by Sophia Schindler
Sophomore Riley Doran’s hobby for crocheting has expanded to selling to the Louisville community this past year.
Doran said she began crocheting during high school but her hobby has rapidly grown since she had the opportunity to sell her pieces at Hey Tiger, a local vintage and handmade store on Bardstown Road.
“I showed up in one of my pieces [to work], and the owner loved it,” Doran said. “She just comes up to me and asks, ‘Can you sell your stuff here?’”
Doran said she gave the owner “absolutely every piece” she had crotched and set up an area for her work to be sold.
“It got wiped out within like a month,” Doran said. “I had priced things extremely high, like, there was nothing there that was below $60.”
Doran started crocheting after buying a bin of yarn at Goodwill as a gift for her sister, who returned the yarn to her because her sister had “no interest” in crocheting.
“She gave it back to me and I was like, ‘What the hell am I going to do with this?’” Doran jokingly said.
Before given the opportunity to sell her pieces at Hey Tiger, Doran said she had struggled to sell her work in high school.
“Selling to a bunch of 16-and 17-year-old hillbillies they were like, ‘You’re such a
freak, c’mon grandma!’” Doran said.
“Sometimes now I think about it and I love that I am the grandma of my town, but back then I was like ‘No!’”
Benjamin Pryor, Doran’s boyfriend, said she had always wanted to sell her work to people who would appreciate it.
“Now that she has been given a platform to sell things in store, it’s an entirely new experience and she loves it,” Pryor said. “It goes to show that local artists can find success with the right work ethic and opportunities.”
Doran lists her pieces for sale at Hey Tiger. Photo courtesy of Hey Tiger.
In a world where fast fashion has become so popular, Doran said she believes it is important to buy handmade clothing because of the sustainability aspect of it.
“Crochet is the only thing that cannot be replicated by a machine,” Doran said. “I’m doing something that a person can do just with hands, and that’s why it’s so cool.”
Sophomore Eden Henry said it is very important to her to shop local because she is personally helping the people who run the business.
“Small shops or artists are trying to share something they are passionate about and want to make a living off of it, and I think it’s awesome to be able to help that, especially when there is almost always something you can buy from a chain of bigger store," Henry said.
Pryor said supporting local artists by buying their merchandise is crucial to “keep the scene alive,” but also to keep everyone creating.
Doran has made more than 100 crocheted pieces and has sold about 30 in the past four months.
Henry, a crochet artist herself, said it takes “a lot of commitment” to crochet, especially big pieces.
Doran displays pieces for customers to buy. Photo Courtesy of Riley Doran.
“Sometimes there is a point where you just can’t go back if you’ve made a mistake or dislike something, so you have to find creative ways to work around and finish the piece,” Henry said.
This past year, Doran started a crochet club for students on campus where she provides yarn and needles for students to use. She says she is more than willing to help anyone learn to crochet.
The crochet club’s first meeting of the spring semester is on Jan. 30 from 11 a.m. to noon in CNHH106. The full schedule is available to view on Instagram. The club is open to all students to join.
Doran helps a student learn to crochet. Photo Courtesy of Callista Lucas.
Comments