“I am The Wool Queen. . . lol. My name is Jann, a proud mother and grandmother, and a happy wife to a pretty cool guy. I've been knitting and crocheting since I was eight, a tradition passed on by the very talented women in my family

The Wool Queen opened its doors in downtown Oshawa in 1964, and in speaking with the Queens who came before me, it has always been driven by our love of yarn, and the passion that we feel about creating. . . the ability to make beautiful things from sticks and string.

In-store, I offer an insanely wide variety of yarn, catering to all budgets and fibre requirements. Literally as I write this, the store is stuffed to the ceiling for the fall/winter season. I am a self proclaimed needle snob and have happily turned many others to my way of thinking. The store is a great place to talk with others who have this same crazy hobby and learn from each other. We learn from each other constantly.”

- Jann, The Wool Queen, 182 Simcoe St. South

The faces and voices of 'SoJo, Oshawa' is a photo essay focusing on the people who are investing in the area known as ‘SoJo’, a strip of businesses located south of John, along Simcoe Street South.

For more information about ‘SoJo’ read this article published on the Downtowns of Durham blog, supported by Invest Durham and Region of Durham's Economic Development and Tourism Department.