Gone are the days when staying up all night to embroider a dish towel or cutting out pages from a magazine to make a vision board would be deemed a “grandma hobby.” Today, crafting in all of its forms is not only encouraged, but celebrated.
Erin Royce and Shelley Beville are two friends who share a love of crafting so deep that they turned their admiration into a business, The Crafty Library Co., where they share all their crafting knowledge and expertise with groups of like-minded individuals in two-hour-long sessions.
The Crafty Library Co. doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar location, but instead partners with local businesses in the area to utilize event spaces, whether that’s at bookshops, breweries, or markets. For just about one year now, Royce and Beville have become regulars at spaces such as the Coconut Barrel in St. Augustine and other locations around Jacksonville to offer their creative, crafty classes.
When guests sign up for one of The Crafty Library Co.’s weekly or sometimes bi-weekly classes through its Facebook page, they’re guaranteed to go home with a finished craft. The craft itself varies, ranging from activities like making mini book jars and beaded plants to whipping up Christmas ornaments and painted door mats. Royce and Beville test all of the crafts themselves at home before offering them to the public; that way, the two can go into the session knowing exactly what potential road bumps may arise.
“It’s always amazing to see people’s creativity,” Beville said. “We’re there to add guidance, but not direction, because this is art and everybody’s feelings on what it should look like are their own.”
As first-time business owners, Royce and Beville were inspired to create The Crafty Library Co. after years of crafting on their own. What began as inviting their book club over for crafting nights turned into a full-blown business that has averaged 25-30 people at seven to eight classes per month every month for the last year.
“It’s been a real success. We’ve learned a lot about ourselves and our styles,” Beville said. “For me, it’s special to see how excited people get with their end product of a craft.”
After so many months of experimenting with crafts, Royce and Beville said they began to accumulate leftovers. So, instead of letting those leftovers go to waste, the two put together craft kits, which they sell at The Crafty Library Co. booth at markets around both St. Johns and Duval counties. The Crafty Library Co. also offers private parties, where Royce and Beville will supply, set up and take down all materials necessary for a successful crafting experience.
“It’s a great community to be a part of,” Beville concluded. “There’s no gatekeeping. We’re all trying to do something artistic or creative, and we want to share that with people.”
