US Army veteran opens a new yarn & gift shop in Raleigh for craft lovers. Here’s where
A new store offering knitting and crocheting materials along with handmade gifts is opening soon in downtown Raleigh.
For Triangle resident Johana Melbert, who owns the new shop, Parcero Studio, this is a “dream come true.”
“My dream was always to have a space like this, to teach classes, do workshops in a place where the community can just come here and unwind, just do a little knitting or crochet,” she said.
Melbert, who’s originally from Colombia, learned to crochet around age 8 from her aunt, creating items including scarves and hats. But she didn’t keep up with the hobby because she viewed knitting and crocheting as something only older people did.
She moved to the United States when she was 16 and joined the U.S. Army, eventually deploying three times to Iraq and Afghanistan. She was living in Germany when her husband, who was also in the Army, died. Then she decided to move with her sons to Wake County, where she had family.
A year after her husband’s death, Melbert took a job with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and she worked as a deputy for eight years.
She left the office right before the COVID-19 pandemic and found a remote job.
Faced with some free time during the lockdowns, Melbert picked crocheting up again. It was a good way to spend time and relax, almost like a kind of meditation, she said.
Melbert started selling the items she was making — sweaters, pillows, pet beds and blankets — at vendor markets around the Triangle, in January 2023.
Opening a storefront was a goal Melbert set for herself around her birthday this year. She wanted her retail store to be in a downtown area with plenty of foot traffic, and she saw an opportunity in Raleigh.
“I feel like it’s missing a yarn shop where the community can just come and just relax, have a good time,” Melbert said.
Where & when will the Raleigh craft store open?
Inside the 800-square-foot store at 120 S. Wilmington St. Suite 120, which opened Friday, Sept. 27, Melbert has installed a whole wall of specialty yarn. Much of it is not sold at the big craft stores, and it comes from places such as Portugal, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
There are several types of yarn, suitable for creating purses, rugs, blankets, sweaters or other cozy items.
Parcero, which is a term used in Colombia to refer to a best friend, also offers supplies for knitting, crocheting and macrame, such as needles, hooks and straps and bases for purses.
There’s indoor seating for anyone who wants to knit in store, and Melbert said she plans to offer crocheting and macrame classes.
Alongside Melbert’s handmade products, she’ll sell goods created by North Carolina-based artisans, whom she met when she was selling at vendor markets. Shoppers will find greeting cards, leather hats, earrings, crochet animals, candles and drinking glasses.
Melbert is also offering an ongoing way for people to give back. If they bring in a new pair of white socks, which Melbert will donate to a person experiencing homelessness, they’ll get a free, crocheted car coaster.
This story was originally published September 23, 2024 at 2:16 PM with the headline "US Army veteran opens a new yarn & gift shop in Raleigh for craft lovers. Here’s where."
