupie rather fast when I first discovered you guys!
I had looked at the Loopy Ewe website several times without ordering, but when I saw the shop in Fort Collins, I went in as soon as I could (not until around May of this year, though. . .)
First purchase was January of this year!
Five years! I found Loopy Ewe totally by word of mouth for their great service, friendliness and terrific selection of yarns, which also supports many indie dyers. Everything I read was true!
September 2007 – 5 years ago
A little over 5 years (if my math is right!)–I placed my first order in June 2007. I visited your store in St. Louis before you did the expansion there and I hope to get up to Ft. Collins next month to visit the new store!
Congratulations on running such a great yarn shop!
I did my first order with The Loopy Ewe in July! So I’m a brand new customer… And I was very pleased with my order, the friendly note and the little extras in the package. I will definitively be back for my next yarn order on the Internet 😉
I ordered in December of that very first year. You had closed the shop for a week or so to go on a family vacation. I’m so glad I found you!
I don’t really know how long I have been ordering from you but I know that I love your yarn and especially wait every Monday night for your updates! Congratulations on your success!
I found The Loopy Ewe in September 2009. I will admit that the first attraction was the name o Ravelry. Then I saw the yarn and I was hooked! I ordred 3 skeins of sock yarn and loved it! The Loopy Ewe will always be my favorite yarn shop 🙂
I think I have ordered on-line for a couple of years now, but I got to go to your store this summer for the first time….and WOW!!!! I have some friends that I’m bring down in the fall (they want to see what I’ve been raving about!) I LOVE your store!
Happy Anniversary! I found The Loopy Ewe a little over four years ago. Can’t remember where I first heard about it though. But you are by far my favorite online yarn retailer, and honestly, pretty much the only place I order yarn from. I also make it a point to tell as many fellow knitters and crocheters about you – singing your praises as much as I can!
I have been a dependable customer since June 2007. I bet I admired the website for a time before I ordered. But once I started ordering, I was hooked! You have great customer service and beautiful products.
Wow, I’ve been with you since June 1, 2007. It’s been an awesome (stash exploding) 7 years! And, if all goes right, I may get to visit the shop for the first time next week!