For this month, we had a great opportunity to speak with James C Brett and find out more about how it all began. Let’s see what they had to say…

“It all started over 60 years ago in 1964, when a young 20-year-old James Brett (“Jim” my father) was working as a rep for Hayfield Knitting Yarns. Whilst visiting and chatting with one of his customers, a market trader on Grimsby market, he had a light bulb moment. Being a sales rep was not a well-paid position, and he saw his retail customers and the brand he worked for flourish whist he spent all week away from home, travelling his sales territory in a minivan and living from B&B to B&B.  How could he become a retailer/wholesaler? Could it be done?

So, he scrimped, saved and borrowed all he could and with £14 start up cash, he rented a small workshop and bought his first balling machine. Borrowing his father’s van, he set off in pursuit of his dream. Living in Bingley in the heart of the Aire valley, West Yorkshire, meant the whole yarn industry was on his doorstep. Before long Jim had struck up deals with many mills to buy their oddments, end of runs and faulty batches. Collecting them by day in his father’s van and balling them on evening in his little workshop, into ounce balls ready for sale to the public.

By chance, Jim had a friend whose father had a market stall on Leeds market, these were the days when markets where big business. Through this connection Jim was able to avail himself of a much sought after stall on Leeds outdoor market, first as a casual/temporary, but later as a permanent trader. The night before market days, Jim would pack his father’s van with all the yarn he managed to buy and ball the previous week. 5am the following morning he would set off to the market.

Business was good and soon he branched out into travelling to village and church halls in Yorkshire market towns, holding one day sales in which he would arrive in the morning with a van full, and go home with it completely empty. Soon enough, he needed more hands to help run the business, so my mother took on the running of the market stall whilst he concentrated on sourcing and balling yarn. He also needed muscle to help with the heavy work of clearing the yarn from the mill and often looked for casual labour from students attending the local teacher training collage.

Enter Eddie. Eddie was a young man who had left his home in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland with hopes of becoming a teacher. Eddie accepted the offer of a couple of days of casual work, and never went back to college. Almost 50 years later Eddie is still in the business, now an equal share holder and director of the company. 1 balling machine turned to 2, 2 turned to 3 and so on. They now opened a stall on Oldham market too, which also became a success, but they quickly realised that they had bitten off more than they could chew, so Jim gave the Oldham stall to friend who took it on and became his first wholesale customer.

I joined the business in 1986, first with a sweeping brush, then as a warehouse man and van driver before I became the Yorkshire and North East Regional Sales Rep in 1990. In the early 90’s the opportunity came to buy the spinning mill that had become their major supply line to complement the now successful yarn balling and wholesale business. Things were really starting to come together.

Disaster struck on Valentine’s Day weekend in 2002, when a faulty fluorescent light fitting started a fire that razed the mill to the ground. The worst day of our lives. With one mill destroyed and the other without yarn to process, the writing was on the wall for our family and the 50 or so people we employed at the time. But once again, with a never say die attitude Jim, Eddie, our whole team and I pushed, shoved and dragged the business back onto its feet.

So, today, more than 60 years since my father first asked the question of himself, 23 years after almost losing everything, we find ourselves as one the UK’s leading yarn suppliers. Operating out of almost 100,000 sq. ft with a stock holding of 2.5 million balls of yarn. Not only with Jim’s own James C Brett brand, but now the proud owners of Wendy, Peter Pan and Robin. Jim’s dream is proof “that from tiny acorns, oak trees do grow”.

Now retired and in his early 80’s Jim still comes to the office, twice a day, every day, just to make sure that “we’re doing the job properly, lad”

James C Brett the biggest yarn brand you’ve never heard of.“

We hope you enjoyed this months UYB, it’s been a joy to find out more about our pals over at James C Brett. What would you like to see next? We will ponder into July, but for now… Toodle Pip 🌈🐰