Salix woman opens fiber arts store in Sergeant Bluff

SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa — Roughly a decade ago, Amber Hobbs fell in love with knitting.

"It's relaxing. It's almost like meditation, where you can just think about what you're doing rather than everything else going on in the world," Hobbs said as she sat at a long table at the back of her fiber arts store, Growing Up Lulu. Hanks of yarn in a variety of hues hung on a wall to her right.

Hobbs opened the business in a Sergeant Bluff shopping center last September, after selling handknit items on Etsy, a global online marketplace where artists can sell their creations at listed prices.

Besides yarn, Growing Up Lulu carries embroidery thread, macramé cord, weaving supplies, as well as the tools and accessories customers need to produce their own fiber creations. Hobbs also offers onsite workshops.

Amber Hobbs, owner of Growing Up Lulu, said she wanted her store to be a "homey and cozy" place for people to work on fiber arts projects.

Hobbs said she wanted to create a "homey and cozy" place for people to work on projects. Her customers include men and women of all ages, as well as children.

"They're all very happy that we're here," Hobbs said of Siouxland fiber artists. "One of the biggest benefits is they can come in and get help. We help each other."

'Like a dream'

The store, 116 Gaul Drive, is named after Hobbs' 9-year-old daughter.

When Lulu was born, Hobbs decided to take a break from working as a sonographer. She started creating little tutus and onesies, which she sold on Etsy. Then, Hobbs learned to knit.

"The name was just a thought of mine that as (Lulu) grew, my products would grow," said Hobbs, who found herself knitting hats and sweaters, before taking up macramé, a creative knotting technique.

Amber Hobbs is shown in her fiber arts store, Growing Up Lulu, in Sergeant Bluff. Growing Up Lulu features a wide variety of hand-dyed yarns, as well as embroidery thread, macramé cord, weaving supplies and other fiber arts products.

Hobbs decided to make a career change after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. While she loved working in the medical field performing ultrasounds and found it rewarding, she said it was "very stressful."

"I was going to work stressed out and my husband just said, 'Well, I know what you would want to do if you could. Do you want to try it?'" Hobbs recalled. "I just ran with it. It was like a dream."

'Bigger world of fiber'

Amber Hobbs is shown in her fiber arts store, Growing Up Lulu, in Sergeant Bluff.

Hobbs, who lives in Salix and is originally from Sloan, wanted the location of her store to have a small-town feel. Sergeant Bluff, which is close to her home, as well as the more populous Sioux City, seemed ideal.

"There's a coffee shop and a Mexican restaurant, and it's just got a lot of traffic," Hobbs said of the shopping center.

Growing up Lulu has a wide variety of hand-dyed yarns, which Hobbs said you can't find at big-box craft stores. She also sells locally produced yarns.

Hand-dyed yarn is shown at Growing Up Lulu, a fiber arts store, in Sergeant Bluff.

"I have one out of Merrill. She raises the sheep there and, then, takes the wool to Brandon, South Dakota, to be milled, so it's all very close to home. It's all-natural and just beautiful," she said.

While Hobbs said yarn is the "star of the show" at Growing up Lulu, she said she also wants to open up a "bigger world of fiber" to her customers, so she also carries other supplies, such as ribbon and embroidery materials, as well as finished products. She said 11 customers are currently making bucket hats.

"A lot of people will say, 'Oh, I'd love to make sweaters, but I can't do that.' If you can knit, you can make a sweater," Hobbs said. "Go for it! Don't be scared."

For more information, including store hours, visit growinguplulu.com.

Geri Dreckman tells us why she loves donating her quilt to the Plymouth County Fair every year.

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