12/28/2024
To all our wonderful customers and friends, we are saying goodbye!
A letter from Mary
It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you of the sad news that Anoka Fiber Works has lost its lease and will be closing. I was informed at the beginning of December by Ray, the owner, that he was selling his business and the building to another heating and cooling company. Ray said that the sale would not be finalized until sometime in January and that the new owner wants to keep everything as it currently is set up.
I met with the new owner Saturday, December 14, to discuss the situation. I asked to have at least a 2-3 month period before closing so that the vendors could remove their merchandise from the store. On December 19, the new owner said that the sale of the building was complete and that AFW will need to be out of the building by January 31st.
Mary
A letter from the vendors,
This is Teresa of Hollyhock Alpaca Creations. As one of the original vendors, and the person who has put the newsletter together since the beginning, I want to speak for the vendors of Anoka Fiber Works.
Anoka Fiber Works has been so much more to us vendors than a retail location. First, we are so grateful to Mary for holding down the AFW fort for many years. There are so many experiences that we will remember and that we will dearly miss as AFW comes to a close.
For vendors and non-vendors, this has been a great opportunity to have a location where we could teach classes. Because we didn’t have to rent a facility, we could keep our class fees low and share our love for fiber and making with more people.
Over the years, numerous groups have shared the AFW space – knitters, weavers, spinners, felters. Some only came a few times, some came regularly for years. This space became an extension of Mary’s home. All were welcomed. We shared some scary times, like steeking our first sweater! We shared the joy of learning a new technique and finishing a difficult project. And we shared the sorrows and happiness of our personal lives too. There was a always a chair to rest in and a cup of tea for comfort.
Some vendors remember the beginning of AFW. Some came and went, and some are new. But I think most will agree that having a space to show and sell our products has been a great benefit for each of our small businesses. A ‘metro’ location would be out of reach for most of us individually.
But the classes, groups, and retail space would not have worked if not for the fabulous customers. Especially the customers who have become friends. You, our dear newsletter readers, have supported the small businesses of AFW over the years, and we are all so grateful. We hope you will try to come to AFW in the first weeks of January. Give yourself a gift of fiber or yarn. Find some great unique gifts for others for occasions coming up. Take business cards from the vendors. Take pictures of the booths and stay in touch. Most of the vendors will continue to be makers and continue to have their small business. Again, we thank you. We appreciate you. We hope we will meet again.
Teresa, and the vendors of AFW
