IN 2018, Milli Abrams
made the exciting decision
to leave a lucrative but
relatively safe career in
accounting to pursue her
dream career in the craft
world. A few months later,
Milli opened the doors of her first store;
Tribe Yarns, selling top-quality yarn and
tools, and inspiring the keen crafters of her
local area in Richmond-upon-Thames.
The decision to follow her passion came
after Milli was forced to move away from
the little Caribbean island where she and
her family had lived, due to the devastation
left behind by Hurricane Irma in late 2017.
“That hurricane was a reminder to me that
life is short,” says Milli, who now lives in
Richmond Hill near London. “I decided I
didn’t want to be an accountant any more.
I wanted to follow my passion – knitting!
It was also important to me to make new
friends and find a whole new community
here. That’s why I called my shop ‘Tribe’.”Filled with colour
The shop itself is an Aladdin’s Cave of
colour and texture; a small but pleasurable
assault on your senses. “We have packed in
as much yumminess as we can, using fun
and inspiring ways with yarns, samples
and gorgeous notions,” explains Milli.
“Furnishings are urban-industrial, with
some neon thrown in. I was going for
welcoming, inspiring and unpretentious,
but also leave-your-bra-and-your-
baggage-at-the-door-comfy. We’ve been
called a Tardis, like Christmas-morning-
under-the-tree, the palace of dreams and
a knitter’s paradise.”
It’s clear that Milli loves running the
store, not only due to her passion for yarn
itself, but also the opportunity it brings
to collaborate with dyers, designers and
makers. “And I absolutely love the little
squeals of delight that some customers
emit when they come to the shop for thefirst time,” Milli smiles. “That makes me
so happy!” But, as every business owner
knows, as well as the highs, running a
company comes with its own set of
challenges. “I have never had a shop before,
so it has been a huge learning curve,” says
Milli. “But I think the hardest thing is the
sheer amount of work involved in making a
small creative retail business work. I work
crazy hours, and I still never get it all done.”
With well over 100 different lines of
yarn, and lots of beautiful notions and
accessories for knitters, crocheters and
weavers, Milli dedicates her time to testing
out every single product before she decides
to stock it: “And I only stock stuff I would
want myself,” she says. “So, we are
definitely not a yarn warehouse – it has
all been carefully chosen.”Tried and tested
There’s a lot in the shop that represents
Milli’s many years of knitting and living
all over the world. When choosing her
stock, she also tries to make sure that
she covers the bases in terms of gauge and
fibre. “But at the end of the day, I have to
really love it to stock it,” she says. “Same
goes for notions. For example, I only stock
ChiaoGoo and Lykke because these are the
best metal and wooden needles I have
personally experienced. Having owned
and knitted with pretty much everything
that’s out there, ChiaoGoos are my absolute
fave! I am not a natural sales person, and I
don’t enjoy selling, so I prefer to stock stuff
I love, and can passionately talk about, and
let it sell itself.”
A vast array of crafting equipment isn’t
all that the shop offers – there is also a
full calendar of workshops and events,
including all-levels classes for knitting,
crochet, weaving, dyeing and mending,
plus a fortnightly Knit & Crochet Nite,
accompanied by wine, prosecco and cake.
“The Knit Nites are always well attended
and lots of fun,” says Milli.Milli’s ultimate mission was to make
Tribe Yarns a place where her customers
can enjoy spending time and, most
importantly, truly be themselves. She has
succeeded in her mission, having built up a
loyal customer base full of regular shoppers- an extended family of sorts. “It’s so good
to know that there are people who still care
about independent businesses and small
local yarn shops,” says Milli. “We are
unpretentious but excitable, luxurious yet
great value, and always honest and fun.
“We’re also fortunate to be located in one
of the most picturesque parts of London,
and just a stroll away from the River
Thames and Richmond Park, and lots of
other amazing small shops and galleries.”
All customers can expect to feel very
welcome when entering Tribe Yarns, with
Milli and the other staff creating an open,
friendly and non-cliquey environment.
There’s no pressure to rush or even to buy:
“We simply want to inspire and hopefully
push people a little out of their comfort
zones so they can experience something
new and thrilling,” says Milli. “And we
love colour and hope that shines through
our product offering. Our tagline is ‘life is
too short for crappy yarn’ – that probably
tells you everything you need to know!”
http://www.tribeyarns.comMilli Abrams left a career in accountancy to pursue her
dream of running a yarn shop, and her Richmond store is
now a vibrant hub for knitters, as Colette Earley discovers
TRIBE YARNS
PH
OT
OG
RA
PH
S^ B
Y^ C
LAI
RE
MO
UN
TA
IN
The Knitter 47 Issue 142