Why You Need To Shop Old Town at 6 AM – The Day After Thanksgiving
Danielle Romanetti emerges from her office following two dogs. They’re too small to be guard dogs, too cute to pass without kneeling down and rubbing their heads. From her office window is an unobstructed view of Prince Street. Unless you drive with blinders on, it’s likely you've seen the building where her business, fibre space, resides. It’s the one that makes you think the Flatiron Building’s architect paid a visit to Old Town, too – and it’s blue. Plus there’s some welcoming tables out front, murals on the walls outside and an even friendlier, warm vibe inside.
On a recent rainy morning, with her downstairs storefront packed with customers, Danielle shares, “knitting is a wonderful activity to keep your hands busy.” While those not in practice may only envision older women knitting booties for their grandkids, she says her customers range from 30-70 years old, more women than men. “Knitting is their stress relief, and is way more productive than scrolling endlessly through your phone. And when you’re done, you have something you’ve made.” And less FOMO, too.
Danielle, who was born in Pennsylvania and went to college in Pittsburgh has lived in Alexandria the longest, “almost 22 years.” With a masters degree in international development, she was originally drawn to the area due to the plethora of NGOs and nonprofits, “this is where the jobs are.” She really got into knitting in grad school to keep her anxiety at bay. “When I moved to D.C., I was teaching knitting classes on the side at a yarn shop.” She was blown away by the demand and launched a slew of classes and believes it exploded in popularity because they were one of the first to have online registration. Students were always asking her where to get supplies and yarns, and that’s when she felt, “it was the next natural move to open a brick and mortar.”
She quit her full-time job, took on some part-time consulting work in the fundraising sector and opened fibre space in 2009. Originally on Fayette Street, she later moved to King Street when she ran out of space, and once again ran out of space and moved to Prince St. in 2017. “I don’t care, I’m not moving again,” she says with a smile. Plus, she owns the building.
Danielle shares that, “Old Town has the largest percentage of small and independently-owned businesses within the Beltway.” And that when she opened her store she was surprised that so many local businesses were closed the Friday after Thanksgiving. “We should be open,” she said to many, who simply replied, “No way.”
“Plaid Friday, our version of Black Friday, started on the west coast,” she shares. The meaning behind it: weaving individual threads of small businesses together to create a strong fabric that celebrates independent businesses. And she adds, “This was before AMEX invented Small Business Saturday.”
SOME FLASHBACK PHOTOS FROM PLAID FRIDAYS PAST:
The first year only a handful of businesses participated, “It was me, and Red Barn… and Bellacara…it was a ton of fun and we sold a boatload. By the next year, it was a dozen, and by the third it was most of Old Town. I kept asking, ‘why are we letting Tysons Corner take that shopping away? This is ideal for people who don’t want to deal with crazy crowds and shopping anxiety. This is a very pleasant experience. You’re going to meet the business owner…get 30% off a designer item at the Shoe Hive. But yes, you have to get up at 6 AM!” she says.
There’s a special treat at fibre space this year: the Scuttlebutt Bake Shop food trunk (with tagline: “Damn, this sh*t is good!”) will be out front that morning. As for Danielle, she may be head down in her office or in front of the camera, (she does have a morning interview with Fox 5 DC sharing her holiday gift picks for women – and men).
What she’ll be savoring the day before Plaid Friday: “Cranberry sauce, not out of the can, the homemade kind with nuts and oranges – and turkey skin. Do not throw that away, I will eat the entire skin with some cranberry sauce!” Now you know who to call.
Danielle gave a special shout out to The Patterson Group for sponsoring the Plaid Friday maps which list all participating shops and can be found at each location. Get a Plaid Friday preview here. And don’t forget to set your alarm clock!
