Family combines two beloved yarn shops divided by tape line, reopens as one
By Beth Carlson
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OAK GROVE, Mo. (KMBC) — Two yarn shops in Oak Grove, once divided by a green line and owned by two life partners, have reopened as one store, bringing together their legacy and community.
The story began over a decade ago, when Robert Bandlow and Angelika Burles first spoke to KMBC 9. Best friends and life partners, they owned two separate yarn shops in one warehouse, splitting their two spaces down the middle with green tape.
Several years later, Robert’s daughter Lori is carrying on her father’s legacy, collaborating with Angelika to merge the storefronts and open in a new building.
“Angelika was kind of running both stores by herself. So, I came in to help out,” Lori said.
Robert passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer in March. He had carried on his mother’s storefront, dedicating over 40 years to the store, the Knitcraft Yarn Shop.
Saturday, Lori and Angelika opened their new storefront in Oak Grove, combing both businesses.
“Bringing that community back together, seeing old faces and lots of new faces,” Lori said. “We spent the last five years pretty much rebuilding the community through the yarn store and trying to make it a welcoming space for them to come back into.”
Though there will be no tape on the ground, Lori said it’s a way to stitch together the families.
“We’ve just kind of been riding that roller coaster right now, and just it’s sad to not have him here with us, but we know he’s watching from above,” Lori said.
And for Angelika, she said the new storefront is the most natural progression after years of operating separate registers. She said the most important thing is the joy the hobby brings to those who enter.
“There’s never a frown in a yarn store. There really isn’t,” Angelika said.
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