Happy Birthday! fibre space Just Turned 10!
"This is a very close-knit business community and it is amazing to be a part of it," said shop owner Danielle Romanetti.
Alexandria, VA- How has Danielle Romanetti been able to knit herself into 10 years in business in Old Town? Her shop, fibre space, which is the go-to spot for knitting and crocheting needs, just celebrated its 10th anniversary, and on Friday, July 19, the store was completely packed. Even fibre girl herself took a break from her intergalactic knitting to pay the shop a visit.
“I am grateful to all of the retail and restaurant business owners who pulled me up with them,” Romanetti said. “This is a very close-knit business community and it is amazing to be a part of it.”
Romanetti, whose grandmother taught her to knit, wrote the fibre space business plan over the course of eight months while working as a nonprofit fundraising consultant. She started teaching knitting classes in area coffee shops in 2006, and said that the then-poor economy created an opportunity for her to thrive.
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“My students all wanted a place to buy supplies,” Romanetti said. “I think that in an economic downturn that more people turn to handicrafts.
Kathy Mallari was one of Romanetti’s knitting students.
“It’s really amazing. I knew she had ability, but this has been incredible,” Mallari said.
And like fibre girl, the shop took off like a rocket. For four years it was at 102 N. Fayette, then at 1219 King St. for four years, and has been at its current location at 1319 Prince St. for the last two years.
“We grew really fast,” Romanetti said. “We offered yarn you couldn’t get anywhere else, and a level of customer service you don’t see anywhere around the beltway. This is a community space where people can feel comfortable as brand new knitters and crocheters.”
