Bird's Nest owner reflects on five years in business

Helen Spencer
·2 min read
Colorful skeins of yarn are seen at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb
Colorful skeins of yarn are seen at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb
Shelves of colorful yarn skeins are seen at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb.
Shelves of colorful yarn skeins are seen at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb.
Multi-colored yarn skeins are seen hanging from a display at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb.
Multi-colored yarn skeins are seen hanging from a display at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb.
Drawers of embroidery floss are seen at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb.
Drawers of embroidery floss are seen at the Bird's Nest in downtown Macomb.

MACOMB — Business owner Jackie Sullivan didn't set out to open the Bird's Nest in January 2017, but it has been a good thing in her life.

Sullivan didn't do needle crafts at the time, but she could knit a bit. Due to her son showing sheep at 4-H, they learned about fiber processing and fiber arts. Inventory from a fiber art store became available, and the Bird's Nest was created.

The Bird's Nest was named in memory of her mother-in-law whose name was Byrda, but was referred to as Birdie. Sullivan says she enjoyed cooking, crafts and trying new things.

The store moved to its current location at 115 S Side Square during October 2019, and celebrates its fifth anniversary this month.

Sullivan's store carries all types of supplies for needle crafting: knitting needles, various accessories for knitting, crochet hooks, a limited selection of cross stitch patterns and fabric, a full line of DMC embroidery floss, books and patterns, project bags, yarn, crochet thread, yarn from lace weight to bulky and a limited supply of spinning supplies.

Customers can call and place an order for pick-up. She also does special ordering too as she has access to specialty items and different patterns and colors than what's in stock.

In addition to supplies, there is a group that comes in on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to work on projects and visit with others. But this isn't the only time fellow needle artists are welcome.

“Anyone can come at anytime. Sometimes I will do lessons in the shop during the day and there is no charge,” Sullivan said. “We occasionally have classes and play days where we pick a topic and learn it together.”

This summer Sullivan hopes to have open house days on her farm with a lot of different items being showcased such as felting, weaving and spinning.

This article originally appeared on The McDonough County Voice: Small business owner reflects on 5 years in business