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Tammy Rabindeau went from being a stay at home Mom to a business woman. Tammy is the new owner of a yarn shop in San Antonio Texas called Yarnivore. Yarnivore hasn’t been around long itself. Melanie Smith came up with the cute name and opened the doors October 28th, 2006 with the vision of having her own yarn shop. |
When Melanie’s husband retired from the service, she knew she needed to find an owner for the new store because she knew they would be leaving San Antonio soon. Tammy was a loyal customer, and Melanie thought she had the ability to own and run the store, keeping the spirit going she had only just started.
The store is very friendly, positive and joy filled, with couches, chairs and tables in the back of the store so you can sit and knit. They also have a classroom for the classes they hold and it’s really a wonderful community Melanie built. The first and third Friday they have their knit night and the store has a spinning influence as well. The store will actually rent you a wheel to get you started.
The store has everything from wool, to bamboo, to cotton. You wouldn’t think that a yarn shop would sell much wool in Texas, but the girls explained to me that the application is different. They do knit sweaters, cardigans, shrugs & wraps in Texas, but that article could actually be your coat during the Spring or Fall. When it’s really cold, San Antonians do own and wear coats, but that is a really short season for them. During a good portion of the year, everything indoors is air conditioned and you may need a sweater.
I asked Tammy about the economic slow down that the country is experiencing, and asked how it has affected the stores’ business. She explained to me that San Antonio has been virtually untouched by it. Housing prices have always been reasonable, there’s a huge military community, a constant flow of conventions and a healthy dose of tourism that keeps them stable. She tells me that business is good – and that’s what we like to hear. Felting is a popular thing for the store, socks are also going strong and Ella Rae Classic is a store favorite along with Dark Horse Fantasy and Manos Del Uruguay. The store has a class planned called “Become A Better Knitter”. It’s a six month course knitting squares for an afghan, where you will learn every technique for knitting, design & finishing; ending with a beautiful – one of a kind afghan for your home. There’s a Mother/Daughter team also working at the shop and the Mother, Wendy Moreland is the shops fearless knitter and loves anything new and challenging.
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San Antonio is in South Texas and is the second largest city in Texas. It’s very spread out and has attractions such as The River Walk, the Alamo, Six Flags, Sea World and is also known as “Gateway to Mexico”. It has a substantial military presence representing all four branches of the military. All Air Force personnel pass through San Antonio as the Lackland Air Force Training Wing graduates more than 86,000 students annually. San Antonio also has a sizeable retirement community as 30% of Air Force retirees choose to retire in San Antonio. You won’t hear much in the way of a Texas accent while in San Antonio as it is somewhat transient with the military turn over in population.
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San Antonio is a great place to visit! The weather was delightful and there’s a certain politeness that’s hard to explain (but I liked it) and they fly the flag of Texas with honor just about everywhere. High School football and cheerleading is big and they love their Spurs. Whether you want the history of the Alamo, or the culture of the Fiesta Day, you have to stop by Yarnivore and say hello to Tammy and the girls and take a look around; you won’t be disappointed.
I loved meeting “all ya’ll”!!
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