Southern Tier Small Business Development Center

Sybil’s Yarn Shop owner Jeanetta Osterhoudt first connected with the Southern Tier Small Business Development Center through a Small Business Training course as she worked toward a local microenterprise grant opportunity.

While she was not awarded the grant, the connection still mattered. During the course, Jeanetta met other entrepreneurs and continued to build the kind of local support network that would become even more important months later.

On July 18, 2025, a fire in the Village of Milford destroyed the building that housed Sybil’s Yarn Shop. In the weeks that followed, customers and community members helped raise funds, gather supplies, move, set up the new shop, and support the purchase of new inventory.

By September, Jeanetta had reopened Sybil’s Yarn Shop in Cooperstown, NY, where she has continued to welcome customers and offer knitting classes.

Her story is a reminder that business resilience is often built through preparation, persistence, and the people who show up when it matters most.

Photos courtesy of Sybil’s Yarn Shop.