Where Craft Meets Cocktail

by Allyson Meyer • Photos by Dave Meyer

Walking through the front door of Skein & Tipple, you wouldn’t be mistaken for believing you’d walked into a bygone era. And that is exactly the impression owners Marsha and Matt Owen intentionally created for their hybrid, one-of-a-kind business—a combined yarn store and cocktail bar featuring historical charm, quality yarn, and darn good libations.

Even if you’ve never come within ten feet of a pair of knitting needles, you’ll enjoy the visual treats on display. Hand-dyed yarn fills the cabinets—a rainbow of earth tones and vibrancy—in a bright interior beautifully curated and staged for enjoyment. Further into the building, a dark curtain disguises the entrance to the back half of the business, a craft cocktail bar. Copper tiles surround the ceiling and a nautical theme celebrates Whidbey Island’s unique history. The space has a comforting vibe that invites you in, seeming to ask, “what’ll it be?” Together, this building is the perfect blend of entrepreneurism that is making Skein & Tipple a household name on Whidbey Island.

“It was an unproven concept,” admitted Matt, who wasn’t sure what islanders would think about the couple’s business when it opened in 2021. But since day one, the curiosity that initially brought people through the door has been replaced with loyalty from patrons who appreciate the creativity and quality of both spaces.

“We just put the two together,” said Matt. “Marsha loves yarn, and I love making cocktails. We just thought, ‘let’s do both.’”

Opening a bar had been Matt’s dream for over two decades, after he was inspired by the early 2000s craft cocktail revival in the United States. Matt recalls sitting on the porch of their home in Clinton and saying to Marsha, “You know what this island needs? A legit cocktail bar.”

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Marsha, who had been a mail carrier for the island post office for more than a decade, saw a dramatic shift in her work. As an essential employee, it wasn’t unusual for her to work up to 95 hours a week. So, when the local yarn store closed, Marsha saw a new opportunity. “I can just take over [that] store.”

They figured the bar would have to wait to prioritize Marsha’s career move. “But I was wrestling with it,” said Matt. “I popped up out of bed one morning and the thing that hit me was the name…I went, ‘skein and tipple. Hey Marsha, skein and tipple.’ [Since] skein is yarn, and a tipple is an old-fashioned word for cocktail.”

From there, the business idea was born. Unable to take over the location of the former yarn store, Matt described finding their Clinton building off State Route 525 as “divine intervention.”

“It ends up being perfect because you have to walk through the yarn store [to the bar] and we didn’t plan on that,” said Marsha.

“In retrospect, we didn’t actually plan on having a yarn store and casual cocktail bar,” added Matt. “It just happened that way.”

The store came first. Having never hand dyed yarn before, Marsha began with five skeins. When that was successful, she ordered 2,000 more and got to work. Throughout the fall and winter of 2021, she spent hours outdoors even while it snowed, dyeing their entire inventory of yarn. By December, the skein portion of the venture was ready for business.

While the yarn store was open, work continued on the cocktail bar, which opened in May 2022.  

“I honestly thought I was going to open this quiet little bar,” said Matt. “I just imagined myself chatting with people and polishing glasses. That it would be kind of busy here and there. That’s not what happened.”

The first night the bar was open, KIRO News Radio featured Skein & Tipple in a live recording, which was picked up by other news outlets and went viral. 

“My brother’s boss in Minneapolis came up and said [to him], ‘I just saw this. Is this your sister?’ It went all over the entire country,” said Marsha. Due to the immediate popularity, Marsha and Matt ended up hiring a doorman, or more aptly named “knitting bouncer,” the second weekend their bar was open.

A commitment to quality drives them both. From sourcing non-cruelty fibers for the hand-dyed yarn to mixing up a memorable cocktail, it comes down to a “small format” business model that delivers a quality product and experience in each interaction.

Throughout the process, the Owens recognize that, at the heart of what they are doing, is building community. 

“When you open a business, you’re really offering yourself up to the community and becoming part of it,” said Matt. 

Nestled among the “Clinton corridor” amid other local proprietors, artists, and creators, Marsha and Matt see their business as adding to a quality, craft environment. 

“We’ve met our neighbors who live on our street. We’ve met so many people we never would have met,” said Marsha. “We’ve made friends [with] these wonderful people.” 

“We’re really in an ‘all boats rise’ mentality,” said Matt, speaking of the support they’ve received from other entrepreneurs. “We love the other local businesses no matter who they are. We’re always into supporting each other. When you open a business, you really put yourself out there. Everybody kind of helps each other out.”

As they continue on this new career path, both admit it’s been a dream to pursue what they love, bringing those passions together and inviting into Skein & Tipple the community that has embraced them.

“This is a place for everybody,” said Marsha. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from. It doesn’t matter what your roots are on Whidbey. It’s for everybody.”

So the next time you’re in this iconic Clinton business, there’s only one question you need to answer—what’ll it be?