Sybil’s Yarn Shop Receives State Phoenix Award

By GAYANE TOROSYAN
COOPERSTOWN

From the ashes of a devastating fire, Sybil’s Yarn Shop has found a new home in Cooperstown, its rebirth recognized August 4 with the New York Small Business Development Center’s Phoenix Award.

The award, presented to owner Jeanetta Osterhoudt, honors businesses that overcome significant adversity and successfully rebuild. Less than a year after a fire destroyed Sybil’s Yarn Shop in Milford, state and local officials, NYSBDC representatives, customers, and community supporters gathered at the Pioneer Street shop to celebrate its recovery.

Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh said the loss of the Milford business was felt throughout the region and praised Osterhoudt’s determination to reopen.

“Milford and Cooperstown, we are … we work together on many things, and we were all so saddened about the terrible fire in Milford, and particularly about the loss of her shop, which was one that was really frequented and popular,” said Tillapaugh. “So, we are overjoyed that she is here as a female entrepreneur, on our Pioneer Street, right off our Main Street, so hopefully a lot of traffic. I know a lot of locals are super excited, and hopefully the business has been good.”

“It’s been wonderful, absolutely!” Osterhoudt said. “I am very happy to be here. The fiber community came together to get me back in business. They threw a fundraiser for me, my neighbor Emilie Rigby founded that, and it quickly outgrew this space, which is where it was supposed to be, and we took over the entire farmers’ market. And it was just a packed night in August, and everyone was there, loving fiber, and loving on me, and it was very humbling.”

The massive blaze on July 18, 2025 destroyed four buildings, including Sybil’s Yarn Shop at 65 South Main Street, the adjacent Milford Corner Store, a vacant house and another residential structure. Yet within weeks, community members and fellow fiber artists had begun helping Osterhoudt chart a path forward.

The fundraiser provided critical financial support before insurance funds became available.

“And everyone since then has been amazing,” she said.

“The support was overwhelming,” Osterhoudt said, recalling the aftermath of the fire. The fundraiser was held on August 16, 2025, and Sybil’s Yarn Shop reopened in Cooperstown on September 23, 2025.

Reflecting on the response she received, Osterhoudt described the broad network of makers who rallied around the business.

“In Upstate New York, we have a huge fiber community, whether they be knitters, crocheters, weavers, spinners, quilters, seamstresses, and even though we are primarily knit and crochet, some weaving, everyone who does one of those crafts tends to do one of the other crafts as well,” she said. “They cross over into something else because at our heart we all want to create and be a part of creative processes. It’s part of the community that’s built when we are creating.”

The Phoenix Award recognizes businesses that recover from significant hardship. Before it was destroyed, Sybil’s Yarn Shop had operated for more than 45 years under the Osterhoudt family, including 10 years under Jeanetta Osterhoudt’s ownership. The shop is named after her mother.

“The award is given if you had a flood or some particular adversity, but in this case that name Phoenix, it’s totally apropos for this incredible resurrection of a business that suffered a devastating fire,” Tillapaugh said.

For Osterhoudt, the symbolism of the award resonated from the earliest days following the fire.

The nomination for the award came from Michelle Catan, advanced certified senior business advisor with the Southern Tier SBDC.

“It was the perfect opportunity to nominate her; she’s done a wonderful job getting back open here in Cooperstown,” Catan said.

Catan noted that the NYSBDC operates 20 centers across New York State, with Binghamton University serving as the host institution for the Southern Tier region.

The ceremony also highlighted the role of neighboring business owner Emilie Rigby, owner of Rigby Handcraft at 43 Pioneer Street. Rigby helped organize the fundraiser that provided crucial support during the weeks following the fire. Rigby operates a storefront featuring the work of independent artists and locally-made crafts and has been active in community fundraising efforts.

Delivering the award were Sonya Smith, state director of the New York Small Business Development Center; Grace Conners, deputy district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Syracuse District Office; State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, whose 51st Senate District includes Otsego County; Assemblyman Brian Miller, R-New Hartford, representing the 122nd Assembly District; and Assemblyman Chris Tague, R-Schoharie, whose 102nd Assembly District includes portions of Albany, Delaware, Otsego and Ulster counties, as well as all of Greene and Schoharie counties.

“I remember in the beginning posting on social media and saying, ‘Phoenix needs ashes to rise.’ Well, I got ashes,” Osterhoudt said. “We just came back even stronger, and with more fervor, and more excitement, and we’re just going to keep going.”