Michigan Needlepoint Store Thrives in Frosty Economy

The Bristly Thistle needlepoint store in Petoskey MI is thriving despite the frosty Michigan economy. The store has a proactive web strategy and has attracted new customers across the country and around the world.

Petoskey, MI (PRWEB) April 3, 2008 -- The Bristly Thistle needlepoint store in Petoskey MI is bucking the trend toward lower retail sales in Michigan and across the country. "Our sales this year are up substantially from 2007" said Michele Herron, owner of the store. "The Michigan economy has been slowing for over a year and we hear other stores are down 50-75%"

Herron bought the store in 2006 from Gail Gunder who had owned it for 17 years. "We added many new items and increased our inventory significantly" Herron said, "We also invested heavily in a web presence and have over 1500 items for sale on the Internet. We have customers across the country and in England, France, Sweden and Australia who found us through Google or Yahoo."

Recently, the store has moved to larger space in Petoskey. "We needed more space to display our needlepoint canvases and threads" said Herron. "Now we have space for needlepoint classes and for customers who want to come to the store and stitch with their friends."

The Bristle Thistle carries a wide variety of needlepoint canvases, threads and embellishments. The thread selection is one of the best in the country and appeals to many crafts people. Many of the threads can be used for other crafts including fly tying for fishing.

For more information, contact Michele Herron at 877-5-STITCH. Herron also writes a popular needlepoint blog at BristlyThistle.wordpress.com (http://BristlyThistle.wordpress.com)

Bristly Thistle is a registered trademark. © 2008 Bristly Thistle llc

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