After four years operating on Routes 5 and 10, Wool-ology has closed its brick-and-mortar shop and will be expanding its online footprint.

The fabric and fiber shop specializing in wool at 242A Greenfield Road is closing its doors last week, as the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic dampened business and led to the cancellation of some of the shop’s classes, which owner Deb Stratton described as the “backbone of the shop.” Stratton opened the store in 2018 with two partners, but took sole control of the store in 2019 when her partners went their separate ways.

“Did COVID kill me? Probably, in a roundabout way,” Stratton, 57, said as she was filling out online orders earlier this month. “I have no regrets. Everything happens for a reason.”

Greenfield Antiques & Collectibles, currently located on Federal Street in Greenfield, is moving into the storefrontin January.

While Wool-ology was able to reopen once pandemic conditions became safer, Stratton said its classes never got back to full steam.

With the closure of the store, Stratton, lives in Greenfield, said most of her online stock will be potholder loop kits, which she said have become a huge trend, particularly in the southern and western parts of the U.S. where many of her customers are located.

And while there is some sadness with closing the storefront, Stratton said this is far from the end of Wool-ology. In the final weeks there, she said she’s been working seven days a week to keep up with the massive demand of online sales, which have surged by 700%.

“The store is closing; we’re not going out of business,” Stratton clarified. “Business has been fabulous.”

Asked what she’ll miss the most about running the store, Stratton said she’ll cherish the “lifelong friendships” she and others made through the classes held at Wool-ology.

“You came in here as a stranger and you left as a friend,” she said. “The teachers that came in here were the most amazing.”

Classes may make a return in the future, too, as Stratton is considering hosting some sort of retreat for people to come together once more.

With the store closed, Stratton said she plans to “definitely take a breather” and spend time with her family and dogs, all while building up Wool-ology’s online business.

Stratton thanked Richard Bottego of Richard’s Automotive for allowing her and her partners to lease the space over the years and said Greenfield Antiques & Collectibles has found a perfect spot to move their business.

“There’s no better landlord than Richard,” Stratton said, before joking that “he’ll still be my mechanic.”

Wool-ology’s Etsy page can be found at bit.ly/3uXxuDX. Wool-ology’s website, which Stratton noted is “under construction,” can be found at woolology.info.

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