The Campaign for Gather

We set out to raise $50,000 to build out gather as a vibrant, community-centered fiber arts studio,  and thanks to you, we’ve reached (and surpassed) that goal.

We’re deeply moved by the support this campaign has received. It’s a beautiful reminder that what we are building isn’t just a yarn shop, but a place people believe in - a place to gather, to learn, and to create together. We’re so grateful for the outpouring of support, encouragement, and belief in the future of gather. What started as an ambitious but hopeful campaign has quickly become something much bigger: a shared investment in creativity, connection, and community.

One of the things we’ve been most excited about is sharing this work beyond our walls. Reaching our stretch goal allows us to immediately begin expanding our efforts to bring knitting into local classrooms.

If you know a classroom, school, or educator who would like to work with us to get their students knitting,  we’d love to hear from you.

→ Nominate a classroom

We’re just getting started, and we’re so glad you’re part of this with us.

Thank you, sincerely, for helping make this possible.

Join our community of Founding Supporters

Choose Your Support Tier

Campaign Progress

$51,743 raised of $50,000 goal - and growing 💛

151 supporters so far

Recent Supporters

  • Emily Kilcer
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  • :)
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  • The Shen Perazas
  • Ben Gordon, Loretta, and Cyrus Shen
  • The Bergeron Girls
  • Bernadette and Joe Bergeron
  • Katri B.
  • CK and Li Shen
  • Lisa Cushman

Every gift helps us build a permanent home for fiber arts, creativity, and community in the Berkshires.

Brick building with 'gather Yarn Shop' sign on a clear day

What the Campaign Funds

  • Signage for folks to find us from Spring Street
  • Building out the studio space
  • Classroom tables and seating
  • Retail store fixtures
  • Expanded yarn inventory
  • Community programming
  • + Stretch Goal: a fund to support knitting workshops in local schools

Why This Campaign

We initially planned to launch this campaign on Kickstarter. But as we reflected on our community, our values, and the relationships we’ve been building, we realized something: we already have what we need to do this together.

Rather than 8–10% of these funds going to a third-party platform, we chose to run this campaign in-house, drawing on years of experience in educational development, community organizing, and scrappy nonprofit work. This approach allows us to keep resources where they matter most, and to build this next chapter alongside the peope who believe in it.

Two women sitting on a couch knitting, with one holding a bag.

Our Story

We launched gather in November 2025, after years of friendship, making, and a shared sense that something was missing in our hometown. We have long wondered: what if there were a fiber arts studio here? A yarn shop? A place to gather? (Williamstown has not had a yarn shop on Spring Street since The Cowbell closed its doors in the early 90s).

The timing, unexpectedly, aligned.

Geraldine's work in solar shifted suddenly, while Ashley had already built a life around creative practice as a photographer and knitting teacher.

So when Geraldine said, "What if we opened that yarn shop we've always talked about?" the answer felt obvious.

Yes.

Momentum

Since opening, we’ve been hard at work testing our concept and building momentum. What we've found has been both affirming and energizing.

We’ve created a warm, welcoming, and supportive community that continues to grow week by week. People walk into the shop and tell us, again and again, that this is something they’ve been hoping for. That it fills a need. That it feels like a place they want to return to.

That response has made it clear: this isn't just a shop. It's a community people are hungry for.

While our roots are firmly in the Northern Berkshires, we also see gather as part of a broader creative ecosystem.

We hope to draw makers from across the region and offer visitors to the Berkshires a place to discover yarn, craft, and thoughtfully made goods, and something meaningful to bring home to connect more deeply with their time here.

Community Impact

Teaching has been at the heart of our work from the beginning.

We’ve offered classes for adults, hosted workshops and knit-alongs, and most recently had the joy of teaching an entire 4th grade class at Williamstown Elementary School how to knit. Watching students learn together, help one another, and take pride in what they’ve made has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey alongside showing them a craft that is calming, screen-free, confidence-building, and creative.

But for us, teaching knitting is about more than learning a new skill.

Knitting has always been passed from hand to hand, across generations. Ashley still has pieces made by her great-grandmother for her grandmother, and was taught to knit by her grandmother herself. That lineage of making, sharing, and caring lives on in every stitch.

When we teach someone to knit, we’re inviting them into that tradition. We’re helping create the possibility that something made today might be worn, held, and remembered years from now by someone they love.

In that way, each new knitter isn’t just learning a craft; they’re becoming part of a living legacy, and helping carry it forward.

Story: Resistance Garden Cowl

We’ve also seen how fiber arts can connect to something larger.

We taught a virtual colorwork knitting class in January, and one of the students went on to then design her own pattern: The Resistance Garden Cowl. This cowl was designed to evoke images of community care and resistance, such as the community gardens planted both for sustenance and to foster hope and connection.

Ashley included this design in an Instagram post she wrote about the impacts of Craftivism, as debate was stirred by the flurry of people knitting the "Melt the Ice" hat. The post resonated widely, and the story quickly spread.

In just one month, through pattern and kit sales of the Resistance Garden Cowl, we raised $1,500 for the Immigrants Legal Resource Center.

It was powerful affirmation that making can be both personal and collective, and that it carries meaning, tells stories, and creates real impact.

Ongoing Programming

Our thrice weekly sit & stitch gatherings have become a cornerstone of the shop. They are cozy, lively, and full of connection. People come to work on projects, to learn from one another, and simply to be together.

We’ve hosted knit-alongs, classes, and special workshops, and we’re just getting started. With a more fully built-out space, we’ll be able to expand these offerings and create even more opportunities for learning, creativity, and community.

How to Join Us

This campaign is about more than building out a space. It's about investing in a community hub, a creative practice, and a tradition that connects people across time.

It's about creating a place where people can gather to learn, to make, to connect, and to carry forward something meaningful.

Whether you choose one of the listed tiers or contribute a custom amount, you are helping to build something lasting.

And if you have questions, please reach out. We'd love to talk with you directly! hello@gatherberkshires.com

Thank you, truly, for being part of our community.

"gather offers a place where people can slow down, connect, and engage in the tactile. Classes are filled with laughter, calm, and community, where beginners and experienced knitters of every age learn side by side. The classes remind us that creating something from nothing is not just an art form, but a way to care for ourselves, each other, and the world." - Williamstown resident

"So many students crave opportunities to engage with the local community in meaningful ways, and gather offers a natural, positive way to do that. What happens at gather supports wellness and creativity in a tangible way: a cozy, low-pressure environment where people can unwind, learn a hands-on skill, and form real relationships, with Ashley & Geraldine, and the community they have built." - Williams College student