Hunter Couto jokes that he and Joey Claeyssen have a habit of turning passions into careers.
The couple are the owners of Fiberista Club, 1107 Westgate St. in Oak Park, which sells hand-dyed, luxury yarn and fiber and offers classes and group knitting nights.
Couto and Claeyssen started Fiberista Club as an online subscription club in December 2014, sending packages each month containing a knitting or crocheting project and coordinating fiber.
After that took off and the two needed more space to run the business, a brick-and-mortar store seemed like the next step. The couple, who live in Chicago, heard Knot Just Knits had recently closed, “so we decided to resurrect it,” Couto said.
They loved the charm of the 1,000-square-foot space in the Downtown Oak Park business district, as well as the village itself.
“I completely fell in love with the town,” Couto said. “It was very hard not to.”
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In the shop, skeins in an array of hues and textures fill the walls. Colors are arranged specifically to give customers an idea of which ones could work together.
“We wanted for people to see the entire palette,” Couto said, adding that they try to give a great representation of what’s trendy within the industry.
The yarns and fibers the shop sells are made of alpaca, cashmere, merino and wool, “things that’ll create great final projects,” Couto said. Skein prices range from $11 to $40.
The shop also sells the couple’s own hand-dyed fiber, as well as spinning wheels and fiber for those who want to make their own yarn.
“Part of being the artsy dreamer, I guess, is you want to be involved in every step of the process,” Claeyssen said.
“It’s a pretty deep rabbit hole,” Couto said with a laugh.
The shop also hosts an open knit night from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays, which Couto said typically draws 10 to 15 people, and offers classes for beginners.
Couto, a former professional ballroom dancer, took up knitting about 10 years ago, while looking for something to do during long flights.
“It feels good to have something analog to do with your hands,” Couto said.
He added that he and Claeyssen — who learned to crochet from his mother and grandmother — are both creative, artistic people. Claeyssen hopes the shop provides a welcoming environment for old and new knitters and crocheters.
“I want people to feel like anything’s possible,” he said.
Cacie Willhoft of Oak Park, who stopped by the shop Feb. 27, said she was thrilled to see another yarn store open up in the space after the closure of Knot Just Knits. Although online shopping has its place, Willhoft said she appreciates the ability to touch and feel the yarns in person before buying.
“I like that there are an infinite number of techniques you can use to achieve an end result,” Willhoft said. “I really like playing with color and I’m not a painter, so it gives me a medium to use.”
Fiberista Club, at 1107 Westgate St. in Oak Park, is open 11 a.m. through 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 708-613-4456 or visit www.fiberista.club.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.