Knitch Magazine

Benjamin Levisay of XRX If you’ve ever attended one of the immensely successful Stitches shows, or you’ve read an issue of the perennially popular Knitter’s Magazine, you know the name, Benjamin Levisay. One of the prime movers in the industry, a genuinely nice guy who’s an outrageous flirt with the ladies, and a regular presence on Facebook, Benjamin is the CEO and Director of Marketing & Sales for XRX. We were lucky enough to pull him from his whirlwind of activity for a few minutes for an interview for Knitch Magazine.

Knitch: We know that you do a lot at XRX. Can you tell us about your average day?

Benjamin: We’re a smaller, family company so we all wear a lot of different hats. As with all of us, there’s never enough time. I usually start my day with an idea of what I’m going to accomplish. But by 10 am or so, that schedule is usually no longer the plan.

Knitch: You must like the challenge of multi-tasking.

Benjamin: Yes. The really cool thing about the business is that I’ve never had the same day twice in the five years since I’ve taken over from my father, David Xenakis. The people that we get to work with inside and outside the company are, for the most part, really creative and gracious people.

Knitch: XRX is now an empire of media and trade shows, but the company started off as a yarn shop. How did you morph into the publisher you are today?

Benjamin: We were the Golden Fleece in downtown Sioux Falls, SD. I sort of grew up in a yarn store environment. I think I was 14 years old the first time I ever went to TNNA. We were there shopping for the store.

Over time we moved from the traditional yarn store services to more extended retreats. Then my father published his first weaving book, The Xenakis Technique. From there, we had interactions with Handwoven and other publishing people in our industry.

Benjamin immerses himself in his work.When I was in high school, Elaine, Alexis, and David started our first magazine. It was called The Prairie Wool Companion. It was great. It had a mixture of weaving, knitting, crochet… anything that a yarn store would offer. Unfortunately the largest part of the market was being driven by knitting and a smaller, very separate part was being driven by weaving. So after a few years this one magazine became two magazines: Knitter’s Magazine & Weaver’s Magazine.

Over the years things have changed. We eventually closed down Weaver’s Magazine. It was a great magazine, but we felt that the market wasn’t big enough to handle two weaving magazines. So our wonderful editor, Madelyn van der Hooght, went to work for Handwoven. As a weaver, I miss that world. But we still do publish the occasional Best of Weaver’s books with Madelyn, which I always enjoy.

Knitch: Did you keep the store going while you were entering the publishing industry?

Benjamin: No. Unfortunately, we eventually found ourselves closing the store. It was a very sad thing for all of us, but we knew we had to concentrate on publishing if we were going to be successful.

Knitch: The magazines have done very well for you. Knitter's, in particular, is one of our favorites. Was it the success of your magazines that compelled you to branch out into publishing knitting books?

Benjamin: Yes. But Alexis decided early on that we were never going to be a book mill. He always said, “We can’t publish all the knitting books in the world… only the finest.” And so for the last 23 years XRX Books has published between two and four books every year.

Knitch: Today, you're revered for your enormous STITCHES Events. Can you tell us how that got started?

Benjamin: Twenty years ago, we did something kind of radical. I was out of the house by then and away at college, so I only heard the stories. Alexis, David, and Elaine decided to start a knitting consumer show. It was a radical idea at the time. And I remember that there were those in the industry who thought it would be the death of all things fiber related. A friend of the family who was in the industry at that time still tells a story about feeling like we were in an old Frankenstein movie running from the villagers carrying pitchforks and torches. From what I’ve heard from others, I think she probably wasn’t exaggerating.

Knitch: The mood has certainly changed since then — many thanks to XRX. Have the shows evolved, too?

Benjamin: Over the years we’ve grown. 20 years ago we started with just one show in Cherry Hill, NJ. Our events were held in tents right on the racetrack. We now have four shows a year. STITCHES East has moved five times and is now in Hartford, CT — which we love. STITCHES Midwest has moved four times and is now in Schaumburg, IL, probably the most elegant of our locations. STITCHES West has moved three times and is now in Santa Clara, CA. This is our biggest show. Last year over 11,000 people came through the market during the weekend. And then three years ago, I had the idea to start a fourth STITCHES, in Atlanta, GA. I really love this show. It’s the smallest of the shows, but it’s growing faster than all the others. And the folks in Atlanta are wonderful to work with.

STITCHES Expos never cease to surprise or inspire me...well, all of us.

Benjamin addresses an enthusiastic audience of knitters.Knitch: We've been to the events and have seen firsthand how much they inspire your participants. Why do you think that STITCHES West attracts such a large and enthusiastic crowd?

Benjamin: STITCHES West is almost as large as STITCHES East and STITCHES Midwest put together. I think that the reason that it has grown so well is because we’ve partnered with good hotels and convention centers. The teachers and vendors always do an awesome job. When attendees don’t come back to a show, it usually has to do with customer service at a hotel or something like that. We’ve also left it alone to grow. That helps a lot. The Santa Clara Convention Center and the attached Hyatt provide us with a really wonderful space to have a good show.

Knitch: Are there any regional differences you've noticed?

Benjamin: There are not as many differences as you would think. There are classes that do well in some locations that don’t do well in others. There are fibers that sell well in some locations that don’t sell well in others. But on the whole, I find that same friendly vibe in knitters and crocheters all over the country.

Knitch: We see that, too. Knitters and crocheters are generally very kind people. They can be wonderfully quirky, too! Have you ever had anything truly bizarre happen at one of your STITCHES events?

Benjamin: Yes! At least one extremely bizarre thing happens at every STITCHES event. The strangest thing that has happened to me was at STITCHES Midwest four years ago in Rosemont, IL. We were sharing the convention center and hotel with a comic book show. I was in an elevator with one of our vendors and a very well endowed young lady wearing a Wonder Woman outfit. During the ride up, the corset popped. I guess the way you would put it is that she had a ‘wardrobe malfunction.' The vendor just laughed, but I was a bit embarrassed being the only guy in the elevator. It happened on the second floor. It was a very long ride to the 10^th floor when I got off the elevator —completely red-faced.

Knitch: Great story, Benjamin! That reminds us...you're outnumbered by women in this industry. Are there any distinct advantages or disadvantages?

Benjamin: I have a feeling that I like it more than my dear wife likes it. And if I were being honest — and I try to be — I would say that there are advantages to being a guy in this industry. First of all, we stand out. Second, and you can confirm this with anyone who knows me, I’m an incorrigible flirt. One of the wonderful things about an industry like ours is that it’s not corporate or too PC.

Knitch: Yes. You're absolutely right. It's a friendly industry and very creative. We get to meet a lot of very talented people like the designers. Do you have any favorites?

Benjamin: No. I really don’t. And that’s not just a ‘politically correct’ answer. I have very close friends at a few yarn companies. And there are designers who are also close friends. But from an artistic viewpoint, there are really a lot of beautiful yarns and designs out there.

Knitch: Yes. We know there's one pattern in particular that you like: the Dr. Who scarf you've been knitting. How's it coming along?

Benjamin: I’m mad at my Dr. Who scarf and we’re having a trial separation. I haven’t worked on it in months. But, I'm planning on picking it up now that TNNA is over. The summer months are when I actually have more time.

Knitch: What will work on when you've finished your scarf?

Benjamin: My next project will be a hat for my daughter Samantha. I purchased that hat design from Love Story that was being offered for a charity fundraiser by Ali McGraw. So that will be the next project. After that I want to crochet a hat from some great yarn I got from Jazz Turtle Creations at STITCHES South. It’s so funky.

Knitch: You really do like the fibers, don't you?

Benjamin: Yes, I do. I'm a weaver. I worked with my father in his weaving studio for years.

Knitch: How wonderful it must be to work with products you really enjoy and then to support those products with your books, magazines and STITCHES Events!

Benjamin: At every show that I go to I see something that I become enamored with. Sometimes it’s a design by someone that I don’t really know much about. Sometimes it’s a yarn or color palette that I think is amazing.

Knitch: So you return from the shows with yarns and patterns. How about new ideas for the future?

Benjamin: We’re planning lots of things! The digital world presents so many opportunities in publishing. The consumer shows present so many opportunities for other yarn based crafts. Right now I’m trying to add more crochet and weaving to our shows so we can be a 'larger tent' for creatives and fiber enthusiasts.

Knitch: That's great news for our readers — and for your STITCHES participants. Before we go, I have to ask about your past. Was it a foregone conclusion that you'd join the family's business when you returned home from college?

Benjamin: When I was in my late 20’s I moved back to Sioux Falls, SD with my Canadian wife, Krista and our daughter, Samantha. Our son, Christopher, was on the way. I rejoined the company as the IT guy and the marketing guy. During that time everything was digital and the web was really opening up. It was an exciting time. I eventually left to become a part owner of an independent Apple Macintosh reseller store for a few years.

Benjamin Levisay, David Xenakis, Elaine Rowley, and Alexis Xenakis in front of Ponte Vecchio in Florence where they attended Pitti Filati, the yarn trade show.Knitch: And here you are, back at XRX, carrying on the family's business.

Benjamin: If you want to read the story about my family’s journey into the world of publishing and events, Alexis wrote a great article for our 100^th issue of Knitter’s Magazine (K100). You can actually download the digital edition of that magazine for free on Zinio.

Knitch: What do you think you'd be doing if you weren't involved with XRX?

Benjamin: I would probably be back in software. Prior to coming back to XRX, Inc. five years ago I was with a silicon valley based company called Insider Software. They make font management software. I was a "font geek" for them for about three years. I worked from home and lived in a world of very geeky stuff. At heart I know that I’m still a computer nerd. I still speak to the guys from Insider at least every other week. They were a great company and I miss them. Although I’m sure that I’m where I’m supposed to be.

Knitch Magazine would like to thank Benjamin Levisay for this interview. We know how busy he is traveling the country and planning the popular STITCHES Events for which XRX, Inc. has become so famous.