There's something new and exciting rolling around Southern California. It's called the Yarnover Truck - the first yarn store on wheels! If you can't make it to the knitting store the store will come to you! This big blue truck is hard to miss while driving down the highway. The truck is the brainchild of Maridee Nelson and Barbra Pushies, two friends who met at a Tuesday night knitting group. The two wanted to open a yarn store, but that seemed financially impossible. One day, while Barbra was teaching knitting, she mentioned their dilemma. One of the students asked, what about a truck? A lightbulb went off! Barbra loved the idea and mentioned it to Maridee. The two began researching the possibilities on the internet. On July 5, 2012 they committed to launching a yarn truck and started making plans. Although opening a truck is less expensive than an actual store, the biggest hurdle for this intrepid duo was still financial. They turned to an internet fundraising site hoping to raise some money. This was no small task considering they needed to buy a truck and stock it with inventory. Amazingly, they met their financial goals! After only eight short months they were ready to hit the road. On March 23, 2013 the ladies held a Grand Opening in Burbank, CA. Again they turned to the internet, and through savvy social media marketing they ended up with so many visitors they had to set up in a local park just to accommodate everybody! For this special event guests participated in raffles, and knitted and crocheted for four hours. Everyone received a totebag with exclusive Yarnover Truck merchandise. What makes the Yarnover Truck different than your average yarn store? In addition to carrying yarns that are local and hand-dyed, they also carry items that you can't find anywhere else. Minty Unicorn and Keep on Truckin; are two colors made exclusively for the Yarnover Truck by Anzula luxury yarns and Baah yarns respectively. The truck carries yarns such as merino wool, cashmere, nylon, bamboo, and sequin-studded all in a variety of colors and textures. There are knitting needles, crochet hooks, magazines, small project bags and large totes. The truck has beautiful samples hung on the outside, which beckon you to come in and squeeze, feel and touch everything. Yarn-o-holics will have a field day! It's fun to follow the truck all over town because it shows up at the coolest events, from farmers markets, to wine tastings, and craft shows. When asked what the future holds for them, Maridee replied, "Perhaps franchising, we'll have to see how the summer goes first". Barbra was more enthusiastic and yelled, "A fleet! I'd like to see a whole fleet!". While someday that might become a reality, for right now if you want to shop the Yarnover Truck you'll have to visit Southern California. To find out where they're going to be next, check out their website www.yarnovertruck.com
