ADRIAN — Tink and the Frog, a needlework shop owned by Michelle Beechler, is not new to downtown Adrian. But their current location is. Formerly located at 177 N. Main St., Tink and the Frog is now located at 128 E. Maumee St., between Tammy’s Affordable Furniture and Encore Dance Studio.
The first day at the new location was March 26, and so far business has been “great,” according to Beechler. She is planning a grand reopening celebration from May 7-11 during regular business hours. Games and prizes will be available, and the store will host live music on Thursday, May 9.
So far, Beechler is pleased with her decision to move her downtown Adrian business.
”This is a great location,” Beechler said. “It’s bigger, and right across from the Croswell.”
Customers can expect to see the same merchandise that they did at the previous location. High quality yarn, knit and crochet supplies, knitting needles and crochet hooks, kits, books, needle felting kits and project bags are available at Tink and the Frog. It’s a great place for people who are looking to get started in needlecraft, especially for knit and crochet, Beechler said.
Beechler herself started knitting in 2017 and began going to Ann’s by Design, a former needlework and quilting store located in downtown Adrian. When Beechler found out that the store was closing, she offered to buy the business. Tink and the Frog opened in March 2022, “just a couple of years later,” Beechler said.
Social Stitching groups were one of the main reasons Beechler was interested in buying Ann’s by Design, and she continued this tradition at her new store. Social Stitching groups meet on Tuesday from 1-5 p.m., on Thursday from 4-7 p.m., and on Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“People come in with their projects and just hang out, and work together and have fun,” Beechler said.
Beechler’s personal pet project is knitting socks.
“I love to knit socks and to teach other people how to knit socks,” she said. But she doesn’t sell her work in the store.
While Tink and the Frog might seem like an unusual name for a business, knitters will understand the meaning right away. It’s actually slang that knitters use when referring to the work they are doing on their project, Beechler said.
“Tink is when you knit backwards because Tink is knit spelled backwards,” she said. “If you need to undo a stitch at a time, that is called tinking.”
Frogging is when you completely tear out a project or several rows, she added.
Tink and the Frog is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. On Thursday, the store is open from noon to 7 p.m. “so people who work can come in in the evening,” Beechler said.
Classes for beginners who want to learn to knit and crochet are also available.
Tink and the Frog is at 128 E. Maumee St., Adrian. Store hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 pm., Thursday from noon to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tink and the Frog is on Facebook at facebook.com/tinkandfrogyarnshop, on Instagram at @tinkandthefrog, and can also be found on Ravelry, a social network for those interested in fiber arts. For more information, go to tinkandfrogyarnshop.com or call 517-759-3990.
