What’s Going On With Purl A Row

It’s taken me several day’s to sit down and put these word’s out as a blog post, as i’ve fought with my own mind as to whether I need to justify with you all what I am doing and why but as I am still being questioned about my actions and why I am doing what I am I feel that I have to.

So let’s start at the begining shall we? I am a mother and a wife as well as a wool shop owner. For over 2 years we have been seeking help to get my son diagnosed with his learning difficulties so we can get him the help he needs and we haven’t been getting very far very quickly as Cornwall is seriously under funded and their is a huge lack of services. Following an incident at school that saw my 7 year old have a panic attack and fit we decided that enough was enough we needed to move him school’s and I needed more help with looking after him when my husband is away. After several conversations with education professionals and medical people we decided that we needed to move out of county in order to get the care he needs and me the support. Fortunatley my husband is in the RAF and him being able to get a post somewhere else wasn’t a problem. We settled on Lincolnshire as it’s close to my family and the schools are good. My husband managed to get a posting and our house went on the Market.

The plan was made. Hubby stays in cornwall till his new post starts in October, I stay and keep the shop open until May half term then move to Lincolnshire and live with my mum and get my son into his new school. Giving them and him a half term to adjust and asses his needs and I can look for a new shop and get it open in time for the summer holidays. House hunting commenced.

Roll on March CORONA VIRUS and family problems. Mid March we get a phone call my father in law needs open heart surgery and needs to be in hospital in 3 hours time. So pack our bags and head off to Hampshire we go. He has his surgery on the Thursday and on Sunday we head back home knowing he is doing well and comfortable. Safely home prepare to go back to work and school, oh no phone rings nurse treating FIL is positive for Corona can we self isolate for 14 days. Things went down hill from there. The day we were allowed to leave our quarentine the government put the whole country on lockdown, home schooling, home working begining, house sale on hold, shop hunting on hold and a lot of bad days. Can’t run the shop online as all my stock is at the shop and post office local to me isn’t open. Also need to look after a child with learning difficulties who has had his whole routine thrown out the window.

During lockdown lots of things happened. We got an appointment for the school nurse, 15 weeks after it was requested, we got an appointment with the specialists for diagnosing my son and my husband get’s a phone call to say we need you to start sooner we can’t wait till october we want you here in 12 weeks time. WE ARE IN LOCKDOWN so we can’t do anything other than sit around with a lot of what if’s and oh sh***. So I clear the shop pack it all up and bring the stock home to my house so that’s one less thing to worry about. I did this in the evening when my husband could watch my son and I was guarenteed to not be in contact with anyone.

More family problems and moving up country. Eventuall lockdown eases and the house market re opens but we can’t view any new houses as we haven’t sold ours and new rules say you can only view a house if you are secure enough to buy it. We have 6 weeks until my husband starts his new job at this point. We get a phone call an uncle is dying with cancer and doesn’t have long left. Still not allowed to visit or stay over at this point so lots of upset and not being able to comfort our family. Hubby’s friend also contracts COVID and is in intensive care for 3 weeks and it’s touch and go for him.

Eventually rules are relaxed and we can go visit but not stay over and go say our goodbyes. We can go view houses as we have a buyer for ours (4 weeks till husband starts) we find a house, hubby goes back to cornwall and I move in with my mum so that my son can start school even if it is only for 3 weeks.

Finding a shop. I am now able to go view new shops. I get very excited about one property but unfortunatley I have to turn it down as it’s not wheelchair accessible and that won’t work as I have a big ethos on inclusivity and accessibility for the shop. 3 days later the agent calls I have the perfect shop for you. Yes she does and it’s in budget.

A couple of weeks pass and the uncle dies, the agent get’s in touch to say due to corona virus the agent wants a higher deposit than normal. Oh hell this isn’t gonna happen I haven’t had the shop open since February nor have I had a wage in that time either. I am seeing my lively hood slipping away. Now I am at mum’s though and child is in school I can set up the online as now able to get to the post office but this isn’t going to be enough money in time to pay the deposit.

Here is where things turned a bit. The yarn community is known as the inclusive communtiy haha only if you’re in the right circle it would appear. I posted on social media about my plight and several people suggested a go fund me and i toyed with this idea for a few days then decided why not. Well that was a blessing and a mistake. Several wonderful people have supported me but some also took it upon them selves to slate me for asking for some help. Because they had formed their own oppinions and that I had closed my shop and now that I was bored or whatever I was deciding to re open and begging for money to do it.

I would like to take this oppertunity to say I WAS NEVER CLOSING THE SHOP ONLY RELOCATING.

I still haven’t reached the target of the go fund me for the advance rent payment but the agent and landlord are working with me on some sort of solution to this as of yet I haven’t heard back with any news. I still have the go fund me but have decided to no longer promote it as I don’t have the mental space right now to deal with all the back lash from asking for a little help. Just so you know an LYS closes at roughly 3 a week.

So where are we now? I don’t have a shop, most of my stock is in Cornwall waiting to move once I have the shop premisis. (our actual house move may not happen till September as solicitors and removals companies are back logged) My family is still seperated with my husband living in the mess and me and my son are with my parents. Thankfully it’s only half away so we can see each other now. I have managed to get some sort of online shop up and running. I am going back to Cornwall at the end of next week after the funeral so that I can collect more stock to bring to my mum’s and return yarn to the dyers that have requested it. I won’t be able to bring it all to my mum’s so for at least the next few weeks my online shop will remain limited stock.

I have launched the knit lit boxes and the Journey through the British Isle boxes which are proving popular and I am having fun putting together.

So to put it blunty I have stock, lot’s of stock but I can’t afford the advance rent as my money is tied up in stock, no stock no shop can you see the circle here? I am sorry for trying my best to support the community and british wool and dyers and most of all I am sorry I ever asked for help as it’s really made me feel like crap that I have offered so much support to this community and it’s just been kicked aside.

I will continue to support this community with my inclusivity and accessibilty stance but I know now that I cannot expect that support to be offered back to me.

The online shop is open, the stock is limited but I will be updating it when I can.

I would like to THANK those of you who have supported me it does make up for the bad stuff and I really do appreciate it.

Moving forward I will continue to sell online, offer my support and advice when and where I can, I will keep on at the agent and landlord in the hope that I can still get the shop and hopefully I will reach the target to get the advance rent. I will keep you all in the loop though as much as possible.

YES i also know that this has been dificult time for lots of people and their are people a lot worse than me so don’t message me to tell me this I get it.

Agian thank you to those of you who have supported me and continue to do so.

Warm woolly wishes

Lucy x