[ about us ]Meet the Owners.
The Woolstead Co. is owned by neighbors-turned-business partners Carrie Gilreath and Beth Declercq. Although they are both mothers to 8, fiber lovers, and share a passion for teaching and building in person connections — they each bring very different skills to help make this mill a success.
Carrie Gilreath
Carrie is a farmer, a fiber arts enthusiast, and the head of processing in the mill.
Her passion for textile crafts began at a young age - from sewing and embroidery to knitting, and crocheting. Her farming journey began in 2010 with goats (originally due to children with allergies) and eventually they added sheep and a llama!
Her dive into fiber started in 2018 when she purchased her first spinning wheel and joined a weekly group that inspired her to learn weaving, blending, yarn art, and eventually... processing.
She was able to work at a small scale mill, and not only did she quickly learn the mechanics of each machine, she also learned how unique each fleece that was brought in truly was. She believes all varieties of wool - from super fine to coarse - have a use and she's passionate about helping people see the value of what they grow and not letting it go to waste!
Our mill wouldn't be possible without Carrie's experience and ability to create beautiful roving and yarn.
BONUS: She's also an fantastic teacher and will be offering classes on spinning, weaving, dyeing, and more in the future
Beth Declercq
Beth is a homesteader, visionary, and ag business enthusiast.
Originally learning to crochet from her grandma around age 10, she picked it back up in her early 20’s as a creative outlet that was easy to do while rocking babies and being on the go! Most of her kids have also picked up a hook (even as young as 5) and some of her favorite pasttimes are snuggling around the woodstove together working on projects.
She is passionate about being connected to where their food comes from and their family has committed to appreciating the entire process from start to finish. They raise and process the majority of their own meat, as well as offer custom poultry processing from their small on-farm butcher shop. She understands the hard work it takes to raise your own chicken, and considers it an honor to be trusted with the final step to make a useable product (meat in the freezer!)
This is the same belief she continues to carry to fiber processing. Our mill wouldn’t be possible without Beth’s vision, creativity, and experience in managing an agriculture service based business.
BONUS: She's also passionate about gardening & will be establishing a garden plot near the mill specifically with plants for natural dyeing!