# Super Yarn Mart



## Davidann (Jun 15, 2011)

Years ago there used to be a company called super yarn mart that sold yarn very very reasonable. Then they disappeared and when I went on their website it said that they were in Menlo Park, Ca but I could never get any info. Then someone told me they were in New York and I couldn't find them there either. Has anyone heard of them or know where the company is and how I can get in touch with them?


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## mombr4 (Apr 21, 2011)

I have been knitting for a lot of years and have never heard of that store or company.


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## GardenGirl (Apr 23, 2011)

I have some of their yarn in my stash, but I found it in thrift stores, etc. According to the labels, it was in Los Angeles, I think. I'd wake up my DH if I checked now!


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## yona (Feb 7, 2011)

Yes, I remember the store and used to shop there a lot. They had a huge variety of yarn including yarn from other countries. I do miss that store.


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## Beehive (Jan 29, 2011)

There is a store and mail order store in New York City called Smileys yarns. check it out at www.smileysyarns.com

Their yarn is very reasonable and they have many different kinds for sale. 

Bea


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## Charlotte80 (Jan 24, 2011)

Yes I used to shop at their store in Torrance, California. When I moved to Sacramento I learned they were down in the San Francisco area and a friend here told me that she had shopped there. We planned to go down there together on a shopping expedition, but just to make sure of the directions I searched on line and found it was no longer there. I really miss it. They had a tremendous variety of yarn and lots of free patterns in their files and would give them to you already printed. I still have some of them.


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## Davidann (Jun 15, 2011)

Thanx for all of the info friends and yes I have checked out Smileys but it is nothing like what Super Yarn Mart used to be!


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## Stitchwizz (May 30, 2011)

Yes, I rermember the Super Yarn Mart. There was one on Lake Street in Pasadena, CA. We even had one in Whittier on the corner of Imperial and Valley View. That was the only place I bought yarn for years. Then they disappeared. If someone finds them, let us know.

Bev


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## ritchsgirl (Mar 3, 2011)

Yes, I used to go to a Super Yarn Mart in Seattle, WA on Aurora Ave, they have been closed for many years. However, I still have a few bags that I kept yarn in.


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## knitwit42 (Apr 23, 2011)

I used to go to the Torrance store and also the one in Hawthorne, Ca.


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## celiaj (Apr 7, 2011)

I too remember going to a Super Yarn Mart, I lived in Burbank, CA and there was a store in North Hollywood, it was quite a large place and the yarn was very reasonable to buy. If you find out anything about them, please post us their location and how to get ahold of them.

Celia J


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## Dian (Feb 23, 2011)

Super Yarn Mart went out of business, at least in California, a long while ago, 20+ years. They were given a certain time to 're-tool' their disposing of the waste from their dying process. They closed rather than stop their poullting ways.

Have no idea if they have relocated any place.


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## Davidann (Jun 15, 2011)

Thanx for all of the input I'm glad that I wasn't the only one that misses Super Yarn Mart!


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## moonlight (Aug 24, 2011)

Super Yarn Mart
726 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA90036
(323) 933-9276

I worked in the SYM in San Diego for 15 years. Almost all of them are out of business. I assume "old" Mr Goldman has died and the grandsons are not interested in running the entire "empire." Or they couldn't survive the downturn in knitting years ago.


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## Davidann (Jun 15, 2011)

Thanx for the info!


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## Geri5 (Jan 20, 2012)

Just found this site and I am looking for a ball of old yarn bought from yarn mart. A friends mother started a sweater and it is almost done except for 1/2 a sleeve.

The yarn label reads "Denim Yarn, The look of Denim, the feel of wool. 4 ply
super yarn mart. Dye lot 00503 it is a denim blue.

Anyone have an extra skein that they are willing to sell? Thanks for any help you can give me.


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## Geri5 (Jan 20, 2012)

Do you by chance have any Denim Yarn in your stash from SYM? A friend is trying to complete a sweater her mother started 15yrs ago.


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## lauras925 (Feb 3, 2012)

Super Yarn Mart! was headquartered in Los Angeles CA since 1949, family owned business went out of business in early 90's after closing 46 stores in 7 western states. No website or stores outside these states: California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. They operated a spinning mill, dye house, and warehouse space that was converted into a commercial real estate and strip mall for wholesalers in the L.A. garment district.


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## lauras925 (Feb 3, 2012)

Dian, re dye plant posting - that is not true. 

super yarn mart went out of business because they could not afford to manufacture and retail the yarn competitively once Walmart began purchasing yarn from the larger spinners at cheap costs.


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## Dian (Feb 23, 2011)

Not so either. They were cited for pollution from their dye waters. They closed rather than re-fit their system.


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## lauras925 (Feb 3, 2012)

moonlight said:


> Super Yarn Mart
> 726 S La Brea Ave
> Los Angeles, CA90036
> (323) 933-9276
> ...


Super Yarn Mart was owned by the Gold family. I also worked for Super Yarn Mart and was married to the President of the company.


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## lauras925 (Feb 3, 2012)

Dian said:


> Not so either. They were cited for pollution from their dye waters. They closed rather than re-fit their system.


This is not true. I was the accountant for this company. Not at all sure what 're-fit' means regarding our dye plant but it was not the reason Super Yarn Mart closed its retail stores. The dye house, spinning mill, and warehouse space were converted to commercial real estate in 1995.


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## fabiana (Jul 20, 2011)

lauras925 said:


> Dian said:
> 
> 
> > Not so either. They were cited for pollution from their dye waters. They closed rather than re-fit their system.
> ...


laura925: it's great to have you on-board. I loved that store and wish they were still in business. thank you for pitching in with this topic and giving your input. Much appreciated.

Bottom line to me is they are no longer in business anywhere.


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## crochetnutt (May 14, 2011)

lauras925 said:


> moonlight said:
> 
> 
> > Super Yarn Mart
> ...


This is so weird but I looked them up on the net and they still showing were they are.

http://www.superpages.com/bp/Los-Angeles-CA/Super-Yarn-Mart-L2205705098.htm

http://www.insiderpages.com/b/3710658741/super-yarn-mart-la-habra


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## YarnforMom (Oct 16, 2012)

I just found this thread looking for super yarn mart. Mom wanted to make some small yarn socks for her great grandson and I found a small plastic ruler in her yarn bag with the name super yarn mart on it. 

I already had mistakenly thought she would want cotton yarn, but she says it is too hard.

I looked at Jo Ann Fabrics and noticed their yarn is a composite of many different materieals. What is the ideal yarn for a newborn's feet and where in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles suburb area) can I find it?


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## grannyknitter (Apr 19, 2011)

I checked out Smileys website. They have many beautiful yarns and at a good price but the caveat is that the minimum order is $50 and there's a flat shipping rate of $12.95


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## Frogsong (Feb 26, 2011)

False alarm


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## Stefmb (Feb 20, 2013)

I had a pattern from them which I have lost and was wondering if you had it by chance in the patterns that you still have from them. It was called the Firefox, it looks like the old shale pattern but a little bigger. Thanks


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## laceluvr (Feb 16, 2012)

Charlotte80 said:


> Yes I used to shop at their store in Torrance, California. When I moved to Sacramento I learned they were down in the San Francisco area and a friend here told me that she had shopped there. We planned to go down there together on a shopping expedition, but just to make sure of the directions I searched on line and found it was no longer there. I really miss it. They had a tremendous variety of yarn and lots of free patterns in their files and would give them to you already printed. I still have some of them.


I've lived in the So. Bay area in California for most of my life and I always used to shop at the Super Yarn Mart and boy do I really miss them. Shopped at the Torrance store just before they closed in the 90's. I still have some of their yarn in my stash and just a few of their patterns. I still have the old all nylon needles that they used to sell and always use them for my lace knitting. However, I have been looking for a crocheted stole pattern that I made back in the 70's, but have lost the pattern. I guess I will always miss the SYM stores!


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## Bellringer (Feb 27, 2014)

When we lived in Burbank, I use to go to the North Hollywood store also. I found a skein of yarn with the Super Yarn Mart label which got me to thinking about the store. Long gone probably?


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## scifiruca (Jan 13, 2015)

I just saw this today: http://www.local-craftstores.com/craftstores/california/losangeles/super-yarn-mart.htm I've been looking for them for years as well. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but will stop by this weekend to check it out.


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## Bellringer (Feb 27, 2014)

Good luck. I wasn't aware they were still in business. I used to love the store in North Hollywood.


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## alicemcintosh (Nov 8, 2016)

I have pattern #59 but the first sentence is unreadable.
With #8 needles cast on 50 sts. I can't read until the third row.
Thanks


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## Jessamine-Jessie (Nov 24, 2016)

Just received items in an old Super Yarn Mart bag and was just searching for info. Found a thread here.

So, I registered to hopefully share info (photo) of the addresses on bag, just for fun. Maybe it will help someone doing research one day!? :sm17:

{side of bag picture to follow…}


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## Jessamine-Jessie (Nov 24, 2016)

Side of SYM bag


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## RuthG (Mar 28, 2017)

Super Yarn Mart went out of business in the early 70's. But when I opened a box of yarn my sister had given I found a bunch of old super yarn mart yarns. My mother and sisters spent hours in that store. I miss it because it had the largest selection of yarn I have ever seen.


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## Julielyn (Apr 29, 2017)

I would love to know how old this yarn is. So beautiful. I got it in a thrift store stash. I live in Oregon so it travelled a bit.


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## Julielyn (Apr 29, 2017)

Oops. Here is the pic.


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## SuperYarnMart (Jul 21, 2017)

Really neat to see people talking about my family business, Super Yarn Mart. 

So...Super Yarn Mart closed its doors in the 90s, and primarily because of the pressure from cheap import yarn at stores like Walmart, Kmart and Target. Since the bulk of SYM's business was from their own brands produced in their Downtown LA spinning mill and dye house, they just could not compete long turn, especially as knitting, crotchet and needlepoint was at a lull during that period. 

source: I am one of the grandchildren of the founder, Hershey Gold.


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## rosaliekincaid (Mar 28, 2016)

I, too, shopped at the Torrance store. I still have my little pink ruler to remember them by.


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## knitismything (Dec 4, 2011)

moonlight said:


> Super Yarn Mart
> 726 S La Brea Ave
> Los Angeles, CA90036
> (323) 933-9276
> ...


I used to shop at this store many years ago, are they still open? I loved them because they were helpful and answered any questions I had about understanding knitting or crochet terms, since English is my second language and I was learning. If they are open I'll go there next time I go to Los Angeles.


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## goompy (Nov 18, 2016)

Really surprised yesterday. Live in NorCal. Saw brand new Super Yarn Mart truck. Is it possibly coming back?


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## ejsheiman (Nov 26, 2017)

julielyn - your yarn is at least 25 years old. I believe SYM closed about 1992 in Southern California.


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## ejsheiman (Nov 26, 2017)

SuperYarnMart - God bless your grandfather, Hershey Gold, I loved his stores. May his memory be a benediction. My mother and grandmother used to love to wander in for projects and I would trail the aisles behind them as a little girl (in the 60's) looking at all the colors and types of yarn. When I heard they were closing i cried.... then I drove to everyone of the stores within 40 miles of my house (Pasadena, CA) and bought yarn from each one. Yes, its OCD but i just couldn't say goodbye without doing that. I have shlepped some of that yarn (that which was unused) around the country wherever I moved. Now I'm in Oregon and I still have 10 odd skeins or so...


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## trout23 (Aug 28, 2012)

I loved Super Yarn Mart...shopped the one on Pico Blvd in Santa Monica. Was very disappointed when they closed up. Early 90’s as I recall. There was another LYS a few blocks West on Pico Blvd too with great yarn. I don’t recall the name of it, but I know it’s gone too.

ETA. I just did a quick google and it shows 3 SYM stores in California. Wonder if that is correct? One was on LaTijera...another one on LaBrea....anyone live close by and know?


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## ejsheiman (Nov 26, 2017)

I just looked up the same spots on yellow pages. The one in No Hollywood is an Alligator Laudromat, the one on La Tijera is a carpet store, and the one on W. La Habra looks like it was torn down and a Costco parking lot took its place. or so it looks using Google street view... :sm25:


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## trout23 (Aug 28, 2012)

ejsheiman said:


> I just looked up the same spots on yellow pages. The one in No Hollywood is an Alligator Laudromat, the one on La Tijera is a carpet store, and the one on W. La Habra looks like it was torn down and a Costco parking lot took its place. or so it looks using Google street view... :sm25:


Thanks for your reply. Guess it shows how unreliable a google search can be. You could be going on a wild goose chase if you depended on the info.


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## ejsheiman (Nov 26, 2017)

Yes Trout23 - Google searches can be a paradise, or a total bummer. I was tempted when I read this thread to return to California for a visit to look up the stores "just in case". At least Google maps was able to tell me, via the street view option, so I wasn't driving around Calif with my friends and children in the car and sad because I got my hopes up. Everyone else would heave a sigh of relief that I couldn't binge on more yarn :sm17:


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## KroSha (Oct 25, 2013)

Julielyn said:


> I would love to know how old this yarn is. So beautiful. I got it in a thrift store stash. I live in Oregon so it travelled a bit.


Unless there's the date on the label, you couldn't know for sure. At the North Hollywood store in the early 90s, I bought 32 different hippie-color skeins to make a granny square retro vest for a friend's daughter. It was the large store where I shopped from the early 60s on. In Valley Plaza, just a short walk across from Sears...
___________


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## KroSha (Oct 25, 2013)

ejsheiman said:


> I just looked up the same spots on yellow pages. The one in No Hollywood is an Alligator Laudromat, the one on La Tijera is a carpet store, and the one on W. La Habra looks like it was torn down and a Costco parking lot took its place. or so it looks using Google street view... :sm25:


"They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot..."
___________


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## Ulliowl (Mar 9, 2019)

I found this bag from them on the freebie table at the Redmond,WA Senior Center with needles and yarn. They used to be in Seattle and Bellevue too.


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## KroSha (Oct 25, 2013)

Ulliowl said:


> I found this bag from them on the freebie table at the Redmond,WA Senior Center with needles and yarn. They used to be in Seattle and Bellevue too.


Oohooh memories, like the cobwebs in my mind.

My stores were North Hollywood and Tarzana, both in California...


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Beehive said:


> There is a store and mail order store in New York City called Smileys yarns. check it out at www.smileysyarns.com
> 
> Their yarn is very reasonable and they have many different kinds for sale.
> 
> Bea


They closed the brick-and-mortar store awhile ago.
About Smiley's Yarns Store:

https://www.smileysyarns.com/frequently-asked-questions/
"Smiley's Yarns will continue to be an ON-LINE yarn outlet now and in the future. We have moved from a retail location to a warehouse location so we can continue to offer the lowest yarn prices in the country for many years to come. If you would like to be notified via email about In Person Sale events, such as our annual Manhattan Yarn Sale, please join our In Person Sale Email Alert list."

I used to visit it when I visited my mother in Jamaica, Queens. Awful place!!! I never managed to leave empty-handed!!! :sm15:


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