Today we’re so excited to kick off the year with one of our favorite customers, Purl Soho. If you didn’t know them already, let us give you a brief introduction – Purl Soho is a paradise for the modern-day maker with a fresh focus on traditional fiber arts. They offer wonderfully curated yarns, fabrics, tools, and in-depth tutorials for all skill levels. Check out our conversation with Purl Soho’s VP of Communications, Whitney Van Ness here!
A Little About Purl Soho
One of the first thing that really stands out about Purl Soho is that the work and materials offered really empower creatives and brighten up the everyday. Could you speak a little about that? How did you get inspired to start?
PS: It feels wonderful to give people the inspiration and confidence to make beautiful things with their own two hands! This is exactly why we started Purl Soho and why we still love going to work every day. We started as a very small business twenty years ago, committed to bringing natural fibers and modern design to the knitting community at a time when those things were hard to find. Nowadays, we maintain the same passion, now with our own brand of yarns, fabrics, and notions. The goal remains the same: to spark as many creative fires as we can!
I love that! Do you have any favorite creations that you wanted to share?
PS: That’s like choosing a favorite child! We love all our yarns and other products, but we can say that some customer favorites are Linen Quill, Cashmere Merino Bloom, and Cotton Pure yarns.
We also publish new patterns two or three times a week, many of which are free. Some of our most classic designs are our Bandana Cowl, Garter Ear Flap Hat, and Botanical Yoke Pullover. We all have dogs, so we also have to mention the Lucky Dog Pullover… That’s a good one!
Purl Soho & Paper Mart
As you know, we’re celebrating 100+ years as a family-owned business and we couldn’t have done it without your support throughout the years. What are your thoughts on the importance of shopping family owned and local?
PS: This question hits very close to home because we are also a family-owned business. We think that working with brothers and sisters, parents and offspring brings a richness to the business that you can’t replicate. There’s a shared commitment and integrity to the structure of the company that we think comes through to customers. We appreciate that about Paper Mart and also that you’re local, which is environmentally better for all of us. Doing business with another local business also gives us a sense of community that we value. Our shipping manager, Anna, always waves at the Paper Mart building when she drives by!
We love Anna and the whole Purl Soho team! You’re definitely one of our favorite stops along our regular routes. We have to know – how did you hear about us and what keeps you coming back?
PS: Our co-owner Jennifer Jahnke Hoverson, who runs our southern California fulfillment center, discovered Paper Mart 19 years ago when she googled something like “boxes for shipping.”
She requested a paper catalog(!) and remembers bringing it to a trade show where she got to see everything in person. We’ve been with you ever since and still appreciate the huge array of mailer and box sizes, the quick delivery times, and the kindness of the delivery people. We absolutely love our local driver, Robert. He even helps us put the boxes away in their correct spaces when he drops off!
That’s amazing! We totally agree. All of our drivers are great. We met you when riding along with Augustin but, Robert is definitely one of the best and honestly – we can’t sing his praises enough. You’ve been with us for well over a decade! We’re so happy to hear it. Do you have any favorite Paper Mart products?
PS: We are really obsessed with color and a huge part of our business is about inspiring people through beautiful colors, so we love that Paper Mart offers such a huge spectrum of tissue paper. We wrap every order in tissue paper before we package it, and we’d be embarrassed to admit how much discussion goes into the quality and color of that tissue paper, so we are very grateful that Paper Mart always has exactly what we want!
Shop Purl Soho Essentials
Paper Mart’s Commitment To Quality
The stories of all of our customers motivate and inspire us to source quality products at everyday low prices. We believe that details like the quality and color of tissue paper, thickness of crepe paper, and exact shade of satin ribbon color can make your break the brand story of your business. That’s why we are committed to maintaining a wide selection of packaging products for every need.
All images are provided by and in collaboration with Purl Soho. If you want to learn more about Purl Soho, visit their website and follow @PurlSoho on social media (Facebook, Ravelry, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube)!
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