Jimmy Beans, a market leading retailer of yarn and accessories for knitters and makers, has reached a acquire Fort Worth-based Madelinetosh, the largest hand-dyed yarn producer in the United States, the company said in a news release.
Currently, Madelinetosh yarn is sold in independently owned yarn and craft stores around the world.
The release said this is Jimmy Beans’ largest acquisition, adding a major yarn brand to its roster of companies. Jimmy Beans previously acquired two popular bag and accessories companies, Namaste in 2018 and della Q in 2019.
Madelinetosh Co. was founded in 2006 an Etsy shop and has since grown into an international wholesale distributor to independent craft stores around the world, the Madelinetosh website said.
Jimmy Beans was founded at the downturn of the dotcom boom by former Silicon Valley engineers Laura and Doug Zander who opened a tiny yarn shop in Truckee, California, the company said on its website.
“Jimmy, as Laura is lovingly known, sold coffee alongside the wool (hence the Beans in the name) and Jimmy Beans Wool was born,” the company said.
In 2004, the company moved to Reno, Nevada, where it has a 20,000 square foot warehouse.
The Zanders and Amy Hendrix and John Ballard of Madelinetosh Co. have been friends for years.
“Along with being great friends and carrying their yarn for years, we’ve marveled from afar at what Amy and John have created: from the humble beginnings of dyeing yarn in their home to becoming an international wholesale distributor,” the Jimmy Beans website said.
“Yarn is such an important part of Jimmy Beans’ DNA and with the addition of Madelinetosh, it feels like a match made in yarn heaven,” Laura Zander said in the news release.
“We’ve been carrying Madelinetosh for years and to see what Amy and John have created is remarkable. Their eye for color and ability to take dyeing from their kitchen to becoming the largest hand-dyer in the country is just incredible. We hope that we can continue their legacy, while adding our customer service and marketing touch to the brand,” she said.
The announcement said that for now, the Madelinetosh headquarters and team will remain in Fort Worth with additional operational and sales support coming from Jimmy Beans headquarters in Reno.
www.JimmyBeansWool.com
www.Madelinetosh.com
– FWBP Staff