Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, Quince & Company. In Pam's words:
"We work with US mills and fiber, especially wool, to make knitting yarns. We have a 100% American wool line of five different yarns, each in 48 colors. We also have a wool/silk blend and this year we added a wool/alpaca blend. Very soon we'll introduce a lovely mohair/merino yarn that we sourced in Texas, once--did you know?--mohair capitol of the world.
Our blog can be found on our website."
SouleMama: Tell us what you envision and dream for the future of your business.
Pam: I started Quince & Co because I wanted to make yarns sourced and spun in the US. I'd met the owner of a mill in Biddeford and loved that he was making yarn 25 minutes away, spinning it on equipment that was state of the art in 1900, equipment that still makes the nicest yarn I've ever worked with.
We're not a cottage industry. My goal is to be a commercial company large enough to compete with imports, large enough to create a few jobs and a demand, however small, for fleece, spinning, and dyeing in this country. I find it no less than heartbreaking that we've lost our textile industry. I hate seeing old mills torn down or converted into call centers. I used to mourn the equipment that was shipped overseas or dumped. These days I regret more the loss of expertise that isn't being replaced. That said, I love what remains of the industry here. The people who've spent their lives working with fiber, who understand the structure of yarns, and can detect, with accuracy, the micron count of a clump of fleece by running it over a lip.
SouleMama: If you could eliminate one thing from your daily schedule, what would it be?
Pam: Email.
SouleMama: How has your business changed over time?
Pam: Our business changes all the time. We've moved our office and/or warehouse no less than five times in four years. We've added people to our staff and lost a few. Our dye house closed about two years ago and we had to help get another one up and running. Our biggest challenge is to find a way to stay small in the way we work and relate to each other, to stay as hands-on as we'd like, but still to grow and expand so that we can help, in whatever way we can, to create a market for US fleece, mills, and dye houses. Everyday is effort to keep a tight focus and think beyond the present as well.
For today's giveaway, Quince & Company is generously offering the following gifts to ONE winner:
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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8:00 am EST on Monday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is...
Beautiful fiber! Crossing my fingers for a cowl to warm up a slowing-coming Wisconsin spring.
Posted by: Leslie
Thank you, Quince & Company!
