Brian Hagberg
WARREN, Pa. – A lifelong dream was fulfilled when Victoria Boehmer cut the ribbon in front of the Tybout House Saturday morning.
Boehmer had long dreamed of owning her own yarn store and Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the official fulfillment of that dream.
“It’s kind of been my dream for years to open a yarn store,” Boehmer said. “I was teaching here before, and when I was approached (about purchasing the store) I said, ‘Let’s do it.'”
Boehmer closed on the purchase of the store at 117 Market Street in Warren on March 9 and said the community has already been highly supportive.
“It’s been great, the community’s been very welcoming,” Boehmer said. “There was a large base already here. And it’s just been very supportive. You couldn’t ask for anything more really. And we’ve been growing by leaps and bounds and more and more people keep finding out about us.”
Having a foundation in place through previous ownership has made the transition easier, and longtime patrons can expect to see much of what they’re accustomed to . . . with some added wrinkles.
“We have a little bit of fiber from my flock right now but I’ve still got the vendors,” Boehmer said. “We work with 25 local farms and artisans. So we have finished goods and farm yarns that are local.”
The flock Boehmer mentioned is from Dragonwood Ranch, the farm that her family owns in Corry.
“We’ve owned a flock of Shetland sheep for about 13 years and we also have a farm that we run,” Boehmer said. “And we bought sheep for fiber production. So we do everything from sheep to finished product. And I teach all the classes in between.”
The Tybout House will continue offering classes for those interested in specific projects, or just learning to knit. Sign-ups can be done in-person, via phone at 814-230-9164, or on the Tybout House website or Facebook page.
“We want to be a central area for the community,” Boehmer said. “We do a lot of social knitting, and it’s not just knitting crafting groups. We’re big in the classes so that you can teach the next generation.”
Boehmer isn’t sure what comes next now that this dream has been achieved, but she’s excited about the future.
“We never know,” Boehmer said. “You just never know what’s going to happen.”
