I am beyond thrilled to invite you to our store opening in Rowayton, CT! We have moved one town over from our home (and showroom) in Westport and we have been welcomed with open arms. I cannot wait to see this place in the summer. I think it's going to be magical.
Why did we move?
This has been a long time coming! We started officially looking for a bigger location in December of 2023 (which feels like forever ago now) as we quickly outgrew our showroom space. Between new employees and expanding our product offerings, we were bursting at the seams a year and a half into our lease.
Tight quarters come with problems -- not being able to grow, people on top of each other, not being a welcome place for walk-ins, order issues, etc. So I knew for the team's (and my own) sanity, we needed a bigger space.
What I wasn't expecting was for our showroom to be so popular. We are so lucky to have a handful of stores in CT and NY that are all within an hour's drive, so I truly didn't think that people would stop by our store. I expected it to be a place to host friends and events, but having 10+ walk-ins a day was not on my bingo card.
Once we saw the want and need for a Penny Linn space, I started doing what I do best: noodling. And once I got the idea of putting together a store - and bringing Penny Linn to life - I couldn't get it out of my head. And thoughts like this have yet to steer me wrong. So as we started to think about a new space to host our existing operation, we also considered hosting retail under the same roof.
That may or may not be a surprise to people, but hosting everything together helped with staffing, time management, and inventory. It just made sense. But now the biggest challenge of all was finding the right space.
We looked for over a year and came close (like just-needed-a-signature close) to what I thought at the time was our dream location in Westport. I'll save you the long story of it all, but finding a blank canvas of a store within our price range in the location we wanted proved to be quite the challenge.
It wasn't until one day -- after knocking my head against the wall frustrated by our lack of space -- I decided to click one zoom out on Loopnet (the Zillow for commercial properties), and this small pin popped up in Rowayton, one town over, and I said: "why not?"
Another long story short, we fell in love with the space and it was everything we needed and more. We put an offer in that week, got accepted, signed the lease, and had keys within the month. And now, here we are two months later, ready to open to the public!
What happens to the showroom?
The showroom is still under lease as we decide what to do, but it looks like we will look to sublease for the remainder of our term. It is such a special place (with an amazing rent lol). I will miss it forever but we're finding Penny Linn doesn't currently need it.
What is your new address?
You can find us at 161 Rowayton Ave, Norwalk, CT 06853!
What are your hours?
These are always subject to change, but the plans are as follows:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Saturday: 10-6 pm
Sunday: 12-4 pm
It was super important for me to have realistic hours for our customers who have traditional jobs. So we are taking similar hours to those stores around us, with Monday being our re-set day!
Why are you calling it a flagship store?
Truthfully, I love the idea of a flagship. It's like naming your car. We had the showroom, now we have a flagship location. I got the idea originally from the store that was in here previously and ran with it.
I also hope that it will forever serve as our first and final home for Penny Linn no matter how we look to expand in the future. (I have no plans to open any other stores but I've learned never to say never!) We'll also have really fun events and exclusive items for the store.
Opening Weekend Event Schedule:
As I mentioned above, we will start our normal working hours that weekend, so it will be Saturday, March 1st, from 10-6 pm and Sunday, from 12-4 pm.
We have a ton of really great specials going on that weekend that you won't want to miss (all while supplies last):
-The first 10 people in the door will receive a $100 gift card
-Three exclusive Penny Linn store canvases
-An exclusive Penny Linn needle minder
-An exclusive needle threader
-Free scissors with any purchase (limit one per customer)
-In-store bag painting/customization
-Access to leftover accessories from our advent (scallop acrylic, print bags, minders, etc)
-First access to over 100 new canvases (that launch later this year)
-Exclusive sneak peek of sample items to come
And lots of little free goodies like stickers, pens, matchbooks, and beginner guides!
What will you carry in store?
The store is a curated selection of all the best items on pennylinn.com! We will have thousands of canvases, close to 30 thread lines, and hundreds of accessories like bags, acrylic trays, needles, minders, stretcher bars, scissors, etc! We ideally will have everything you need to shop and stitch away.
Will you have classes?
Yes! We have beginner, ribbon, and finishing classes as well as stitch-in hours, pop-ups, designer meet and greets, and so much more ready to share with you all soon!
Can we bring in any canvas to kit?
Yes, of course! We're happy to help with any canvas, whether it is purchased here or not.
Where can I park?
There is free street parking on Rowayton Ave, but if that is full, there is a 40-car municipal lot across the street (behind Arden's). It's accessible via Wilson Road or Rowayton Ave.
If we're traveling in, where else should we visit?
If you're looking for other needlepoint stores, you should check out other CT spots like The Village Ewe, Stitch Stash, The Enriched Stitch, and New England Stitchery. For food, check out Arden's or Sails (both across the street), Rowayton Seafood, or Rowayton Pizza (both down the street). For shopping, downtown Westport and Downtown New Caanan are filled with great shops, about a 15-20 minute drive from our location.
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