Today we’d like to introduce you to Neal Karn.
Hi Neal, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. Before we get into specifics, please briefly describe how you got to where you are today.
We are a family of stitchers! The 3 partners at Needlepoint Lane are Neal Karn, Suzanne Cecil (Neal’s aunt), and Amanda Cecil (Suzanne’s daughter-in-law). Neal’s aunt and Suzanne’s sister-in-law, Gay, started stitching at a young age and shared the passion with all of her family, as well as teaching the skill to her daughters, sister, sister-in-law, and even her nieces and nephews. After Gay’s passing, the family kept the passion alive and spent a lot of time stitching and visiting needlepoint shops together. Amanda married into the family and was attracted from the start to stitching and the community the family built. When our “local” shops at our beach house in Pawleys Island and here in Spartanburg decided to retire, Amanda, Neal, and Suzanne decided it was time to open a new shop with their combined experiences.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We opened our doors in January 2020, just in time for COVID to shut everyone down! We had to very quickly figure out how to navigate getting ourselves online to provide online sales around the country and build a presence on social media, in addition to the standard learning curve of starting a new business. SLANT, a full-service creative design agency, was a massive help to us then! I always say that one way to look at that is that we had to figure everything out as we were going anyway, so it may have been less daunting for us than other established businesses that had been functioning for years and then had to learn an entirely new way of running a business. As far as daily operations go now, there is strength in numbers. By having three partners, we can bring a diverse set of strengths, skills, points of view, and tastes. Collectively, they make us a stronger operation.
Thanks. What else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We are a full-service needlepoint shop. We carry hand-painted canvases by many designers, several types of fibers/threads (think silks, blends, metallics), embellishments, accessories, and nearly anything else you may need to either start your first project or continue on your W.I.P. (work in progress)! We also offer different classes and have several finishers we use to pull your piece together once you have finished stitching.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
We typically just don’t have the time, but we love to live vicariously and hear what everyone else is loving! We try to stay current with the needlepoint world by scrolling social media when we can. Spending time with and developing deep friendships with other needlepoint shop owners and designers in our industry has helped us shape Needlepoint Lane.
Pricing:
- Needlepoint can be a financial investment, but you have a beautiful handcrafted heirloom that will be cherished. That being said, there are always ways to cut costs! We have trunk shows every (or nearly every!) month, a special 50% off 5 select canvases on Fridays, and other sales throughout the year. We also offer finishing classes, and there are many resources online to help you learn how to put a finished product together!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.needlepointlane.com
- Instagram: needelpoint_lane
- Facebook: Needlepoint Lane
