Pins and Needles

What Pins and Needles does

Pins and Needles is a privately held, family-owned craft supply retailer founded in 1990 and headquartered in a single retail location at 157 Main Street, Farmington, Maine. The store sells fabrics, yarns, wool, sewing machines, and a curated assortment of branded notions (Mettler, Creative Grids, Warm & Natural, Cascade) and serves as an authorized BERNINA sewing machine dealer. Its core customers are hobbyist crafters and quilting groups in Maine and the broader New England region.

The business operates a hybrid retail and services model. Beyond product sales, Pins and Needles generates revenue from long-arm quilting services, sewing machine repair, and scheduled classes, with a dedicated classroom space on-site. Pricing is granular and small-ticket: group classes at approximately $10 per session, custom long-arm quilting services with a $45 minimum, and gift cards up to $100. The go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer through the physical storefront and a basic e-commerce channel, supplemented by community-building events such as the Sewcial Retreat (which has been extended to Mount Kisco, NY) and the Maine Yarn Cruise, a multi-store regional yarn crawl.

The company's technology stack is that of a traditional independent retailer with no disclosed AI, proprietary software, or data assets. There are no funding rounds, institutional investors, or acquisition activity disclosed. Growth has been executed through service-line extension (quilting, repair), dealer partnerships (BERNINA), and community event programming rather than geographic or channel expansion.

Name

Pins and Needles

Legal name

Pins & Needles

Website

https://pinsandneedlesme.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pins and Needles is a family-owned craft supply retailer in Farmington, Maine, founded in 1990, serving hobbyist crafters and quilting groups with fabrics, yarns, BERNINA sewing machines, long-arm quilting services, repair, and classes through a single storefront and small e-commerce channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Supplies Retail

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (45913), Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (459130)

akta.pro primary industry

Quilting & Patchwork Shops (CRALADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Yarn, Knitting & Crochet Shops (CRALADAC), Yarn, Knitting & Crochet Supplies Retail (CRALACAF), Needlepoint & Embroidery Shops (CRALADAE), Notions & Sewing Accessories Retail (Thread, Needles, Zippers, Buttons) (CRALADAG), Cross-Stitch & Counted Thread Shops (CRALADAF)

Keywords

• Quilting supplies retail
• Knitting yarn shop
• Sewing machine repair
• Long arm quilting services
• Craft education classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Farmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Retail sales of fabrics, yarns, wool, quilting supplies, embroidery kits, and crafting materials. Includes Maine Yarn Cruise merchandise and gift cards.
2. Long-arm Quilting Services: Custom quilting services using Gammill long arm machine, including basting and binding services. Pricing based on quilt dimensions.
3. Sewing Machine Repair: In-house sewing machine maintenance and repair services for both home and industrial machines by David.
4. Classes: Revenue from quilting classes ($10/session), knitting workshops, and specialty workshops like Barn Quilt painting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pins & Needles operates a single retail craft store in Farmington, Maine, selling quilting fabrics, yarns, wool products, embroidery kits, gift cards, and Maine Yarn Cruise merchandise. The store supplements its retail product sales with fee-based services including custom long-arm quilting on a Gammill machine, sewing machine repair by an accredited technician, and quilting, knitting, and Barn Quilt painting classes held in its on-site classroom.

Product overview

Pins and Needles is a craft supply retail store offering a curated selection of quilting, knitting, and wool products. The store operates on a single-location model with a physical retail presence in Farmington, Maine, supplemented by an e-commerce platform. The core product offerings center around fabrics, yarns, and wool materials, complemented by custom services including long arm quilting, sewing machine repair, and educational classes. The store carries various branded yarn lines (primarily Cascade brand) and fabric collections from designers including Tilda, while the service layer adds value through quilting services, repairs, and skill-building workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Yarns Retail yarn selection including Cascade 128 Superwash, Cascade 220 Superwash, Cascade 220 Wool, Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky, Cascade Eco Alpaca, Cascade Eco Duo, and Cascade Pure Alpaca in various weights and fiber contents, sold to hobbyist knitters and crafters.
• Fabrics Thousands of bolts of quilting fabric including designer collections, quilting cottons, Tilda Fabrics, vintage fabrics, winter wool flannel, and specialty prints from designers such as Heather Ross, Kim Diehl, Stacy West of Buttermilk Basin, and Tilda Fabrics.
• Wool Selection of wool products including wool yarn and felted wool supplies for quilting, knitting, and wool applique projects.
• Embroidery Kits Pre-packaged embroidery kits for various skill levels and design themes, sold to hobbyist crafters.
• Gift Cards Gift cards available in denominations of $20, $25, $40, $50, $75, and $100 for in-store purchases.
• Maine Yarn Cruise merchandise Annual Maine Yarn Cruise tickets and commemorative merchandise, including prior-year commemorative bags from 2022 and 2023 and Maine Yarn Cruise 2026 tickets.
• Custom Long Arm Quilting Custom long-arm quilting service using a Gammill long-arm quilting machine with freehand style quilting and various design options, including quilting, basting, binding, and sleeve services, for quilters who need professional finishing.
• Sewing Machine Repair In-house sewing machine maintenance and repair services for both home and industrial machines, including tune-ups, cleanings, and repairs, provided by David.
• Classes (Quilting, Knitting, Wool Applique, Barn Quilt Painting) Educational classes including quilt classes ($10 per session on Wednesdays), a knitting workshop on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month, and specialty workshops such as Barn Quilt Painting with instructor Saskia at multiple sizes (12x12, 24x24, 36x36, 48x48).
• Group Trips Special arrangements for organized quilt groups planning visits to Farmington, including sale discounts and door prizes with advance notice.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MettlerminorOthersThread brand carried in the store.
• Creative GridsminorOthersRuler and quilting tool brand available in the store.
• Warm & NaturalminorOthersBatting brand carried in the store, with 20% discount offered when shop does your quilt.
• CascademinorOthersYarn brand including Cascade 128 Superwash, Cascade 220, and alpaca blends carried in store.
• BERNINAminorOthersPins and Needles is an authorized BERNINA Dealer, hosting events and providing access to BERNINA equipment.
• MTK HotelminorOthersVenue partner for 'Sewcial Retreat' event in Mount Kisco, New York.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Missouri Star Quilt Company: Hamilton, Missouri-based quilting fabric retailer and one of the largest in the U.S., combining fabric retail, online classes, and a quilting-focused community. Directly comparable as a multi-channel quilting destination that pairs product sales with education and events, though at significantly larger scale.
• Knit Picks: Direct-to-consumer online retailer of yarn, knitting tools, and patterns. Comparable in product mix (yarn, notions, classes) and in serving intermediate-to-advanced hobbyists with branded supplies and educational content.
• LoveCrafts: Online global marketplace and retailer for yarn, fabric, and craft supplies. Comparable in selling yarn, fabric, and patterns to hobbyist crafters, with a strong community and educational layer (LoveCrafts Learn).
• Annie's: Publisher and retailer of quilting, knitting, and crochet patterns, books, and kits. Comparable in serving the same quilting and knitting hobbyist community with educational content and curated supplies, though primarily through catalog and online channels.
• Connecting Threads: Catalog and online retailer of quilting fabrics, threads, patterns, and notions. Comparable as a multi-channel fabric and notions retailer with private-label fabric lines serving hobbyist quilters and sewists.
• Keepsake Quilting: New Hampshire-based catalog and online quilting fabric retailer offering thousands of bolts and notions. Comparable as a long-standing independent quilting specialist with deep fabric selection and a New England customer orientation similar to Pins and Needles.
• Fat Quarter Shop: Online-first retailer specializing in quilting fabrics, kits, and pre-cuts, with educational video content and a strong designer/brand portfolio. Directly comparable in product mix (quilting fabrics, notions, kits) and in combining retail with community and educational content.
• Jimmy Beans Wool: Reno, Nevada-based direct-to-consumer yarn retailer with deep brand selection, classes, and a community focus. Comparable in core product focus (yarn, knitting, crochet) and in serving hobbyist crafters with educational content and curated supplies.

Broad incumbents

• Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts: Largest U.S. specialty retailer of fabrics, yarn, and craft supplies with hundreds of stores and a strong e-commerce platform. Comparable product category but operates at national scale with significantly broader assortment and lower price points.
• Hobby Lobby: National arts, crafts, and home décor retailer with fabric and yarn departments. Overlaps in fabric and yarn retail but operates as a broad-line discount retailer rather than a quilting specialist.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pinsandneedlesme

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pins and Needles