new downtown summerside craft store more than just a place to buy yarn
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red island knits craft cafe isn't just a place to buy yarn -- owner angela mcdiarmid hopes it will become a place for crafters to connect. kristin gardiner
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
summerside, p.e.i. — crafting has been a big part of angela mcdiarmid’s life for as long as she can remember.
as a kid, she would tuck herself into her room and knit or crochet, from mittens to shawls to sweaters.
“i latched onto knitting, pardon the pun,” said mcdiarmid.
she loves to make things, and for her, knitting — which she does nearly every evening — is her creative outlet.
but keeping it a solitary activity was never in the cards for mcdiarmid. instead, she views the act as one best done with friends, treated as a social event.
it was only natural for her to share her passion — so, in april, she opened red island knits craft cafe in downtown summerside.
“it took two years to find the right spot, where we could have a windowfront to the street,” said mcdiarmid, “and a big enough space, and an area that we could develop for coffee and treats.”
crafting connections
even before the store, mcdiarmid used her love of crafting to connect with others, operating a studio in her bedeque home.
“for the last few years, we’ve been having that in our living room as often as we can, with friends over, crafting together,” she said. “it could be needlepoint, cross stitching, crocheting, knitting, whatever they want to bring that they’re working on … it’s very therapeutic.”
every so often, mcdiarmid would send out invitations to crafters she knew, and they would come with their children or a friend and sit and work on their projects together.
“we had kids all over the floor,” mcdiarmid laughed, “doing what they liked. and of course, there was always coffee, tea, or something to drink with maybe some fudge … and they all enjoyed it!”
red island knits craft cafe owner angela mcdiarmid holds up one of the skeins of yarn for sale at her new summerside store.
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
then, in summer 2024, she opened a red island knits shop at spinnakers’ landing but always had larger aspirations in mind. she wanted a place for the public that could stay open year-round.
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in 2026, the opportunity arose. she set up shop in the mcneill mall and is excited to do her part to help revitalize the downtown core.
“there’s a lot of people that have come to the island since covid that don’t really know the flavour of what the island was before covid,” she said. “i think the downtown can play a big part in representing what it was before, in the sense that it’s the heart.”
growing downtown
mitch martin, executive director of the greater summerside chamber of commerce, is excited to see a growing water street.
while it’s not booming as quickly as the chamber had hoped, every new business is progress and a step toward a bustling downtown.
in addition to red island knits, he named the new hoss’s fish and chips location, as well as the construction of the 40-unit apartment building, the regent.
“the chamber is excited to see this momentum continue and is actively working to do our part to help foster continued growth or to assist the businesses and our members already in the space,” martin told the journal pioneer.
“we have been and continue to work with the city as well as other players in the space, such as downtown summerside and explore summerside, to find what the best use of combined resources is or could be and see where our combined efforts have the largest impact.”
everyone, said martin, shares a goal of revitalizing downtown and making water street a place that draws tourists, as well as an enticing place for new small and medium businesses to set up shop. as such, martin said he and the chamber will continue to support initiatives to help achieve that goal.
angela mcdiarmid works at the knitting machine she keeps in her store, red island knits craft cafe.
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
yarn therapy
at red island knits, people can pop in and buy whatever supplies they need for their crafts, including yarn from all sorts of sources, like baby camel cashmere and silk. mcdiarmid focuses on natural fibres, which she says will make the product last.
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but it’s not just a retail store; she hopes for it to become a place where people can come in, socialize, and work on their projects.
“it can be any kind of craft, as long as it’s not painting or something like that,” she said. “something that’s not messy.”
she envisions knitting nights for people to work on similar projects, including embroidery or crochet, events for people to learn a new art, or times where people can just pop in, have a coffee, craft and chat.
angela mcdiarmid wanted her store to sell quality yarn. at her store, one can find material from silk to camel hair.
kristin gardiner
/
journal pioneer
mcdiarmid added she’s heard from a number of people who are eager to check out the store, and she’s excited to meet everyone, and would like to see people of all ages take an interest in making.
“i do get people asking if i’m going to be doing sock knitting classes, that’s a common question,” said mcdiarmid. “another one is, they know how to crochet, but they can’t read a pattern, so that’ll be something. i’m getting input from the community on what they’re looking for.”
and what mcdiarmid hopes makes the store stand out is the cafe element, selling baked goods and coffee, which she added to emphasize the idea of crafting a therapeutic social event.
“i was tempted, initially, to call it yarn therapy,” she said. “‘cause it is.”
kristin gardiner is a reporter for the journal pioneer in prince edward island. she can be reached at kgardiner@postmedia.com.
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