No one is more thankful for a tight “knit” community than Mady Pechler, owner of Trendy or What Knot.
Anyone that has ever wandered through her front door, discovers that Mady prides herself in distinguishing her quaint little knitting shop as unique. Her merchandise is made up of yarn and handmade artisan items such as knitted shawls, scarves, hats, sweaters, handwoven clothing and blankets.
“People always assume that we appeal to a real retirement community,” said Mady, who is cognizant of the frequent misunderstanding. “I always explain that most of my customers are between 30 and 60. They are designers and people that just love to create.”
Mady, originally from the Netherlands, doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t know how to knit. Starting off her career in graphic design, she always dreamed of opening a yarn store.
“It was boring being at a computer all day,” she tells us. “I wanted to be part of a knitting community.”
Trendy or What Knot has been operating for six years, and Mady now considers herself one of the more established businesses on the downtown strip. Over the years, she has built up an online presence and has almost all of her stock available on her website.
When asked what challenges she’s met over the years, Mady recalls her struggle building her reputation and market.
“Social media is a powerful tool for anyone starting off.”
Most people would be shocked to discover that there is more than one business under this roof. Trendy or What Knot shares space with two others – The Loom Room and TurtleBeads studio.
The Loom Room is an outlet located in the back of the shop. Primarily run by the Mission Weavers and Spinners Guild, a group dedicated to promoting, educating, encouraging, inspiring and improving the skills of their members in spinning, weaving, dyeing, felting and knitting.
“If the entire economy collapses, they’re the ones that will be able to make your clothes,” Mady warns. “They can sheer sheep, spin the yarn, weave the cloth and make you a coat.”
The MWSG were the ones responsible for designing the official tartan for the District of Mission and it has even been registered with The Scottish Register of Tartans.
Turtlebeads Studio is a small home based glass art studio where Ania Kyte creates unique and custom glass beads and jewellery.
With a memory like a database, Mady has the uncanny ability to remember everyone’s names, family members, purchases and projects. Most of her customers have ultimately became her circle of friends over the years. Waking through the door is their loyalty card and they are often happy to assist wherever they can - whether it be watching the store, recommending certain yarn to customers or even stocking the shelves.
Like most of us at the moment, Mady is watching the numbers as they rapidly increase in the Netherlands. She is concerned for her family, but happy to know they are safe. Her daughter is there and plans to remain until the world resumes normalcy.
“Oma (grandma) is practicing social distancing right now, so my daughter visits daily and they chat through the window.”
Advice for the community during these difficult times?
Let everyone know that you exist and that you’re working hard, offer things on line and be positive.
