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way you don’t shut the door on others who like the idea but can’t afford the
high-end work.

What Sets Happy Knits Apart:

AN EXAMINATION OF A THRIVING RETAIL PRACTICE

How does a retail establishment thrive when those around it struggle? Welcome
to Happy Knits, a yarn store and Internet retailer based in the trendy Southeast
area of Portland, Oregon. Here are five ways Happy Knits stands out.

A welcoming space. Knitters are welcome to stay for hours, whether shopping
or knitting. Guests who happen to be accompanying knitters—usually husbands
or children—are also welcome to hang out, sit in comfy chairs, and use the free
WiFi while the knitter of the family looks around. (Most, though not all, knitters
are women.)

A clear online strategy. Most retail stores have a website, but few combine a
physical location with an online shopping experience as well as Happy Knits
does. “Online is limitless,” says store owner Sarah Young. Even with a large
retail space, online sales from around the world constitute more than half the
sales. She works the system by maintaining close ties with Ravelry, a social
network specifically for knitters, and providing frequent email updates and offers
to previous customers.

Great displays (in store) and great photos (online). Display, color, and
placement are important, so Happy Knits includes a staging area for professional
photos in a back room of the store. I asked Sarah why she doesn’t just use the
photos provided by the manufacturer the way other stores do. “Because they’re
not good enough,” she told me. “We try to do everything here with a focus on
quality.”

Exclusive deals. By working with yarn companies as partners, Happy Knits
creates exclusivity that is hard to emulate. You might think this is an unfair
advantage, but the companies offered these deals to Sarah because her customers
said such good things about the store and because she is careful to pay vendors
on time. (Lesson: To get an unfair advantage, provide remarkable service.)

Love for customers. Every order sent by mail includes a personalized thank-you
note from an employee, encouraging customers to call if they need help with a
pattern, plus free samples of other products. If an item is back ordered because