RENO, NV, January 22, 2008: Online knitting superstore reaches goal of supplying knitters with enough yarn to circle the Earth.
Ten days into the launch of their internet yarn business, Doug and Laura Zander began tallying the number of yards of yarn they were selling. They quickly realized that, if strung together, the yarn that they had sold so far would reach the center of nearby Reno, NV - a town 30 miles away. The message was clear: sell enough yarn to make it around the World.
More than 4 years and 44 million yards of yarn later, a single purchase on January 20th, 2008 marked the end of their quest to circumnavigate the Earth with pieces of yarn. The critical purchase was completed by a Virginia knitter and consisted of approximately 2700 yards of yarn (enough to knit 4 pair of socks and a baby blanket). The average ball of yarn contains between 100 and 200 yards.
"Without the help of knitters around the World, we could have never achieved this tremendous goal." said Laura Zander, co-owner, Jimmy Beans Wool. The Zanders currently sell yarn to yarn-enthusiasts in over 50 countries.
So what's next for these fiber-pushers? "Mars!" exclaims Zander, "We've set our sites on circling every planet in the solar system." And with more than 1 in 3 U.S. women able to knit or crochet (according to the Yarn Craft Council), the Zanders will be knitting their way around Mars in no time.
Founded in 2002 by Laura, aka "Jimmy," and Doug Zander, Jimmy Beans Wool is both a bricks and mortar and Internet knitting superstore, offering knitters worldwide a comprehensive selection of the finest yarns and knitting supplies along with the latest fashion trends. With customers from Los Angeles to Uzbekistan and all points in between, Jimmy Beans Wool has successfully created an international knitting community comparable to that of the local yarn store, and is the resource for knitters looking for inspiration, instructions and project help. Headquartered in Reno, NV, the store was recently the subject of a small business profile in Fortune Small Business (July/August 2007)