Yarn Trader: A Story of Local Excellence

NWCBA 2025 Awards Winners Spotlight

Yarn Trader: A Story of Local Excellence

With the North West Business Community Awards just around the corner, we want to shine a light on what is possible when local passion meets operational excellence. To inspire your own upcoming nominations, look no further than the incredible journey of Tanya Keen and her business, Yarn Trader, Winner of the 2025 NWCBA Small Business of the Year.

Shaping a Creative Community Through Global Excellence

Recently recognised for the second consecutive time as Small Business of the Year, Yarn Trader serves as a vital community creative hub in the Port that extends far beyond traditional retail. Under Tanya's leadership, the business has masterfully blended a sophisticated global supply chain with a deeply local focus on community development. Through initiatives like their "Crafternoons" series, specialised men’s groups, and "Knit at the Flicks" events, they provide a safe, inclusive environment for genuine human connection.

Innovation Driving Exceptional Growth

Yarn Trader’s massive success is underpinned by clever operational innovation. By implementing a bespoke multi-courier shipping system to optimise delivery pathways, they successfully reduced delivery complaints by 60%.

This relentless focus on excellence has driven a 35% increase in total sales—more than ten times the South Australian retail average—with online sales now accounting for 57% of total revenue. Their incredible achievements were recently celebrated on the national stage, with Yarn Trader announced as the winner of the Arts, Crafts & Gifts category at the prestigious 2026 Australian Small Business Champion Awards.

Securing the Local Economy: Through their 'Yarn Trader Core' manufacturing arm, the business produces high-quality crafting tools locally, ensuring supply chain security while creating regional employment. Furthermore, they actively mentor emerging craft enterprises and start-ups, sharing their insights to foster a stronger, more collaborative local economy.

Exclusive NWBA Member Offer

To celebrate their journey and support fellow members, Yarn Trader is generously offering NWBA members a 10% discount on all in-store purchases and events throughout 2026 (excluding gift vouchers). Whether you are looking to restock your creative supplies or join a community workshop, simply mention your NWBA membership in-store to redeem this offer.

Explore their range or get in touch via the Yarn Trader Website.