Community Interview: Courtney Heath

Courtney Heath is a local mom/wife, marketing/public relations genius, blogger and the new co-owner of Seed Stitch Fine Yarn on Front Street.

We caught up with Courtney to learn more about her wonderful family (pictured above) and her life here in Salem.

Q.) Are you originally from Salem? How did you end up here?

Not originally from Salem, but it sure feels like home. I grew up on the Cape and my husband in L.A. When we were looking to buy a house, Cambridge and Boston were too expensive for what we wanted so we sought to find a place that had a great sense of community but still enough of “a city feel” to offer amenities we were used to as city dwellers. I also wanted to live close to the water, having grown up on the Cape. Salem really fit the bill but it wasn’t until we had our daughter that we realized this place would be our home and that we’d want to invest time and money in making this a community for us for the long haul.

Q.) Tell us a little about your family, your community, etc.

We have a two and half year old little girl Mazie May who is really the reason we fell in love with Salem. As a new mom with a preemie, I was amazed to find a place like CGB and was part of the inaugural Friday morning play group.

Q.) What do you do for work?

Right now it seems like I have four jobs. After having Mazie I went back to my former job three days a week, helping biotech and healthcare companies with public relations and marketing needs.

In a totally different direction, my husband and I have recently purchase Seed Stitch Fine Yarn on Front St. here in Salem. So now much of my time is also spent managing the store, purchasing product, and working with customers.

Tack on the job of Mummy and Wife and I’m keeping pretty busy.

Q.) Can you tell us more about Seed Stitch? Why you bought it, your vision for the shop, etc.

Searching for something a bit more tactile to supplement my career over the long term, we had long thought about starting or buying a business in Salem. We really wanted to contribute to something for ourselves and for our community. When we heard the previous owner of Seed Stitch wanted to sell, we jumped and are so pleased we did.

We hope to add to the amazing foundation that was created for us at Seed Stitch, increasing the community involvement, bringing in additional new and exciting products, adding to the eco friendly lines of yarns, seeking to showcase local designers and talents, etc. If you’re a knitter or crocheter, please stop in and say hello and if you’re not, we have great classes to get you started.

Q.) Your blog is great! What prompted you to start a blog? How do you find the time?

I’ve had a personal blog for several years and found it a great way to express myself and focus my energies. Unfortunately, that blog has been a little neglected for the new Seed Stitch blog, http://www.ayarntale.com/ , which is equally rewarding to write and I hope interesting to read. I just can’t manage both right now. Maybe one day I’ll pick the old one back up. Blogging no doubt takes a lot of time and commitment. Readers expect posts often and you’re constantly challenged with what will be an interesting tidbit, but luckily the posts are often thoughts or conversations already spinning around in my head so it comes fairly naturally.

To read Courtney's personal blog, visit http://www.mymamay.com. For the Seed Stitch blog, check out http://www.ayarntale.com/.