Shop shares passion for knitting, beading

On June 23, 2010, Cacklin’ Hens: Vermont Yarn, Beads and Gift Emporium made its Middlebury debut. The store, located at 383 Exchange Street, opened soon after Main Street’s Vermont Beads and Fibers closed for business. Cacklin’ Hens’ owner, Cheryl Burnham, who is also the theatre department coordinator at the College, seized the opportunity to open her shop, as it catered to the audience that once frequented Vermont Bead and Fibers. Cheryl actually purchased the “remaining inventory and fixtures” from Vermont Bead and Fibers during its closeout sale. With help from her daughter-in-law Amanda Burnham and her friend Amy Quesnel, Cheryl, who has a degree in buying and merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, is enjoying the success of the store’s first year.
“Amy and I had been trying for many years to turn one of our hobbies into a business because we’ve always felt it was so important to enjoy what you were doing, so you might as well be making money at it,” she said in an email. “That way, you don’t feel like work is ‘work’; it’s a pleasure and fun.”
Amanda, who was working in Colorado as a benefit analyst at a children’s hospital, said she and her husband chose to move back to the east, as they both sought to be closer to their families. Her relatives reside in Pennsylvania. She is enjoying Middlebury so far and said her favorite spot in town is Costello’s, where she is still getting through the menu and experimenting with sandwich options.
“I have always been crafty and into art,” said Amanda, who graduated from Penn State University with a masters in health. “I also semi knew how to knit and croquet when I started working, but am now much better.”
She credits “good timing” as the reason why she now works at Cacklin’ Hens, as the store’s opening coincided with her move to Vermont. Now a resident of Addison, Vt., Amanda plans to buy a home in Cornwall, Vt. with her husband, Jake, an architecture and engineering teacher at the Hannaford Career Center.
The store, which sells a variety of craft goods, also offers knitting and beading classes. A full schedule of these classes are available online at http://www.vermontybge.com or on the store’s Facebook page. Amanda said “other creative people, who wanted to share their craft” have taught groups how to felt and basket weave too. The current classes at Cacklin’ Hens include “Learn-to-Knit,” “Basic Beading,” “Crochet Basics,” “Knitted Beaded Necklace,” and “Knitted Placemats.” Employees at the store, including Cheryl, Amanda and Quesnel, teach the classes, but each picks those that best suit her specialty. The cost per class is $20, and those enrolled enjoy a 20 percent discount off of the supplies needed to make their knitted or beaded masterpieces.
“The place just evolved; we [Cheryl and Quesnel] both love antiques which is how we decided to incorporate antiques as our main display pieces so the store would feel more like a living room,” said Cheryl in an email. “The customers would be comfortable and happy and feel at home.”
Amanda said Quesnel, who works full-time at Cacklin’ Hens too, has been beading and knitting since she was 12 years old, and the store is “her little brain child.” She describes Quesnel as the “mastermind” of beading knowledge. Beading magazines also keep the employees inspired.
“Our goal is to go to the large bead show in Arizona,” said Amanda. There storeowners can choose from endless quantities of jewels, and can also work with vendors to create novel bead combinations.
Amanda and Cheryl also travel to various tradeshows for yarn suppliers, as well as to product shows, where they buy much of the store’s inventory. The two drive to New York City every August and visit the New England Product Show in Maine each year, where they buy many items to bring back to Middlebury. Representatives from yarn companies also come to Cacklin’ Hens four times a year, so Cheryl can purchase needed quantities of yarn then too.
In addition to the seemingly endless supply of beads and yarn, the store also sells a variety of gift items, including rugs, purses and bags, ready-made jewelry and Allen Design clocks.
“We want people to think of us when they need not only yarn or beads, but for that unique birthday gift, or holiday gift,” said Cheryl in an email.
Ashlee Bourque, who holds an art degree and has a background in knitting and beading, does much of the croqueting at the store. She is the crafter of many of the store’s samples; her favorite yarn company is Noro, which sells “a colorful, bright yarn.” Bourque, who said she always made earrings as a child, recently brought home four boxes of beads, as she especially enjoys beading during the summer.
“Everyone has a great time working here,” she said. “You get to be creative and make stuff all day, and the other employees are awesome.”
Cacklin’ Hens has also started hosting birthday parties, mostly for eight to ten-year-old girls. The large classroom area to hold the celebration is also where the weekly classes meet.
“They [the party-goers] bead and have cake,” said Amanda. “The parents love it and the kids have a lot of fun.”
The store is now a member of the Better Middlebury Partnership and the Chamber of Commerce, but Amanda said the hardest part of any small business is “building the awareness that we exist.”
“We would love to see more Middlebury students at the store,” she said. “I see College students trickle in, but we want to see more of them and partner with them on projects.”
Over Winter Term, Cacklin’ Hens offered a basic beading class to students from the College. Three girls signed up, and the store hopes to teach the class again next January. For now, Amanda encourages students to attend the free, open knit-in on Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. About five to 10 women from the community, some of whom have experience and others of whom are beginners, gather to knit and help one another improve their techniques.
“They [the women] are happy to share their tips because they have a passion for knitting,” said Amanda.
Cacklin’ Hens has several plans for the future. The store aims to begin making custom bridal jewelry, so the bride “becomes part of the process,” said Amanda. A class to make reusable market totes for the Farmers Market on Saturdays is also in the works.
“Picking out beads and yarn is a process,” said Amanda, whose favorite yarn company, Misti Alpaca, offers a “chunky, soft, warm” product. She believes the yarn’s “quick, fun patterns” liven up the winter months.
The store is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information or for specific details about the classes call (802) 388-2221.
“When I first told my son, Jake, about the plans for the store, he asked about the name and I said we didn’t really have one yet, so he said ‘Two Ole Hens,’ of course meaning Amy and I, and then laughed,” said Cheryl, who also noted that the store’s name evolved into its current one, in an email. “To this day when first timers walk in the door, there’s an exclamation of ‘Wow, this is awesome.’ It’s so big and fun.”