Sarah Blackmore offers handcrafted toys and delicious lollies at her shop Stitch and Sweet. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Crocheted toys and delicious sweets may not seem like a traditional combo for a small business, but for Stich ‘N’ Sweet owner Sarah Blackmore, it’s a beloved formula.
For six months, Sarah and her team have been working out of a small shopfront at 47 Tompson Street, offering the people of Wagga and the Riverina the chance to see beloved characters, beautifully stitched together as crocheted toys, while also offering some sugary delights on the side.
“I hand-make all of the toys and decorations and things in the store, and I’ve been doing it for probably 10 or 15 years or so,” Sarah said.
“I have nieces and nephews, so I used to make them handmade toys, handmade blankets and beanies and all those things when they were born, and it just sort of grew from there.
“I just kept making and making, and as a result, I started doing markets. So I support CanAssist and I’d attend local markets around Wagga and Tarcutta. From there, things kinda grew.
“One day, one of my friends said to me, ‘Oh, you know, you should open the store and we’ll just put lollies in there as well. How cool would that be?’
“So she and I, we’ve opened the store and thought. ‘Yeah, OK. This is cool!”
Offering chocolates, lollies, and almost any confectionary a person can think of, Sarah said there was no better feeling than seeing a family filled with joy once they entered the shop.
“It just makes me feel happy that they’re happy to see all these unique types of items that you wouldn’t find generally, anywhere else,” she said.
“Owning a shop as a small business owner, it’s been quite tricky, honestly, but the joy really does make it worth it.
“Knowing that everything is still handmade by me, except for the lollies, which even then we repackage and we do have a handmade chocolate line coming, really does make it feel so rewarding.”
Sarah said she had always been a creative person and enjoyed sewing and stitching.
“I’ve loved making every single design,” she said.
“People are ringing up and asking me to make specific characters for them. Not so long ago, I made Coraline for a lovely lady and her son. They were so excited to see it.”
Sarah often shares her passion for crocheting with a handful of people in the community, including a young girl who visits the shop regularly.
“I have a young girl that comes in and she’s just learning, and basically we just sit down and have a bit of a talk, and I just teach her as we’re, you know, having a casual chat,” she said.
“I have a few adults that come in, and we just sit down and have a cup of tea and make a good time of it.”
Stitched toys and a large selection of sweets can be found and ordered at the Stitch ‘N’ Sweet store or on the shop’s website.
Stitch ‘N’ Sweet Toys and Candy is located at 47 Tompson Street, Wagga Wagga. They’re open from 10 am until 5 pm Tuesday to Friday, and from 9 am until 4 pm on Saturday. Check out their website and Facebook page for more information.
