Gunther's husband, a computer whiz, handled the technicalities while Gunther researched and worked on content. Yarn Forward opened its cyberspace doors in November 1996. That first year, the site generated about two to three orders a week. Success in cyberspace imbued the Gunthers with enough confidence to open their Kanata retail location in September 1997. The store and Web site compliment each other.
Local customers tend to browse for products on-line prior to purchasing at the store.
Gunther particularly likes the immediacy of the Net, and the ease with which content can be upgraded. The Internet is much more efficient. Canadian orders from the site amount to 20 per cent of the Internet business. I consider it an international business.