Lula Faye Fiber, Boulder’s only brick-and-mortar yarn shop, will close at the end of the year. The boutique opened in February 2022 at 2017 17th St., just off the Pearl Street Mall. Its closure marks the loss of another locally owned small business, with no indication of what will take its place.
Prior to Lula Faye, Boulder’s fiber arts community was served by Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins, a nationally renowned yarn shop with an emphasis on spinning and weaving. That reputation was shaped in part by the influence of Schacht Spindle Company, a loom manufacturer and Boulder mainstay that was founded here in 1969. Earlier this year, former Schacht CEO Barry Schacht announced his retirement and that the company had been acquired by Paul Vervoorn, owner of Dutch companies Louet BV and Venne BV. Schacht maintains its Boulder location, unlike Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins, which shuttered its physical store in March 2020, though it continues to sell online.
These shifts in the arts and crafts landscape are not unique to Boulder. Joann Fabrics shuttered more than 800 stores nationwide, including its location near Arapahoe Avenue and 28th Street, after declaring bankruptcy this spring.
While these closures are particularly upsetting to crafters who rely on these outlets for supplies, knowledge-building and camaraderie, the shuttering of shops like Lula Faye Fiber reflects a broader downtown business trend that affects the entire community. Rising real estate prices have made it increasingly difficult for small businesses to survive. An increasing share of retail space is now occupied by major chains and corporations, a change that longtime residents say has gradually diluted the vibrancy, distinctiveness and local character of shopping areas like Pearl Street.
“It’s really expensive to be downtown,” said Lula Faye Fiber owner Nathalie Smith, “and it’s especially hard for a specialty business like a craft shop.”
In Smith’s case, the approaching end of her lease offered a natural decision point about how she wants to spend the next phase of her life. “It’s a decision I had been thinking about for the last year,” Smith said. That timing allowed her to inform her employees early and plan a deliberate, community-centered end to Lula Faye’s run in downtown Boulder.
“We’re sad to be closing, but we’re closing in a community-focused way,” Smith said. “We’re not just shutting our doors.”
During the store’s final month, Lula Faye raised funds and donations for the Emergency Family Assistance Association and Rocky Mountain Equality, collecting around 300 pounds of food for EFAA and $1,300 for RMEQ. “That was really important to us because they’re both wonderful community organizations,” Smith said. In mid-December, Lula Faye hosted a final celebration at Creature Comforts.
“Our whole plan was to create community, and I think we did that,” Smith reflected. Customers built relationships through classes and a monthly craft lounge in the shop. “I know that some knitting groups have sprung up from the connections made at Lula Faye, so I feel really great about that,” Smith said.
Smith also made it a priority for the store to maintain a recurring booth at the Boulder Pride Festival. “That became our big holiday every year,” she said. Lula Faye specialized in supporting local yarn brands, including Woolberry Fiber Co., Salty Blonde Fiber and Viking Fiber Co., which Smith said will likely be much harder to find in Boulder after the shop’s closure.
Smith pointed to the hybrid business model of spaces like The New Local, at 741 Pearl St., and Top Hat Supply for Journeys, at 1721 Pearl St., as examples she admires that may offer a path forward. “They’re art-focused shops that also teach classes,” Smith said. “That overlap between selling art and making art seems like a good combination.”
She hopes customers will continue supporting other yarn shops around Colorado, including Maverick Fiber Arts in Lafayette, FingerPlay Studio in Louisville, My Sister Knits in Fort Collins, and the more general arts and crafts space Maker General in Longmont.
“It would be nice if there were more grassroots shops in Boulder,” Smith added, “but it takes a lot.”
“Boulder’s a weird spot, because we play above our weight class in a lot of ways,” Smith said, “but we don’t have a huge population, and it’s really hard to support a local shop with the kinds of rents we have.”
Smith is grateful for her time as a Boulder business owner and looks forward to traveling more with her husband. Many of the knitters and crocheters who taught classes at Lula Faye will continue teaching elsewhere in Boulder County. More information is available on Lula Faye Fiber’s website.