Meet Polly and Carol, the owners of KC Needlepoint
Meet Polly Kramer and Carol Crowe, the owners of KC Needlepoint. Although they lived only two blocks away from each other in Kansas City, the two had never met each other before, back in 2014.
Both Carol and Polly had shopped at Sign of the Arrow in St. Louis for their canvases and threads for years. They both reached out to the shop- independently of each other- about opening stores of their own in Kansas City. Julie Filean, the manager of Sign of the Arrow, connected the pair and they immediately hit it off.
In January of 2015 they attended TNNA with Madonna Lewis who owns Cabbage Row in Charleston to get a better idea of everything that owning a shop entailed. Upon their return to Kansas City, they decided they truly wanted to make their mutual dream come true and dove straight in!
The pair found a location on Gregory Boulevard in Waldo which was perfect for a brick and mortar store… but the business grew quickly with the help of teacher Lale Verhulst and their other wonderful employees. In 2018 they moved just up the street to their current location. It gave them room to expand their offerings of classes and offered more work and storage space for inventory.
After getting the retail and online shop off the ground, and attending a few trade shows, Carol and Polly decided they would venture into the world of wholesale. In 2019 they launched KCN Designers: a vibrant wholesale line that represents over ten incredibly talented female artists. It has grown to include Thorn Alexander, SCT Designs, August Morgan, Bauble Stockings, Little Stitches Needlework, Hook and Harbor Co, Lo Harris, Mrs. Blandings and Susan Cowden Studio.
KC Needlepoint is part of the “100 Jobs for 100 Moms” program and have hired women from Amethyst Place to paint custom canvases for customers and help with other projects around the shop. Amethyst Place supports women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and their children. Their first local artist Marianne Ensz has taught many of these women to paint needlepoint canvases over the years. Three women currently work at KC Needlepoint and a total of six have come through the program over the years.
In June of 2021 KC Needlepoint celebrated six wonderful years in business. Without their amazing customers they wouldn’t be where they are today. They are so grateful for all of your support and can’t wait for everything that the future has in store!
Both Carol and Polly had shopped at Sign of the Arrow in St. Louis for their canvases and threads for years. They both reached out to the shop- independently of each other- about opening stores of their own in Kansas City. Julie Filean, the manager of Sign of the Arrow, connected the pair and they immediately hit it off.
In January of 2015 they attended TNNA with Madonna Lewis who owns Cabbage Row in Charleston to get a better idea of everything that owning a shop entailed. Upon their return to Kansas City, they decided they truly wanted to make their mutual dream come true and dove straight in!
The pair found a location on Gregory Boulevard in Waldo which was perfect for a brick and mortar store… but the business grew quickly with the help of teacher Lale Verhulst and their other wonderful employees. In 2018 they moved just up the street to their current location. It gave them room to expand their offerings of classes and offered more work and storage space for inventory.
After getting the retail and online shop off the ground, and attending a few trade shows, Carol and Polly decided they would venture into the world of wholesale. In 2019 they launched KCN Designers: a vibrant wholesale line that represents over ten incredibly talented female artists. It has grown to include Thorn Alexander, SCT Designs, August Morgan, Bauble Stockings, Little Stitches Needlework, Hook and Harbor Co, Lo Harris, Mrs. Blandings and Susan Cowden Studio.
KC Needlepoint is part of the “100 Jobs for 100 Moms” program and have hired women from Amethyst Place to paint custom canvases for customers and help with other projects around the shop. Amethyst Place supports women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction and their children. Their first local artist Marianne Ensz has taught many of these women to paint needlepoint canvases over the years. Three women currently work at KC Needlepoint and a total of six have come through the program over the years.
In June of 2021 KC Needlepoint celebrated six wonderful years in business. Without their amazing customers they wouldn’t be where they are today. They are so grateful for all of your support and can’t wait for everything that the future has in store!