Meet Allison Wilcox | Psychologist and Yarn Shop Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Wilcox and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have spent the majority of my career working in very emotionally challenging and high stress settings – After working in forensic psychology with children for 20 years and public health before that, I really needed a change. Knitting had been a stress reliever for me when my son was young, but I avoided yarn stores because it seemed that every one I went to felt sort of stuck up and unwelcoming. I wanted to create a space that was inclusive, warm to newcomers and kind. I didn’t realize just how challenging retail would be (since I knew zero about it).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been so lucky to have a variety of careers. I started in public health, devoted to helping and working with people who were less fortunate that I was. When I recovered from leukemia, I spent a year living on a sailboat and became pregnant with my son (despite a tubal ligation). While pregnant I got stranded in the North Atlantic ocean on a liferaft without any food or water for 10 days and following an unlikely rescue began a career as a mom and trauma counselor. When I later needed to increase my income as a single parent, I able to begin my “second” career as a forensic psychologist working in the family court system, which was intense enough to result in my wanting to pull back from it and do something different.   The yarn shop was the result of that, and although I still see patients in the office two days a week, I mostly manage the shop.  If you think you could, then you can.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’d start with a day relaxing by the pool at my house, looking out on the 38 acres of wildflowers and playing with the dogs, followed by some great wine (since I’m a beer/wine retailer too) and dinner out on the deck. Weather permitting we’d head out to tour some local breweries the next day, with lunch at Fitzhugh brewing, a stop at Ghost Note, then Twisted X and dinner and some music at Vista Brewing. Or if it’s Sunday we might start at Vista for mimosas and brunch! I’d make sure we had a reservation one day to hike at Hamilton Pool or Reimer’s Ranch, then spend the evening at Treat Oak Distilling for dinner at Alice’s Restaurant. Another day would be a trip to Johnson City and Frederiksburg for some good old touristy shopping, maybe stopping at a winery on the way home.
Another day would have to be hiking at Pedernales Falls, then a little shopping on Mercer Street followed by a nap by the pool and dinner at Tillie’s Restaurant.
We’d check out who’s playing where for some live music either in Dripping or in Austin, and we’d definitely have to spend an afternoon touring the little shops in Wimberly and maybe having dinner at The Supper Club after a massage from Rebecca Thomas. Wednesday we’d go to knit night at The Sated Sheep and fill up on a whole bunch of goodies from Turcotte’s deli, and some social crafting with the funniest women ever.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
That’s a really hard one for me. I was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia when I was 29 and one of the most central and important people in my life has been my oncologist, Dr. Loukas, and the head of the public health/family medicine program I worked for, Dr. Wright. They were both people who believed in me when I was pretty sure I’d never be able to, and supported me completely unconditionally despite my singular capacity for making bad choices at times. More recently, my amazing husband gave me free rein to open the Sated Sheep and has stood behind me and the shop without looking back.

Website: www.thesatedsheep.com

Instagram: @thesatedsheep

Facebook: #thesatedsheep

Yelp: The Sated Sheep

Image Credits
Three Sheeps to the Wind painting by Will Bullas