’Tis the season for wool, and La Bobineuse‘s got plenty of it. With their wealth of quality yarns and other knitting essentials, they’ve been a second home to Montreal’s knitting community since 1958. Considering Montrealers would be miserable without their knit-wear around this time of year, we spoke with La Bobineuse’s Flavie Mageau-Taylor about the products and services they provide so that you can knit them yourself.
What is the story behind La Bobineuse?
Originally owned by a man named M. Darch, the shop—which was first located in a little shop on Saint-Laurent—opened its doors in 1958. After many years, Darch was ready to let the shop go and two sisters, Lise and Monique Blanchard, ended up buying the business in 1989.
They moved the store to Mont-Royal shortly afterwards. When Lise fell ill and passed away in 2000, her husband Daniel Campeau took over the shop for 6 years. In 2013, he finally decided it was time to retire, although he still comes to visit the shop often.
The new owner, Vincent, bought the shop and moved it to its current location at Mont-Royal and Parthenais. Though he hired a new, younger team, we still use La Bobineuse’s authentic antique machinery.
What products do you offer?
It’s a La Bobineuse tradition to only buy from businesses who make their wares in-store, and much of the wool is recycled. Customers choose their own colour of wool, which is all made by hand, before coiling it themselves. The wool that we sell is twenty-five to fifty percent less expensive than most commercial yarn balls because our goal is to be accessible, good quality and environmentally friendly.
What services do you provide?
Along with providing affordable, high-quality wool products, we also host knitting courses that teach beginners how to knit basic items like hats, gloves, and socks. We hold 5 à 7 events as well, where people can just come knit and enjoy some tea.
Guests aren’t obligated to buy their wool at the store — for these events, they can bring their own. Our goal is to really create a community of knitters, where the store can accentuate their love of wool. We also support the WWF and organizations where women gather to knit for children and the homeless.
People are welcome to come knit or ask questions anytime, even outside of events.
What’s your passion?
Our passion stems from the relationships we create with our clients. La Bobineuse is not a store of luxury — it’s a store that’s dedicated to making wool highly personalized and available. We pride ourselves in making products that allow people to make their clothes, and want to introduce younger crowds and children to knitting so that they may do the same. Our passion is making knitting accessible to the people.
All photos by Charlotte Guirestante Ghomeshi.