NATCHEZ &045; Longtime friends Ann Tillman and Cynthia Whittington followed a dream in opening the new shop, Natchez Needle Arts: a Fiber Arts Studio.

Both have talents in needle arts and other creative endeavors, and the two decided to act on what they knew was a need in Natchez and the surrounding area.

Tillman, an avid, serious knitter, had spent time shopping for yarns and other materials in out-of-town shops such as those in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Even then, however, she did not find everything required for projects she wanted to pursue.

&uot;I was going back and forth and bringing home huge amounts of yarn,&uot; Tillman said, sitting in the cozy shop she owns at 508 Franklin St. &uot;I never was able to pick up something and say, ‘I want to do this,’ and get everything II needed. They would tell me they could order it, but even then I had to buy a huge amount, a lot more than I needed.&uot;

Frustrations such as those kept nagging her to open her own shop, she said. &uot;I said that one day I would have a needle shop that was all inclusive, all the colors, choices of needles, all the patterns. And I’m blessed enough to be able to do it.&uot;

Whittington, shop manager, said her love for working with fibers extends to all areas. She defers to Tillman as the expert knitter, however.

&uot;I was doing a little knitting demonstration at Elizabeth Swalm’s place on Commerce Street (Commerce Cotton), and Ann came in to knit with me,&uot; Whittington said. &uot;She started talking about wanting to do something like this shop. Every time we saw each other, we became more excited.&uot;

The friends began talking in October and had made the decision to open the shop by December. &uot;I went to market in January,&uot; Whittington said.

Tillman said Whittington manages the store beautifully. &uot;She is the most creative person in town. She can do anything,&uot; Tillman said.

The shop has appealing beauty even to the non-needle arts follower, with walls of small niches filled with yarns of all colors of the spectrum and a comfortable seating area at the front of the shop.

Whittington’s husband, Allen Whittington, did the interior renovations after his wife’s design.

&uot;Ann kept saying it was her dream to have an upscale, clean, modern-looking shop,&uot; Cynthia Whittington said. &uot;I looked online and saw pictures of a lot of shops. I saw more of what I did not want to do than what I wanted to do.&uot;

The shop was not to open formally until June 1, but as soon as yarn began to arrive in March, customers appeared. &uot;We were in here putting things on the shelves and tourists walked in wanting to buy something,&uot; Whittington said. &uot;We did not even have prices on anything.&uot;

Pricing is strictly retail and not what some refer to as &uot;retail-plus,&uot; Tillman said. &uot;People have been surprised that they can get their yarn here cheaper than in some other places they’ve shopped.&uot;

Natchez Needle Arts sells basic wool for real knitting; cotton, cotton blends and silk, which many like because of the warm climate of the area; and all the tools any needle arts lover might want.

There are choices for the needlepoint worker and those who crochet, embroider, cross stitch or do crewelwork.

As things settle down in the shop, where business has been so brisk they continuously order more stock, the two want to promote group trips to Natchez that would include needle workers coming to take classes at the shop as well as their spouses, who could be provided an agenda of touring and recreation.

&uot;We want to bring in nationally known teachers,&uot; Whittington said. &uot;We’ll make it a weekend event.&uot;

Such events would be one more way to promote bed and breakfast establishments, restaurants and other shops in the area, Tillman said.

In addition, downtown shops promote each other, she said. And with a growing number of shops that relate to some of the same types of

creative pursuits, she believes shoppers will increase in numbers.