By Kerri Willliams

WESTPORT–When Beth Berkowitz found out that her favorite little yarn shop might be closing a couple of years ago, she felt like she was losing a friend.

“I love this place,” Berkowitz said she told then-owner Elizabeth Schaefer. “This is my haven.”

Fast forward two years. Not only did Berkowitz buy the shop, changing the name to Stitch Haven, she also moved the business this week from Post Road East to a larger location at 420 Post Road West in the Birchwood Corners Shopping Center. 

The store reopened on Thursday, Oct. 22, after being closed for just a few days, with colorful displays of specialty yarn made with everything from merino wool to silk, many of them hand dyed. 

One bestseller is a yarn called Stitch Haven with colors especially made for the shop and named for locations around Westport. Colors include Saugatuck Sea Glass, Compo Beach Sunrise, Longshore Fairway and Love for Levitt Pavillon. The idea for the Westport-themed yarn came from Berkowitz, a former real estate agent in town.

Last week, she posed for a picture with some of her staff in front of the new location as they were getting ready to open. 

“We’re still working out some of the kinks,” Berkowitz said, but she added that Thursday was one of the busiest days since she has owned the shop.

On Saturday, there was the bustle of two classes going on at the new location – one for beginning knitters and another for those just learning to crochet.

Berkowitz can identify with those starting out because she began knitting just four years ago. At that time, she was having shoulder pain and looked for a new creative outlet to fill in for her first passion for painting. She discovered that she not only enjoyed knitting but also found it therapeutic.

When she took over the business, Berkowitz kept many of the staff from the previous owner and brought in some new members, as well. Many are very experienced knitters who learned in childhood and come from as far away as Greenwich, Hamden, and Bedford, N.Y., to work at Stitch Haven. 

“They pass other yarn stores to get here,” Berkowitz said.

Meg Lepisto, who has lived in town for 30 years, is a longtime customer who started working at the shop a couple of months ago. One of her favorite parts of working there is being around yarn and people who love it.

“Someone will bring in their grandchild to teach them to knit,” Meg said. “A woman whose mom used to knit will come in and want to try it.” 

She is excited that the new shop has more room for both yarn and for people to stop in and knit. “It’s a community of people who support each other,” she said. “I work one day a week, and it makes me happy.”

Another staff member has been working at the shop since June of 2025. “My favorite part of the job is the customers,” said Trina Kurek, of Hamden. “We have an incredible group of crafters who come into the shop. I love to help them find the perfect yarn for their project.”

Kurek has been knitting for about 40 years and has made many of the samples hanging in the new shop. She has knitted just about every project there is to make, including sweaters, hats, gloves, shawls, socks, stuffies, blankets, and robes.

Kurek has a lot of yarn to choose from at the shop for both her own projects and when recommending yarn to customers. Brands include the local Artyarns from White Plains, N.Y., and those farther away, such as Treasure Goddess from Kansas, and Knitting for Olive, based in Denmark. The store also sells knitting bags made from recycled leather in Germany, as well as all types of needles and notions.

The shop has a long history in Westport, beginning at its original location, which was opened more than 20 years ago by first owner, Cynthia Crescenzo. She called the shop Knitting Central and operated it for seven years before selling it to Schaefer, who then ran it for 13 years under the name Westport Yarns.

Berkowitz now enjoys running the shop that started out as her haven. “I am still learning a lot,” she said. “I love knitting.”