NEW HARTFORD — After running Grey Fox Felting — a home-based, e-commerce business specializing in needle felting kits, supplies, and original works of art — for four years, Erin and John Gardner recently expanded the business into their first storefront, called Grey Fox Mercantile.

The Gardners opened Grey Fox Mercantile on March 23 in a 700-square-foot space at 70 Genesee St. in New Hartford. They held a grand-opening event and ribbon-cutting ceremony with the New Hartford Chamber of Commerce.

The store offers specialty felting supplies and kits, artisan goods such as ceramics and jewelry, and workshops in needle felting. The Gardners are leasing their space from Jill Hamlin.

Grey Fox’s annual revenue has been growing by about $5,000 each year and is now at $70,000, according to John Gardner. To fund their expansion, the couple did not rely on a bank. “It was a boot strap effort,” he says.

The Gardners used Kickstarter, the popular crowdfunding platform for creative projects, to raise $5,000 to outfit their retail space. 

The Gardners are the sole owners and employees of the business. They hope to get their young daughters Autumn and Victoria involved in the operation in the future. 

“John and I intend to keep Grey Fox Mercantile as a family-owned and run business. As our daughters get older, we would like to include them and teach them about the business, allowing them to work at the store if they would like to,” Erin Gardner tells CNYBJ.

She earned her master’s degree in fine arts (MFA) at the University of North Carolina and John Gardner received his MFA from the University of Oregon. The Gardners held a variety of jobs, including as adjunct faculty, before creating Grey Fox Felting. Grey Fox clients are people looking for pieces of fine art and those seeking the materials needed for felting.

 “Right now all the wool comes from out of the state. I look for wool that will stick well to the felt and felting needles,” says Erin Gardner. The work of other artisans is also available.

On grand-opening day, the Gardners held an opening reception for their first art show in the storefront’s gallery space. The show, called “Ready, Set, Go,” featured more than 10 artists who helped back the couple’s successful Kickstarter campaign, according to the Grey Fox Mercantile Facebook page.

The Gardners are focused on ramping up the new store’s operations and growing the workshop line: offering classes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced felters. Workshop participants are given the materials and guidance to produce a product.

 When asked what they like best about what they do, Erin Gardner says, “Making the transition from e-commerce to a physical space. It’s about craft and community.” And John Gardner adds, “It is really fun getting to connect with people.”