Mimi’s Needlepoint carries both their own needlepoint designs, pictured, along with those from other top designers.
Fans of needlepoint may care that the craft is steeped in tradition dating back thousands of years, and that it has been practiced by European royalty for centuries, but they may just be in it for the analog vibes: mindful relaxation, playful modern designs, and a shared sense of community. Today’s contemporary needlepoint designs, vastly different from just a few decades ago, often reference pop culture, are irreverent and cheeky, and are so popular that shops can’t keep them in stock for long. And new fans of the craft are numerous and devoted.
For both brick-and-mortar stores and online shops, the recent growth is real. According to Ainvest,
“The trend is not just a passing fad; it’s a data-driven surge in online search interest. The term “analog hobbies” has seen a 160% surge in searches over the past month alone, according to Google Trends. The demand is most acute for specific beginner-friendly crafts. Etsy searches for “beginner needlepoint items” are up 208% year-over-year. This points to a significant influx of new participants, with needlepoint emerging as the standout activity among traditional crafts.”
To cater to this surge in demand, new needlepoint shops are popping up across the country, with their owners betting that the trend will continue to grow and thrive.
Opening up Shop
Cousins Madeline Alford and Amelia Alford, owners of Mimi’s Needlepoint in the Bishop Arts neighborhood of Dallas, TX, opened their doors in January to a line of customers wrapping around the building. What started as a popular Etsy shop selling canvas designs, Mimi’s Needlepoint quickly blossomed into a brick-and-mortar store. The shop is an oasis for fans of needlepoint, both seasoned and beginners, with baskets full of canvases, walls of vibrant threads and accessories, and welcoming tables to sit and stitch.
Madeline explains that through their Etsy shop, they quickly understood the interest in needlepoint was about much more than the stitching. She explains, “After receiving many inquiries on Etsy from younger stitchers for us to teach classes, we realized there were many stitchers looking for a community.” With that in mind, Madeline said, they set out to “create a community where stitchers can come hang out and make new friends.” Their gatherings include beginner classes and Sip & Stitch nights.
For Hannah Buehler, owner of Arden Gray just outside of Buffalo, NY, opening a brick-and-mortar shop was definitely not part of her plan. She was running a successful online shop featuring her knitting and crochet designs, but during the pandemic, Hannah witnessed the incredible online growth in needlepoint, a craft she had loved in her younger years. Wanting to start stitching again but not finding exactly what she wanted, she tried her hand at designing canvases herself. “I decided that I was going to start designing because what I wanted wasn’t necessarily out there.”
Left: One of the many Arden Gray-designed canvases popular with Millennial moms. Right: Mimi’s Needlepoint’s brand new store outside Dallas, TX, carries everything a stitcher might need.
As a former reporter and news anchor, Hannah was comfortable in front of a camera and thought she’d try filming a few TikTok videos of her designs. After her videos got thousands of views and encouraging comments, she happily took the plunge and opened Arden Gray in November 2025, focused solely on needlepoint. Named after her twins Arden and Grayson, the shop is located in what Hannah calls a needlepoint store desert with no other stores within a couple of hours. The lack of nearby competitors has helped drive steady foot traffic while also contributing to demand for her online offerings.
Brenda Stimpson, owner of Poppy Monk Needlepoint Kits in Raleigh, NC, has an interesting perspective on the fascinating growth of needlepoint. Although not a needlepoint shop in the traditional sense, Poppy Monk is an online shop with an office where people can browse or pick up their orders. Brenda launched the kit-only shop in 2021 from a small room in her house, which she quickly outgrew and has since expanded into a much larger space. Not surprisingly, they are now outgrowing that space as well.
“Our sales have steadily increased since we launched in 2021, but in the past year, we’ve seen exponential growth. I have been associated with the needlepoint industry as a business owner or employee since 2001, and needlepoint has always had steady demand, but never this level of excitement around it.”
Changing Demographics
Recent articles on Vogue.com and BBC.com describe the craze and its clear link to a younger generation. Without a doubt, a younger demographic is breaking the stereotype of people who like to knit, crochet, and do needlecraft. Hannah at Arden Gray says her core audience is the “millennial mom group” as she calls them: women in their late 20s and early 30s who particularly like the canvases that appeal to their 90s nostalgia.
Madeline at Mimi’s Needlepoint has a similar customer profile. “Our age demographic runs the gamut from Gen Z to Boomer, but about 80% of our customer base is Millennial and Gen Z.”
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what sparked the surge in needlepoint and other “grandma crafts” among younger crafters, but the consensus is that the pandemic started the ball rolling. Now, with the pandemic exactly six years in our rearview mirror, there’s more to it than that. TikTok and other social platforms have really shone a light on how fun, relaxing, and satisfying it can be to step away from our tech devices intentionally. Brenda from Poppy Monk notes the irony, “The very platforms that have popularized needlepoint are also the ones many stitchers are trying to step away from. In that sense, social media both fuels the revival of the craft and provides the noise from which needlepoint offers a quiet escape.”
Product Offerings and Shortages
At Mimi’s Needlepoint, their audience is drawn to canvases with fun sayings, animals, flowers, and fruit. Also popular are all things collegiate and Texas-related. Because they cater to a younger, more beginner audience, their beginner-friendly, 13-mesh canvases are very popular.
Poppy Monk specializes in small needlepoint kits that burst with color. Their best sellers include whimsical and humorous designs, Christmas ornaments, and anything in blue and white; blue and white is an all-year best seller.
Left: Employees at Poppy Monk offices in Raleigh, NC, assembling needlepoint kits for shipping. Right: The always-popular blue and white motif canvases by Poppy Monk Needlepoint.
It comes as no surprise that supply shortages have followed the surge, particularly with canvas and stretcher bars. Madeline at Mimi’s Needlepoint says, “We absolutely have trouble keeping items in stock, particularly stretcher bars!” Needles and canvas are also in short supply, and because many of these items are imported, the sudden spike in demand has affected supply chains.
Minimal Marketing
An age-old dilemma with new businesses is how and how much to spend to get the word out to attract new customers. Because of this unique environment fueled mostly by TikTok, new needlepoint shops are spending very little, if anything at all, on marketing. Their customers are literally waiting on their doorsteps.
Hannah from Arden Gray says,
“I cannot believe the reach I experienced through TikTok and social media. I’ve completely started a business off of social media alone, and I spent zero marketing dollars.”
Madeline echoes the very same sentiment from Mimi’s Needlepoint: “We do not have a marketing budget; our growth is through organic social media.” Time will tell whether that trend continues, but for now, they are enjoying the word-of-mouth phenomenon.
Collaborative Competition
The consensus among many store owners is an “all are welcome” attitude. Madeline from Mimi’s Needlepoint says, “Local stores are our main competition. I think each store has its own particular niche or point of view, and with the exploding popularity of needlepoint, there is room for all!”
The same is true for Brenda at Poppy Monk: “When it comes to competition, there truly is room for everyone. Our focus on curated needlepoint kits distinguishes us from local needlepoint stores, whose offerings are often broader and more à la carte.” Interestingly, she doesn’t regard other needlepoint shops as her main competition. She feels that it’s “the broader battle for people’s time and attention. Needlepoint is, by nature, a slow hobby. It asks for patience, presence, and hours that could easily be spent scrolling, streaming, or juggling other obligations. In today’s attention economy, we’re not just competing with other brands—we’re competing with the constant pull of notifications, entertainment, and busy schedules.”
Full Steam Ahead
Local Needlepoint Shops have a surefire way to get customers off their screens and into shops: opening their doors for fun gatherings like stitch-alongs, sip-and-stitch nights, and introductory classes for beginners. And a fun new trend is catching on: pairing needlepoint and Mahjong, another pastime having a resurgence. These events reinforce what many stitchers, no matter their generation, already value most about crafting: a means to connect with others.
By all indications, needlepoint’s popularity is showing no sign of slowing down. Brenda from Poppy Monk is confident that the popularity will continue to grow. “While it requires a deliberate commitment of time, it also offers something increasingly rare: sustained focus, tangible progress, and a restorative pause from the digital churn that so often fills our days.”
Paula Wilson
contributor
