Tucked away in a little industrial niche of Denver, Colorado behind a 7-11, the train tracks and manufacturing facilities of one kind or another lies an unexpected little urban farm. There you will find chickens, a verdant garden, bees (on occasion), some annoying raccoons, a Great Dane named Dobby and a thriving yarn business called Broadwick Fibers. The proprietor of this business is the fiery ray of sunshine known as Camille McMurry.
I met Camille in the world’s longest security line at the airport while on the way to meet my first grandchild, an unexpected birthday present from my then 18-year-old daughter. Camille was on her way to London, which is where I would prefer to live the rest of my life, and where I’ll likely go if I do ever decide to start over under an alias. Having just begun this blog, and wanting to focus attention on cool artisans in the Mountain states, we set up an interview and the rest is history—pardon the cliché.
Camille has the most warm and vivacious personality. Standing right around five-foot tall with a mass of golden brown curls and a thousand kilowatt smile, she is like a tiny sun with a gravity field that you want to revolve around. She salsa dances, makes her own pasta, loves to thrift shop, and is just my kind of people. This energy shows itself in all the work she touches.
Broadwick Fibers got its start in 2015 as the McMurrys planned their move back stateside from the UK, where they spent five years. In the UK, Camille worked as a retail buyer for Jaeger, which honed her ability to set pricing, look for quality, consider the labor that goes into product development, and buy intelligently. After 130 years in business, Jaeger declared bankruptcy last year—another victim of COVID. Fortunately, they were bought out by Marks & Spencer, so you can still purchase their beautiful clothes. Camille is grateful for her time at Jaeger and credits this experience for allowing her to move into the next phase of her career.
Knowing that she wanted to work from home when she got to the US and fascinated by the textile industry, in particular noticing the lack of wool fibers available in varying colors, Camille set out to produce the thing that was missing in the market. She reinvisioned her garage as a studio, bought an extra large metal dying pot, dye, and a propane burner typically used for brewing beer. She also sourced quality wool from Australia—retail buying having shown Camille the ethics of finding quality products.
“The more you pay for something, specifically a higher-quality product, the higher living wage received by the people who do the production. Cheaply developed translates to low salaries and dangerous working conditions. It’s important that we take responsibility for where our money is going and how it impacts humanity.
Camille McMurry, Owner, Broadwick Fibers
With her shop set up Camille is now a bit like a magical fairy, good witch stirring her cauldron.
While at first the process was touch and go (mixing colors resulted in some gnarly shades of green, brown and orange); now there is a plethora of hues from pastel, to earth tones, to deeply saturated moody shades. These yarns are then sold either wholesale or to individual clients who use them in their own projects. Camille also produces her own amazing chunky knit blankets, and stunning wall hangings.
Photo c/o Broadwick Fibers 
Photo c/o Broadwick Fibers
Make no mistake, Camille is a true artisan. There will soon be a giant piece of her art displayed at Modern Nomad in the RiNo area of Denver, Colorado. As one of the most creative people I have ever met, I cannot wait to see where the future takes her!
Stop by her website and check out her work. Just click the link above where Broadwick Fibers is first mentioned or on Instagram where she posts her newest pieces. If you’re into handcrafts and making, you’ll be in heaven!
