To the Editor:
The Heath Hen Yarn & Quilt Shop closed its doors on Saturday for the final time.
For the past seven years, Jan Paul of West Tisbury has dedicated herself to investing her time, money, and energy to carry on the legacy of one of the Island’s oldest yarn retailers, a multidecade effort involving prior owners (now gone), and spanning generations of knitters and quiltmakers. While the store is no longer present, the memory of her efforts will not be forgotten.
The work of a local merchant doesn’t stop at the close of the workday, it continues at home with endless hours of unseen tasks, of quietly knitting store displays, of emailing and communicating with the customers and hobbyists, and the ever-present, all-consuming thoughts about planning for the future needs of local customers.
For the past seven years, the Heath Hen Yarn & Quilt Shop has been a testament to Jan’s dedication and perseverance. Equally, it has also been a reflection of the quality of merchants that we have here on the Island, people who conscientiously work — day in and day out, behind the scenes, every day, to fulfill the needs of our little Island community under the most trying of circumstances — not the least of which are the changing trends of online retail merchandising.
We should all be so lucky to have had the opportunity and pleasure that comes with providing a quality product to a deserving community.
I, for one, am raising my glass to the Heath Hen Yarn & Quilt Shop and to the other Island merchants, both past and present, all of whom serve us so well.
Richard Rooney
West Tisbury