“The friendships I have made as a result of your gathering place are priceless.” So wrote a fan of nancy O, the Ridgefield yarn and gift shop at 23 Catoonah St., in a recent email to Nancy O’Connell, its owner.
Despite changes the store has made since it opened in 2005, its core mission has always been to make the shop a gathering place for people to make connections. That will hold true Wednesday, July 5, when the store unveils another change: To showcase its vast inventory of yarns and knitting resources, that side of the store is exchanging space with the gift and fashion accessory side. In preparation for this, it will be closed July 1-4 and will celebrate the reconfiguration with a grand re-opening week.
The change will mean expanded knitting classes, including summer classes, where women and men gather from Ridgefield and nearby towns. Even more apparent will be the huge yarn selection – from cotton to cashmere, from non-washable to washable and lace weight to blanket weight. In all, the store carries more than 150 brands in a range of prices. In the fall Ms. O’Connell will add the nancy O private label, which will be spun in the U.S., as are several brands the shop already offers. Despite this seeming emphasis on yarn and knitting, through artful display methods nancy O will maintain its current level of unusual sweaters, custom and fun jewelry, scarves, funky clogs, bags and baby gifts.
As she contemplated the store’s evolution, Ms. O’Connell looked back on earlier changes. “To accommodate our growing business, we moved to this beautifully restored 18th century building on Catoonah in 2012,” she said. “Then we added gifts for babies, for men, more fashion offerings and expanded our yarn collection and class selections. Through it all, we have remained true to our core mission.” In a world of on-line shopping and communication, Ms. O’Connell believes strongly in the power of what she calls “experiential connectivity,” where people make connections by getting together and sharing their experiences of touching, smelling, seeing the true colors of her yarns, and, indeed, all nancy O products. “Many connections have come through our knitting community – classes, special workshops and other gatherings,” said Ms. O’Connell. “Many have come through our sales associates and instructors. We take pride in the friendships we have fostered, and this latest change will expand the opportunities for making new connections.”