Sometimes the path needs a pause

A note on pausing the business I co-founded 12 years ago.

I’ll get right to the hard part…

After lots of overthinking and stressing, I’ve decided to take a pause on the future growth of Third Piece.

I’ve been working to build this company for a solid 12 years, so this has been a bit of a hard pill to swallow. For the past few months my head’s been spiraling thinking about what the future holds, but I’ve come to the conclusion that pausing makes the most sense.

It’s important for me to share the ‘why’ behind this move, as I still have so much love for this company.

The truth is, that the last few years have sucked.  The aftermath of closing a retail store and moving online in an attempt to rebuild just isn’t working…and personally, running an “e-commerce” company is not speaking to me.

My values and priorities have shifted and the evolution of the business is not aligning with who I am today, which is a pretty debilitating feeling.

I co-founded Third Piece after falling in love with a hand-knit scarf a friend had made. At the time I knew nothing about knitting, yarn, or fashion for that matter, but knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur and had my mind set on starting a company.

Everything in the beginning was new and exciting.   The pieces of the business got off the ground with what felt like so much ease and enjoyment.   The people I went on to meet along that way opened my head and heart to all of things that knitting had to offer.  With a sense of wide eyed optimism, I took all of this new info about textiles, knitting and business to strategize and determine, what could this business be?

The business became an extension of me.  A “thing” that has allowed me to find and foster the most amazing relationships with people that have been so important in life.

Years of work poured into new ideas, designs and relationships.  As someone that has studied business since I was a teenager, it was what I always imagined. 

I set out to create a company, to build a brand and since the beginning I’ve had huge goals and aspirations for Third Piece.

This work allowed me to experience moments and professional milestones that I dreamed of.

If you’re reading this, that most likely means that at some point, you’ve been a part of that dream.

But getting here has been rough.  And throughout all of the lows, I’ve wondered…why do I keep doing this, why do I keep holding onto this?

and honestly it was because of you.

The people around me. My colleagues, our customers, other business partners, and even complete strangers … that have invested and believed in me over the years.

I’ve never wanted to let anyone down.

I’ve always believed that everything it will all work out and one day I’d find my pot of gold under the rainbow.

So with this news, I hope you know that I’m not giving up, but I need a pause to reprioritize myself, my family and realign my plan to find the path that works best for me.

In stepping away, I’m attempting to make space for new projects that I hope will bring all of this work together.

As I maneuver through this, here’s some of the details on what you can expect this to mean:

Future Collections & Inventory

Our signature Soft & Baby Chunky Merino Yarn Collection will not be restocked in the foreseeable future.  This is probably the biggest change with the most impact to the business ahead of the fall and holiday season.

There’s still a decent amount of inventory that will need to find some loving hands along with some beautiful hand-knit pieces that need to find a good home.

As a subscriber, I invite you to shop the first access of our last chance items to enjoy 40% Off on a sitewide Sale.

Pattern & Support

Our digital patterns, pattern support and virtual knitting help will remain available through our online shop thirdpiece.com and through our inbox at hello@thirdpiece.com.

In-Person Classes & Lessons

Beginner knitting workshops and one on one lessons will still continue a limited schedule through the Summer at my studio in Newton & Charlestown.

If you’re interested in working together to learn to knit, take a private knitting lessons or hosting a knitting event, let me know! I’d love to work with you, please contact me here.

Thank you for being here.

This move is a big change for me personally, but one I’m ready for. 

I’m beyond proud of what’s been created while equally being excited for what the future holds…and I haven’t felt that way in a while.

Please stay tuned as I highlight the remaining collection pieces along with special promotions over the next few weeks.

If there is anything I can help with in the meantime, reply and say 👋 .

Kristen