Louisville Fiber Supply opens on Baxter Ave.

Jennifer Rubenstein (right) of Louisville Independent Business Alliance welcomes Patricia Stone (left), owner of Louisville Fiber Supply, to the community at the ribbon cutting on Saturday.

LOUISVILLE — Louisville Fiber Supply was welcomed to Baxter Avenue on Saturday with a grand opening celebration.

Owner Patricia Stone was surrounded by her friends, family and customers as she cut the ribbon to one of the few local fiber stores in the area.

Not only does the store hold a beautiful array of organic yarns, fabrics, and tools, but Stone is hopeful that it will become a home to Louisville's crafting community.

“I just think that sense of community that you can get with crafts, it is a stress reliever,” Stone said.

Stone hopes to foster a sense of community in her shop with classes and by letting crafters know she would be delighted to help them with any issues they come across in their projects.

“If you have an issue with a project, bring it in and I'll see if I can help you. I really want to support people in crafting and doing their craft,” she said.

The classes are expected to start this coming January including knitting and crochet classes. Stone is considering hosting a basic sewing class, but does not want to take away from the other great teachers in the area teaching sewing.

Patricia Stone

With a background in graphic design, Stone has a history of helping bring others' projects to life.

In Stone's prior profession as a production art director, she worked on cover and page design for a small book publisher, Chelsea Green Publishing.

“I've just always loved to create things and help other people create things,” she said.

The idea of a store appealed to Stone because it meant she could continue to help people create by allowing them to find the necessary materials and explore different yarns and fabrics.

“Sewing and knitting is such a tactile craft that I like to see the color of the yarn I'm gonna choose and how it feels, so I just think that's really important,” she said.

Sustainability is a vital factor for Stone when considering what products will fill the store's shelves.

While working for the publishing company, which was centered on sustainable agriculture and organic farming, she became aware of a book called Fibershed by Courtney White and Rebecca Burgess.

“[Fibershed] is about treating fibers like you would a watershed or a foodshed, and just that idea of having things that are produced in the U.S.,” Stone said.

Louisville Fiber Supply carries a variety of organic yarns and fabrics produced in the U.S. from Texas to the Carolinas to New Jersey.

Having products free from pesticides is also important for Stone, as she thinks about the material used for baby items.

The entrance to Louisville Fiber Supply features Appalachian Baby Design, a company based in West Virginia that works with small-scale U.S. sustainable family-owned cotton farms, sheep ranches and family-owned mills, according to its website.

Stone also sells brands from abroad such as the British Wool and the Gang, the Norweigan Sandnes Garn and the Italian Berreco.

In the future, Stone said she wants to carry yarns that are dyed or produced in Kentucky.

A lifetime lover of many fiber arts, opening a store has been a dream of Stone's.

Stone grew up in Louisville but moved to the Northeast of the country in her 20s. When she moved back to the city last fall and began looking for work, she realized it was time to finally open up shop.

“Even when I told my kids, they were like, ‘Oh, we’re so happy for you. You've always wanted to do that,’” Stone said.

As Stone grew up, she and her sister Liz Stone could always be found sewing, which Liz said drove their mom crazy as it wasn’t always the most diligent work. Although Liz said the encouragement often came from their mother saying something could be made at home for nothing instead of buying it.

Eventually Stone grew to love knitting as well. Her sister-in-law, Lynn Birkett, and Liz both recalled a number of beautifully knitted gifts they had received from Stone.

The bright, cozy shop is located at 622 Baxter Ave., which happens to be in the same neighborhood Stone went to school and hung out in during the ’80s. Having lived in New York City, Boston and Vermont, Stone loves the feel of the Highlands and NuLu areas of Louisville.

Stone said she wants to contribute to turning the Baxter Avenue block into more of a destination.