Day 2 - BIG KNIT CAFE

Big Knit cafe is a casual meeting place for everyone who wants to learn and share their passion in crochet & knitting... This concept is what most of my crafter friends and myself dream to have...

Betsy was the one who encouraged me to find out more about Big Knit, cos we had intention to open such shop in Singapore. The day before I asked the hotel staffs, they told me that this place is very far from hotel. It's better to take train than taxi... The nearest BTS is Thong Lor. I was contemplating to go or not to go since it's so far and my time was limited too...

I woke up very early on the 2nd day. After having my breakfast, I finally decided to explore BIG KNIT... Before taking BTS @ Chi Lom station, I made a phone call to check what time they open. Nobody pick up my call.. Started to get worry, not sure whether they have opened or not. Heck care, I just took BTS to Thong Lor... Alighted at Thong Lor, I showed the map to an officer. He told me that it was quite far inside and I might need to take a cab.

Then I took this small little lorry where you can sit behind the lorry... Something like a tuk-tuk car... The driver charged 20 bahts for the ride (which less than S$2)...

WOW! Apparently, BIG KNIT cafe is located in the middle of a PRIME AREA! Something like River Valley or Holland Village in Singapore... There were many interesting shops along the way and big mansions & classy condos too... Finally, I had reached BIG KNIT cafe. THANK GOD THE CAFE WAS OPENED!

BIG KNIT cafe occupied two units of shop. Quite a big and spacious place... I saw few people chit chatting & knitting... Then I was greeted by this lovely lady called Yin. She seems to be the person in-charge of the cafe. But she's not the owner... Thank GOD, she could speak fluent English... Unfortunately, the owners were not around. They were overseas sourcing for new yarns. So, I asked her few questions about the cafe... More than willing she told me most of what I wanted to know...

Something about Big Knit Cafe:

It was opened by a middle aged lady and passed down to her daughter, who just turn 24 this year. Both mother and daughter LOVE to knit & crochet... Few years ago they set up a yarn shop on 3rd floor that occupied only one small unit, their customer base grew bigger and they also started to stay longer in the shop... As a result the shop was always very crowded. Then, they decided to shift down to ground floor and took up 2 units... Besides that, they also had an intention to change mind set of most people about knitting and crochet that crochet & knitting are not for elderly people only (your ang ma and auntie).... I TOTALLY AGREED!!

They had put in a huge one-time investment in this new set up which combined cafe, workshop & yarn supply into one... The new concept had portrayed an image of modern & funky, cosy & homely feeling to people. Hence, they attracts quite a large group of youngsters, young adults and executives.

Well, as most business, they didn't make any profit for the first few months... But after awhile, thing started to pick up especially after, they did some publicity on national TV and paper too.. Create more awareness...

Note: Picture contributed by Nice, the owner of Big Knit Cafe

All their yarns are imported because local yarns are quite limited. The yarns are range from 170 bahts (S$7) - 680 bahts (S$30)... Huge variety of yarns... I bought three types of yarns, yarns that cannot be found in Singapore... According to Yin, next month, they will be bringing in few 100 types of yarns from over the place...

This is Yin... I think she's the store manager...

Besides that, they do sell crochet needles, books & finished products... They also conduct workshops and they invite a Japanese lady who knows how to speak Thai to teach in their workshops too... So, they have a pool of Japanese customers...

If any of you will like to visit Big Knit Cafe @ Bangkok, please visit this site: http://www.bigknit49.com... It opens at 9am everyday... The nearest BTS will be Thong Lor... In few months time, they will open a spa next door for their customer to relax after long hours of knitting and crocheting... COOL RITE!?

After my visit at Big Knit cafe, I made my way to Chatuchak... To be continued.....