Christina Bishop has been knitting and crocheting since she was nine years old, and this Saturday the 46-year-old Napa native gets to cut the ribbon on a lifelong dream: her own yarn shop in downtown Santa Rosa. That Fiber Bish, located at 631 4th Street, Suite 16, opens its doors for a grand celebration on Sept. 26, complete with a ribbon-cutting, light refreshments, and a free raffle.
Bishop, who has called Santa Rosa home for 20 years, started That Fiber Bish as an online brand before taking the leap into a brick-and-mortar space, according to The Press Democrat. The shop quietly opened its doors for a soft launch on Sept. 8. Saturday's official celebration kicks off at 11 a.m., per Visit Santa Rosa.
Bishop said she's fulfilling a lifelong dream with the shop's opening, and her path to it runs through family. She learned fiber dyeing in her mother's kitchen, and her mother owns Napa Valley Fiber, an online fiber business whose products now sit on That Fiber Bish's shelves alongside other lines. Bishop still dyes yarn herself, using indie dyeing techniques that produce hand-dyed skeins in small batches with one-of-a-kind colorways, the newspaper's report notes.
What's on the Shelves
The shop stocks hand-dyed yarns and fiber, natural fibers, art batts, spinning tools, and handcrafted notions aimed at fiber enthusiasts of every skill level, the same report states. Alongside Napa Valley Fiber, That Fiber Bish carries products from Malabrigo, Knit Picks, JP SpindleWorks, FairyTailSpun Fiber, and Dizzy Blonde Studios. Bishop said she wants to give people another way to explore fiber arts, and the shop plans to back that up with free meetup nights and affordable fiber arts classes.
The emphasis on natural fibers isn't just an aesthetic choice. Natural fibers such as sheep and llama wool are described as a more sustainable alternative to synthetic acrylic yarns, and research published by Woolmark found that wool is 100% biodegradable in marine environments. Acrylic yarns can shed up to 730,000 microplastics per wash. Hand-dyed yarn is made in small batches using methods that include kettle and low-immersion dyeing, as well as speckled techniques, according to The Perfect Stitch Fibre Co.
Another Local Yarn Shop
Cast Away Yarn Shop is another local yarn shop, per Sonoma County Tourism.
Multi-family residential projects are planned along Ross Street and 7th Street and could bring more residents downtown, potentially supporting shops like Bishop's in the years ahead.
A Hobby on the Rise
The timing lines up with broader interest in yarn crafts and sustainable natural fibers. DIY hobby participation and interest in natural fibers are part of the conversation, while knitting and crochet remain part of the crafting community.
Where people learn the craft has shifted too. A 2026 industry survey found that YouTube is now three times more likely than family members to be a beginner's entry point into yarn crafts, though physical local yarn stores remain the most important discovery hub once crafters start advancing their skills, according to a survey cited by Craft Industry Alliance. That dynamic is exactly what Bishop's shop seems built for: a physical space where people who first picked up a hook or needles from an online video can come to buy hand-dyed skeins, take a class, or just show up for a free meetup night.
The North Bay's fiber roots run deeper still. Northern California's annual Lambtown Festival in Dixon, which celebrates sheep and wool, marks its 40th anniversary in October 2026, according to the Lambtown Festival. For Bishop, who learned fiber dyeing in her mother's kitchen, opening a storefront on 4th Street plants her small-batch craft firmly within that regional tradition, on 4th Street in downtown Santa Rosa.
