Long Beach community comes together to keep local business open during pandemic

By Jaysha Patel

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    LONG BEACH, CA (KABC) — The Alamitos Bay Yarn Company has been a staple in the Long Beach community for more than 20 years.

The pandemic put a strain on the small business but with the help of the community and 3 women, the shop has been able to remain open for business.

Carla Hubbart, Sandra Carter, and Michelle Nash bought the shop during the pandemic last year.

“Time was running out and 3 of us sat at this table here and decided that we needed to do something and we pulled together a plan at the last minute and become the new owners of Alamitos Bay Yarn Company,” said Hubbart.

The three women were determined to keep the shop running.

During the pandemic, their shop closed for a while and their in-person classes got canceled, but they held zooms and virtual events.

They took mobile orders and used social media to keep in touch with new and current customers.

During that time Carla and Sandra say many people picked up a new hobby to do at home, like knitting.

“I think it was the isolation for a lot of people. They would call and talk about how they felt alone and that they would really like to get together with other knitters or continue to be social,” shared Carter.

The Alamitos Bay Yarn Company is starting classes back up and letting people into their store with the support of their local customers.

“They’ll stop and they’ll look at us, you know heartfelt look, and say I’m so glad that you’re still here. I’m so glad the shop made it through covid,” expressed Hubbart.

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