Lula Faye Fiber, Boulder’s only brick-and-mortar yarn shop, will close at the end of the year. The boutique opened in February 2022 at 2017 17th St., just off the Pearl Street Mall. Its closure marks the loss of another locally owned small business, with no indication of what will take its place.
Prior to Lula Faye, Boulder’s fiber arts community was served by Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins, a nationally renowned yarn shop with an emphasis on spinning and weaving. That reputation was shaped in part by the influence of Schacht Spindle Company, a loom manufacturer and Boulder mainstay that was founded here in 1969. Earlier this year, former Schacht CEO Barry Schacht announced his retirement and that the company had been acquired by Paul Vervoorn, owner of Dutch companies Louet BV and Venne BV. Schacht maintains its Boulder location, unlike Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins, which shuttered its physical store in March 2020, though it continues to sell online.
These shifts in the arts and crafts landscape are not unique to Boulder. Joann Fabrics shuttered more than 800 stores nationwide, including its location near Arapahoe Avenue and 28th Street, after declaring bankruptcy this spring…