As shops have come and gone during the past half-century, one has remained a constant in the Sewickley business district: The Porcupine Needlepoint Shop is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.

“It is something for a business to last this long,” said co-owner Nancy Schurman. “I think we’re probably one of the oldest shops in town.”

Founded in 1972 by a group of local women with an interest in needlepoint, The Porcupine’s present location is at 404 Beaver St.

The shop specializes in everything needed for a needlepoint project, including hand-painted canvases and the colorful threads in silks, cottons and wools that bring a scene to life.

Canvases are sourced from about 75 top artists in the industry and depict a wide array of subjects from the formal to the fanciful.

The shop also arranges for finishing services, with the completed canvases being sent out to be transformed into items such as Christmas stockings or ornaments, pillows, purses, framed art and more.

Over the years, The Porcupine has had various owners. Schurman currently co-owns it with Barb Ward, who is retired from day-to-day operations but keeps the books from her retirement home in Florida.

Schurman bought into the business in 1996.

“I was working at a little children’s store in town that has since closed, and one of the original owners at the time knew that I did needlepoint,” she said. “They had one of their original partners retire, and they thought maybe I would like to join. So I did.”

Schurman credits the shop’s success not only to its dedicated clientele, but also to the way it’s traditionally been run.

Since the beginning, hours have been 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Schurman recently cut out Monday hours, so the shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays.

“I think the reason why the shop has lasted as long as it has is because you could have a life after hours,” she said. “We as owners could do stuff after hours — play golf, play bridge if you play bridge, whatever.”

While other small businesses struggled or closed during the pandemic, the Porcupine fared well.

“We had our best year ever during the shutdown. Everybody was stuck at home and they were needle-pointing,” Schurman said. “It has been a crazy two years since covid, but I’m one of the few that can say it was good for us.”

Though many people view needle-pointing as a retirement pastime, Schurman said that’s far from the reality these days.

“A lot of people think it’s just an old lady’s thing, but that’s not true,” she said. “A lot of mothers will start their kids at age 8 or 9. A lot of college students do it, all the way up to granny’s age. It’s a very broad age group.

“We have a lot of men, and the interesting thing about the men who do it is that a lot of them love math. I don’t know why,” she said. “We have one guy who’s a surgeon, and he’s done stockings for his family. One guy is an art teacher who winters down in the Caribbean — he comes in and loads up on canvases.”

Needle-pointing is more than a craft, Schurman said.

“It’s a hobby, it’s an art form,” she said. “People do it because, A, it’s cheaper than therapy. It’s very relaxing. It’s supposed to be very good for your heart rate.

“People come in and go, ‘I don’t have time for this. I’m too busy,’” she said. “I tell them, it’s busy people who do it. It’s people who sit in a car or the dentist’s office or watch TV and have to have something to do with their hands.”

Schurman continues to find time for it in her own busy life.

“I’ve always had an interest in needlepoint. I’ve been needle-pointing probably since I was 9. My grandmother taught me how to do it,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

In addition to supplies, The Porcupine offers a project of the month and occasional classes, including beading and decorative stitching. A stitchers’ group that previously met in the shop has been suspended indefinitely due to continuing covid concerns.

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