Nonetheless, I have followed his career with interest. I yam what I yam----a Steven Be groupie.
After 30 years in the fashion industry, Steven moved to Rosemount, Minnesota and went into business with his sister, Monika. The pair founded The Yarn Garage in 2003. The endeavor proved to be an immediate success and he branched out with his latest venture, Steven Be, located in Minneapolis. The store is housed in an old firehouse that Steven lovingly restored. It is off the beaten path in a not quite "up and coming" neighborhood, but Steven figured that someone had to start the gentrification process and decided he was going to be the one.
He has created something special and he has the cash register receipts to prove it. In a location with little visibility, in a city that has its share of economic challenges, Steven Be is growing. The store is profitable and revenues are increasing every year. Impressive, indeed, at a time when craft stores are shutting the doors with depressing regularity.
So what is Steven Berg doing right?
Lots! He is warm, talented, engaging, confident and delightfully eccentric, with hints of vulnerability peeking through when you least expect it. Frankly, his complete and utter humanity is enchanting. He clearly has a great deal going for him, but the key to his success lies with his ability to truly inspire others. He makes magic. Where the average knitter might see a ball of yarn as nothing more than a pretty possibility, Steven sees the MAGIC of its potential. Hang with him long enough and you see the magic, too. He is infectious and inspiring. In Steven's world "There are no mistakes, only variations." I like that philosophy....it is easier to try something new if you can't fail and Steven makes you think that failure is damn near impossible.
Steven is an artist with a keen eye for business. He has an incredible staff to handle Social Media as well as some of the more annoying "process oriented" tasks that seem to plague us artistic types. His space is a mecca for other yarn artists---beautifully appointed, with comfortable chairs throughout to encourage communal knitting. The show stopper is an amazingly opulent chandelier that is delightfully decadent. He even has a stage that is used on Sundays and for special events, where he features musicians, artists, and other creative types to entertain his customers. He is all about giving back to the local community---offering up-and-coming artists a place to showcase their work, seeking out and paying young fiber artists the price that they need (and deserve) for the beautiful yarn that they dye and spin for him. As is often the case with those who give without expectation of a return, Steven's generous heart has cultivated a cult like following. You know, the whole karma thing.
He believes that it his job to educate himself and to bring his customers along with him on the journey. He spends a lot of time on research, although he admitted that he orders inventory with his heart, rather than his head. Steven noted that although he is not impervious to the effects of the recession, he believes that if you inspire your clientele, the spending will follow. True that! The stores that have devolved into little more than a place to warehouse product are going to be hard pressed to survive. Every crafty retailer knows that virtually any product can be purchased more cheaply online than at the local craft store. It is what does or dos not happen at the store that will drive customer in---or away. Steven worked seven days a week for two years to bring Steven Be from a gleam in his eye to the destination shop that is has become.
He is quick to give kudos to industry giant Jennifer Hanson of Stitch Diva Studios for her role in the current crochet revival. Jennifer's sexy and contemporary designs have brought crochet a long way since your mom's granny square toaster cover. Her designs feature sophisticated stitches such as broomstick, tunisian, and hairpin lace crochet. Really yummy stuff....I used her Baroque pattern a few years ago and trimmed it with Swarovski crystal yarn. It is a special piece, for sure!
One of Steven's epic wins is his marketing of Store Memberships, which are available in a broad range, from the $19 "Glitteroti Day Pass" to the "Glitter Diva Lifetime Membership." The high end membership costs $459 and entitles the recipient to 10% off all merchandise, reduced class and event fees, and 40 hours of month of Steven Be-Inn time. I wasn't surprised to learn that he has more than 50 Glitter Diva members. The man is a marketing genius with a genuine interest in making his customers happy.
Steven told me that he surrounds himself with youth and I urge you not to underestimate the importance of maintaining a youthful vibe. No matter how hip we are at 50, lets face it, we are talking being "hip" at "50." My kids would say that the two are mutually exclusive. The meanest of them would also add that he had just thrown up in his mouth. Whatever. There is definitely a cool version of 50, 60, 70, 80 and beyond, so long as the folks who are judging are equally age endowed. Am I right?
That being said, retailers need to stay relevant. There is a HUGE group of crafters in the under 30 category. Despite what you think, many of them are big spenders because they have real jobs and no kids. Do not overlook this market! The best way to know what is "cool" is to surround yourself with cool! Pick the brains of the young crafters and artists in your market. I recently took a tatting class at a relatively staid "typical" yarn store. The gal who taught the class was a generously pierced and colorfully tattooed young woman who shared with the class that she had only recently taught herself to tat by watching hours and hours of You Tube Videos. True Confession: I was expecting to be taught by a 107 year old European woman who had learned at the feet of her whiskered grandmother. Go figure...serves me right for assuming. The tatting instructor was a store employee with true passion for fiber crafts. No one in the area has offered a tatting class before and I have been wanting to learn, but lacked the desire to spend hours and hours watching You Tube videos. The young teacher has an obvious desire to learn new skills and Store Owner was smart to have hired her even though she did not fit the store customer demographic. She adds a different perspective to the "classic" yarn store. But I digress....
Steven likes a youthful vibe in the shop, but he is intractable in his quest to hire staff members who are very strong technically, well versed in the craft and art of fiber. He cares less about past retail experience than love of fiber, noting that he considers himself a "Fiber Mixologist." The passion shows. He is selling an experience and stressed the importance of maintaining a stage face, because, in his words
....It is a wonderful day everyday at Steven Be!
I am a believer.
Steven Be
A Yarn Garage Workshop
3448 Chicago Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-259-7525
Email Steven here.
Sign up for his newsletter here.
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Check out my stitching blog! We are having an awesome give away featuring the hand dyed embroidery floss in Sunset, pictured in the martini glass above. Your name will be entered in the drawing when you leave a comment on this weeks post, Losing my Mojo, Rosie's Garden, and the Search for Tranquility.
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