The Recycled Lamb Story

Once upon a time in a quaint little town nestled up against the foothills of the mighty Rocky Mountains there were two fiber-loving ladies with time on their hands..."What should we do," they asked themselves, "to meet people and have fun?" Well, more than 25 years later (wow!) we can look back and thank JoAnne and Donna for starting up The Recycled Lamb! From a humble beginning in two rooms of a little house shared with an interior designer and a couple of artist gals upstairs, these two wonderful ladies began the weaving and knitting fiber adventure that is still the fiber destination spot in the Denver area. These two wonderful women slowly expanded the shop...first the artists upstairs moved (after painting wonderful murals in the bathrooms) and JoAnne and Donna used the upstairs...then the designer left and they had the whole house, and some more customers. Then, as sometimes happens with real estate, the house got sold and The Recycled Lamb had to find new digs. These ladies found a spot in the middle of a little strip mall on Youngfield St., just about 10 minutes away from the original location, and as they were unpacking the yarn--and still sorting it from heaps in the middle of the floor!--at the new shop, so many new people came in they just knew they'd picked a great spot.

Well, as it sometimes happens, Donna fell in love and eventually moved to New Mexico, leaving JoAnne with the shop. Then Jeannie arrived, looking to meet people and to have fun, and she and JoAnne became partners, and the little yarn shop thrived and more customers came and they had lots of fun and people to meet! The shop seemed more like a "real" business now, so the partners incorporated and the shop kept growing. The little shop grew out of its space and since the donut shop at the end of the strip mall left there was a bigger space for the now not-so-little yarn shop in the same little building but just down the walk a little ways. JoAnne bought a sign--it had to have very few letters because at that time you had to pay by the letter...hence instead of "The Recycled Lamb", and as many of you have noticed some of the letters have come and gone, with the sign saying at different times and , a source of much fun for us at the shop.

Many exciting things happened at the shop, some partners came and left, and some sad moments when loved employees and customers passed away, but the shop was like a family for customers and staff and everyone felt supported and loved. More and more classes were offered, weaving, knitting, crochet, spinning, felting, and others, and the shop kept growing! Then as sometimes happens, JoAnne decided it was time to retire, and Jeannie stayed to continue having fun and meeting people. Well, in the meantime, as it sometimes happens, Jeannie had fallen in love, gotten married, and after a few years of living apart from her husband decided it was time to have a real marriage and actually live in the same house as her beloved...which meant she would leave the shop....Then in 2007 Cheryl showed up and wanted to have fun and meet people, and so, bought the shop from Jeannie and installed a new sign. And best of all, JoAnne decided retirement wasn't all that much fun so to have more fun and meet more people, JoAnne came back to the shop and you'll see her on most Tuesdays and Fridays. The shop just continues to grow and be a wonderful place!