Needle Nook Owner Expands In-House Experiences

Needle Nook, the legacy yarn-crafts store, held a festive Golden Anniversary celebration on Friday, March 20, exactly 50 years to the day since founder, needlework maven Arlene Jacobson, first opened its doors. Arlene’s daughter, DeAnne Jacobson, who is herself an accomplished knitter, invited the community to honor the longevity and experience the distinct character of the Toco Hills shop that grew to become a hub of activity for yarn crafters throughout Atlanta.

The March 20th fete featured special guests, yarn releases (exotic yarn exclusively produced for the store), stitching events, tarot card reading by Lakbira Sheffield, and hourly raffles of large mystery gift containers of yarn-related items. Decorations, giant bowls of fruit, memorabilia, and lots of flowers increased the feeling of celebration.

The shop buzzed with animated conversations resulting from friendships that had developed over the years. Worktables were available for the many women and men who appreciate Needle Nook’s ambiance, which encourages in-situ side-by-side creating. One table held a “close-knit” group that meets every Wednesday at the shop (some patrons come several times each week). A gathering of Needle Nook habitues, spanning backgrounds and ages, worked on individual projects at another table. Other customers came to buy, observe, mingle, and join in the fun. Owner DeAnne and her sister, Lori London, wearing personally knitted sweaters, cheerfully welcomed guests and affably managed the crowd and activities.

DeAnne Jacobson is Needle Nook’s owner and manager, a vocational decision that necessitated closing her own flourishing business, Fit and Strong. Running her mother’s popular store was not her original plan. At the University of Georgia, she studied in the School for Forest Resources, and after graduating, she moved to Idaho where she worked for the United States Forest Service, helping biologists gather information about wildlife populations. Gregarious DeAnne eventually found the job too isolating, and five years later, she returned to Atlanta, where she served as a personal trainer at the Shirley Blumenthal Jewish Community Center and received certification from the American Council on Exercise.

As a member of the fitness staff at the Shirley Blumenthal facility, she led a variety of classes and ran a popular co-ed fitness boot camp. She also taught spinning classes and was a group fitness instructor and manager for LA Fitness. Next, at the Jewish Community Center Zaban branch, she became a fitness director where she led classes, ran a boot camp, and was in charge of the annual Harris Jacobs Dream Run. DeAnne worked at the Jewish Community Center for 17 years; then COVID hit. With her extensive experience in the field of fitness, and her desire to help others maintain fitness while at home, she launched her own business, Fit and Strong, in which she worked with clients in their own residences or over Zoom. However, this endeavor came to a sudden stop, when DeAnne’s mother, Arlene, became ill and suddenly passed away. DeAnne decided to pivot again in order to keep Needle Nook open, and she began to add her own touch to the offerings and community involvement of the store.

The inclusive personality of Needle Nook remains, notably in the camaraderie among the crafters who gather in the “haimishe” store to work on individual projects during Open Table hours, informal gatherings of experienced and novice yarn crafters. On a recent Sunday in March, as soon as the door opened, Open Table crafters (carrying totes holding their work, patterns, and tools) and other customers bustled in. Violet, an Australian sheepdog (known as the “yarn dog”), welcomed each new arrival, then crafters settled around a large table to work under a sweeping overhead art installation covering a large section of the ceiling. Named “The Interknit,” this interactive piece is the brainchild of fiber artist Karelle Levy; it creates a canopy of colorful pompoms of all sizes and inventive yarn enhancements. As planned, Needle Nook customers and their children were invited to add their own creations to the installation.

Needle Nook’s vibe, in DeAnne’s words, “is a mixture of connectivity, and creativity.” Her desire to maintain Needle Nook’s homey ambiance and also to enhance experiences among her customers resulted in two permanent additions to Knitting Nook’s fare. Whereas, men often come to Open Table to knit and crochet, Needle Nook now hosts a Tuesday evening Men’s Knitting Circle, a free weekly gathering to which men bring their projects, share tips, and enjoy each other’s company. Another way to improve shop visits was to display the work of select indie vendors. Presently shown are one-of-a-kind lined Filzwork totes made from vintage knit sweaters, and a selection of handmade earrings by local silversmith, Amy Gresens.

The shop provides plenty of yarn-based inspiration. One wall displays a variety of “Learn to Crochet” kits. (DeAnne learned to crochet from one of the kits.) Another wall holds books and folders of patterns and displays, and glass cases hold tools that help customers turn yarn into sui generis fashion. Samples of stylish adult and charming children’s clothing are displayed throughout the store.

DeAnne continues to expand the focus of the store, both in-house and outward. With new inventory, increased classes and ongoing instruction, more attention to yarn-related national events, and joint ventures with local Atlanta groups, DeAnne remains true to her mother’s belief that “craft builds community.” Needle Nook’s yarn aficionados entered the world of Atlanta social action, when a large assortment of handmade knitted and crocheted items was intentionally created and donated in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting, in a joint initiative called “Knitting with Neighbors.”

Needle Nook brought “regulars” together to create handmade items for people in need and welcomed donations of handmade items from others; subsequently, Needle Nook facilitated the distribution of hundreds of hats, gloves, socks, shawls, and sweaters. DeAnne emphasizes the shop’s belief that handmade goods carry “a special interpersonal connection far beyond their stitches.” She reflects, “We want to do as many good things for as many people as we can.”

Another social action project in which Needle Nook participates is Melt the Ice, a global effort which began in a woman-owned Minnesota yarn shop. Participants knit bright red hats that mirror hats knitted and worn in Norway to protest Nazi occupation in World War II. Melt the Ice is a silent ICE protest movement in which each knitter purchases a five-dollar pattern, then follows it. Knitters may wear their hats themselves as a protest symbol, donate the hats to community organizations and charities, or sell the hats to support immigrants. To date, at least 100,000 patterns have been sold in 43 countries around the world. DeAnne smiles, “One result has been a huge spike in demand for red yarn across many yarn stores!”

DeAnne notes that, in recent years, there has been an explosion of handcrafting in all demographics, a wave dramatically amplified during COVID’s forced isolation, resulting in men, women, and kids becoming makers with time to try new hobbies or finally return to past creative pursuits. DeAnne believes that needle crafters, alone or in groups, want to create with their own hands items that are made to last, are unique, and have meaning.

For information about Needle Nook’s hours and future Golden Anniversary programming, including community or national initiatives, call the store at (404) 325-0068. Needle Nook is located at 2165 Briarcliff Road, N.E., Atlanta, 30329, in the Briarvista Shopping Center. You can find them at www.needlenookyarns.com; on instagram.com/needlenookyarns; on facebook.com/needlenookyarns; and youtube.com/@NeedleNookYarns; or needlenookshop@gmail.com.