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Australia’s Lismore Shopping Square (Lismore) is welcoming sweater weather with a series of indoor special events and a décor to match. As temperatures drop Down Under the center is offering shoppers some cozy time with live cooking demonstrations and tea sampling. It has also dressed up its environment for the season with the handy work of the Yarn Guerillas as a way to promote the winter edition of its Discover Your Style magazine.
On June 13, just two days after International Yarn Bombing Day, knitted woodland characters and a giant tree popped up in the Travelator Garden, complementing the magazine’s cover design and the many other knitted decorations found everywhere in the center.
“We’ve admired the crafty, arty work of the Yarn Guerillas for some time and it is great to work together with a community organization wanting to make our town more beautiful, and cool,” said marketing manager Melissa Carrero.
For the 30-member group, it was a welcome opportunity.
“It had been a while since we’d done a big project, so this was perfect,” noted one Yarn Guerillas organizer known as Lacey Acey.
“It is something that the square has never done, and probably something really unique to shopping centers in general. Working alongside a local community group of crafters will make Lismore …feel more homely!”
According to Carrero, a crew of five, mostly working mothers, put in whatever spare time they had and took approximately 200 hours over one month to create the Winter Wonderland décor that she had envisioned. Using Pinterest as communication tool, the partners jointly developed the concept of having bunting around the center, placing cushions and blankets on seating, creating the woodland garden, and adding a retailing touch with a yarn-covered trolley.
Thus far, shoppers seem to be enjoying their cozy surroundings. Carrero said that the kids were drawn to the woodland characters, while eco-conscious teens liked the pallet bed made of recycled materials, and older ladies felt in their element. They and other visitors will soon have plenty more to discover. Some of the yarn artisans will be back at Lismore at the end of the month to lead children in arts and crafts workshops during the school holidays. More projects are also on the horizon.
“As we have different promotions, the Lismore Yarn Guerillas may pop in to add extra things here and there,” Carrero said, “like for NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) week, where bits and pieces will be added to an area in colors of the Aboriginal flag!”
Once Australia’s winter gives way to spring toward the end of August, Lismore will take its current décor down. The artisans will take back the pieces they had lent the center, while the remaining ones will likely be donated to Our House, a local charity that supports sick children by welcoming their families who have nowhere to stay during hospital visits.
The Bottom Line
The yarn-storming project cost Lismore Shopping Square $2,000, thanks to its community partnership formula. The Yarn Guerrillas donated time and materials that they already had, including vintage yarn, repurposed blankets, and the large tree they had used for a previous event. The center’s marketing manager, Melissa Carrero, said that without the arrangement the entire installation (materials and time) would have cost $3,000.Ya
Jul.
2014
2014
Posted in Community Relations
