Shelves lined with colorful fabrics and displays of thread and other supplies greet customers at Concord Clothworks, where tall ceilings create a light, airy space perfect for cultivating creativity.
When Joann Fabrics shuttered its doors nationwide earlier this year after filing for bankruptcy, local crafters accustomed to shopping at the Storrs Street location in Concord were left in the lurch. Former Joann’s employees Tyler Fish and Dee Osgood set out to change that.
They bought stock from multiple closing locations and found a storefront to lease on Sheep Davis Road, filling their new spot with fabrics, threads, yarn and more. Their joint venture, which opened at the start of December, aims to provide a home to any crafter seeking not only supplies but a creative community.
“We’ve been so surprised at how people have received what we have so far,” said Fish, who owns the new business. “And it’s really humbling for me to really see how much people really want something like this and appreciate it.”
Concord Clothworks aims to feel more home-like and less corporate than Joann’s, while still offering a similar array of supplies the former chain used to sell.
Osgood had spent over two decades working at the fabric store. Fish became a regular customer, and the two struck up a friendship that only continued to blossom until Fish eventually started working at Joann’s, too. She had only been there a few months when the store went under.
In the half a year since then, they’ve worked hard to build a shared dream.
“That’s where we want it to be, where people can come in and just grab that one thing and feel comfortable and not obligated to buy a whole bunch of other stuff,” said Osgood, manager of Concord Clothworks. “We want to be that one-stop shop for things that are like, ‘I need pins immediately,’ or ‘I just ran out of thread.'”
Both Osgood and Fish have their areas of specialty. Osgood knows fabric like the back of her hand, while Fish does upholstery and even has a whole counter in the store for it now. Together and alongside others they worked with at Joann’s, they hope to soon start offering classes for sewing, quilting, crocheting and more.
They’ve also obtained an embroidery machine and plan to offer custom embroidery and their own merch line.
The two friends have so much fun together that, despite working hard to bring Concord Clothworks to life, most of their days are filled with laughter. They joke about barely seeing each other when, in reality, they’re working on opposite ends of the store and call out to each other when there are no customers.
“You live once,” Fish said. “I want to have a place where I like to come to work and hang out and I want people to come to work and hang out. I want clients to come in here and be like, ‘I like hanging out in here.'”
She’s worked in several industries already, including teaching creative writing at NHTI and opening a yoga studio. But it’s always been her dream to have a business like this. Plus, she lives nearby in Chichester and finds Concord to be the perfect spot for the store.
For people who spend time in the fiber arts, creating can become “an addiction,” Osgood said. For her, it’s been a chance to express herself.
“My style is always unique, and I could never afford the more expensive clothes that really fit my style,” said Osgood, who lives in Dunbarton. “So I started altering my clothes to make them look a lot more personable. And then it got into me sewing bigger things.”
Just as having a creative outlet has been transformative for Osgood, she and Fish want to foster a space where others can find that same calling. One of their former Joann’s customers, Christine Kirk, who lives in Gilmanton, appreciates the care they’ve channelled into Concord Clothworks.
“We need to move away from big corporations and back to human connection and spaces that bring the community together,” said Kirk, who creates bracelets to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. “I’m hoping that this space is something that does just that, brings people in, builds community, keeps things local and handmade.”
Kirk is selling her jewelry for the first time ever at the checkout counter of Concord Clothworks, right by the window where her colorful beads catch the light.
Whenever she stops in to replenish her jewelry stock, Fish and Osgood glow with excitement at her presence, which serves as a reminder of all the ways they’re connected through a shared past and a vibrant present, with endless goals for the future.
More than anything, they want Concord Clothworks to be a place where the creative possibilities are limitless.
“Everybody can do it,” Fish said. “I love when people come in and they’re like, ‘I can’t.’ No, you can.”