Driven by a lifelong dream of owning her own business, Tawnee Kinnebrew turned her passion for sewing and teaching into Wyldwood Creative, a vibrant hub for makers in the Pacific Northwest. From the spark of an idea in a car dealership office to running a thriving creative space, Tawnee shares the story behind her shop’s name, her favorite parts of entrepreneurship, and her advice for aspiring store owners.
What prompted you to start a business?
I always wanted to own my own business, ever since high school, but I never really knew what that was going to be. After college, I got into the job market and thought maybe I’d try to work it out. I was working at a car dealership. It was not exactly corporate America, but it felt very corporate to me. I was making good money, but I wasn’t enjoying life. I was working 50-plus hours a week, commuting, just really stressed out and not happy.
Around that same time, I was sewing a lot. People would see what I was making and say, “Oh my god, I can’t believe you made that. I could never do that.I’m not crafty.” And I’d always tell them, “You totally could! I could teach you.” At the dealership, my job was training salespeople, and through that, I discovered I have a natural knack for teaching.
That’s where the initial idea came from: what if I opened a place where I could teach people how to sew, and other artists could teach as well? I wanted to create a makerspace, a hub where people could come together to learn and create.
Where does the name come from?
I kind of just workshopped it. I live in the Pacific Northwest and love it here, so I wanted the name to have that PNW feel. I didn’t want it to be just about fabric. Especially in the beginning since it was meant to be a more generic art space. I started writing down words like forest, trees, woods, and landed on “Wildwood.”
The regular spelling was already taken for domains and social handles, and while visiting a friend in Texas, I saw a place on the map called Wyldwood, Texas. I thought, “Perfect, I’ll just spell it differently.” And that’s how Wyldwood was born. I love our name but one thing I didn’t think about is that lists are usually alphabetical, so we’re always near the bottom!
What’s your favorite and least favorite part of running a business?
My favorite part is definitely my staff. I have the coolest team around, and I feel so lucky that they want to work for me. They’re all really invested in what we’re doing. They feel grateful to be there, and I feel grateful to have them. It’s just good vibes all around.
The other thing I love is teaching. Every time we’re in a class and you see that “lightbulb” moment. Someone flips their tote bag right-side out in our beginner class and suddenly everything clicks. That excitement never gets old. Watching someone discover they can make something with their own hands is amazing.
My least favorite part? Dealing with money. Trying to get more of it, trying to figure out where it all went, all of it. I finally hired an accountant this year, and I wish I’d done that on day one.
Favorite sewing patterns or designers?
One of my best friends, Taylor from Toad and Sew, is a quilt pattern designer, and her patterns are my absolute favorite. I’d list her at the top even if she wasn’t my friend! She has such a knack for putting a really clever, modern twist on classic designs.
For garment patterns, I love Friday Pattern Company. Their instructions just work the way my brain works. I’ve made so many of their patterns. I think I have five or six Donny shirts. Their sew-alongs on YouTube are great too. I also love Helen’s Closet. Their instructions are super beginner friendly.
Are there any other stores you admire?
So many! I have a little Discord group with other fabric shop owners, and I admire all of them.
Erin from Firecracker Fabrics in Pittsburgh is so fun, and I really like how she pulls her shop together. My “shop bestie,” Bailey, has By and By in Tucson. Our tastes are similar but not identical, which makes it fun to see the overlap and differences in what we each carry.
I also love Sewlarium and Bolt in Portland, and Salt Lake Sewciety. I’m originally from Utah, so I have a soft spot for shops there. Delaney, who runs it, does such a great job curating her collection.
What advice would you give to someone considering opening their own store?
My first question is always: how passionate are you? Because this is the hardest job I’ve ever had, hands down. If you don’t feel it in your bones that this is what you’re meant to do, it’s not worth it. You need that passion to get through the tough parts.
And my second piece of advice: hire an accountant. Day one. Don’t go cheap on your tax people. It’s not worth the headache later.
What are you most looking forward to right now?
Traveling! I’m going to QuiltCon in February, HH in May, and my family’s heading to Norway in June. It’s shaping up to be a big travel year, and I’m really excited about that, for myself and for how those experiences will inspire what I do with the shop.
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