Leo Wesson
JuJu Knits — a new yarn shop on Fort Worth’s Near Southside owned by Julie Hatch Fairley — has been selected to receive a $5,000 COVID-19 relief grant from The Red Backpack Fund for small businesses and nonprofits.
Hatch Fairley, who left a long career in public relations to start the store just months earlier at 552 Lipscomb St., is one of the first 200 recipients of the Red Backpack Fund grants.
“Our shop had only been open a little over four months when the pandemic hit,” she said. “As a brand new retailer, I’m adapting the best I can — but every single day presents new challenges. Our former way of doing business with frequent in-person classes, monthly trunk shows, weekly fiber fellowships, and other special events is all having to be reinvented. This financial relief will be incredibly helpful as I continue to strategize ways our binding community can continue to share the healing power of yarn, while adjusting to ongoing health practices to keep our fiber friends safe.”
GlobalGiving — the largest global crowdfunding community that connects nonprofits, donors, and companies worldwide — and The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation teamed up to establish The Red Backpack Fund.
GlobalGiving is making at least 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to female entrepreneurs in the U.S. to help alleviate the impact of the crisis. The Blakely foundation donated $5 million to support female entrepreneurs in the wake of COVID-19.
“My hope is that this gift will help alleviate some of the pressures caused by this horrible pandemic,” Sara Blakely, Spanx founder, said in a release. “Twenty years ago, I started Spanx with $5,000 in savings, and I see this as a time to pay it forward. Small business is the backbone of our culture. I know what it’s like to be a small business owner, and I want to provide some relief to these entrepreneurs during this time.”
To donate to the Red Backpack fund, visit GlobalGiving's website.