Yarn & Bead Gallery specializes in the exotic
In deciding on a name for her new store four years ago, Beverly Ungar put together a list of words that she hoped would describe its environment.
“Oodles is a fun word, and this store is a fun place to be,” she said.
So Oodles Yarn & Bead Gallery, an opportunity for Ungar to turn her passion into a money-making business, was born in 2004 at 411 W. Water Street. At the time, Ungar took advantage of a new wave of interest in knitting — she says it was sparked by actress Julia Roberts, who knits her own scarves — and an abundance of beautiful and exotic yarns on the marketplace.
“The yarns are incredible,” Ungar explained. “We never had access to these kinds of yarns when I was a kid.”
Filling tall shelves that line the store’s walls are skeins of yarn made out of bamboo and cotton, corn, soy, buffalo and bamboo, silk, yak and cashmere. Ungar stocks the Tilli Tomas line, a collection of hand-beaded, silk-based yarns made by women who live in a safe house in India. She also buys wool yarn from Manos del Uruguay, a co-op of women artisans living in rural communities in Uruguay. High-quality Italian yarn makes up the bulk of her inventory, but she also sells yarn from Japan and Turkey.
“I’ve found that the less expensive yarns don’t sell as well in my shop,” Ungar said. “My customers want the highest-quality yarns, which are the most expensive.”
Ungar calculates that it costs about $100 for enough yarn to make a long-sleeved sweater and $200 to make a coat or afghan. “One of the nice things about knitting is that you spend time and money, and when it’s all done, you have something to show for it,” she added. “A sweater, coat or afghan can last 25 years.”
In addition to skeins of yarn, Ungar sells her own handmade sweaters and a large variety of beads, including smooth aquamarines and chunky agates.
A native of Davenport, Iowa, who lived in the Hawkeye State until she moved to Santa Fe in 1994, Ungar learned to knit from her mother when she was 6 years old. One of the first things she made was a sweater. “I ripped it out periodically, but I got it done,” she recalled.
Today’s knitting needles are made out of materials that include bamboo and ebony, but during Ungar’s childhood, only shiny aluminum needles were available. Her hands constantly got sweaty and dirty while she worked, making knitting a slippery experience.
Ungar knitted her way through high school, college and two pregnancies. She ran her own advertising agency in Davenport for 13 years and knitted during off-hours. When the lease for her building ran out and she discovered that she had depleted her supply of business cards and letterheads, she felt it was a sign to move.
“My daughter was attending the College of Santa Fe at the time, and I decided Santa Fe would be a great place to live,” she said. “I wanted to live in a small city and a place where a busy interstate, like I-80, didn’t go through it. I don’t like a lot of traffic.”
Before starting Oodles, Ungar worked as a marketing director at an area casino and wrote a mystery novel, “Ageless Obsession.” Published by Sunstone Press, the book was released the same week she opened her store.
Since 2004, business has been up and down, but Ungar says she’s having a good year so far. Patronage from tourists like Peggy Hain, a Dallas resident who stopped by the store with four friends last week, is an important part of her business.
“Whenever I travel, I always stop by the local yarn stores to see what they carry,” Hain explained. “Every store is different, and every one carries different inventory. This is a really fun store.”
While Hain shopped for yarn, her friends were entertained by Ungar’s dog Harry, a gregarious 9-year-old Coton de Tulear. Harry’s job, Ungar says, is to be part of the store’s welcoming committee and provide company for friends of knitters and for husbands who are waiting while their wives select yarn.
“Harry likes to sit on people’s laps,” Ungar said. “He’s a big deal around here. I even have one skein of Harry’s hair. It took four years of brushing to make a skein of yarn. I don’t know what I’ll do with it. Maybe when I have enough, I’ll make a scarf.”
Oodles Yarn & Bead Gallery
WHERE: 411 W. Water St.
HOURS: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; 1-5 p.m. Sunday. During the winter, the store closes at 5 p.m. every day.
PHONE: 992-2678
