# How do you rate a yarn shop?



## ejyamada (Aug 7, 2011)

I have been visiting all the yarn shops I can find. Some are great and others not so much. 
What do you look for in a yarn shop?
I like a place that has a good selection and knowledgeable staff. I like good organization. 
Recently I was taking my mother to shops. (She has vertigo and needs help getting around.) 
First shop we visited was a cafe/yarn shop. The place was so jammed packed with yarns I could find no rhyme or reason to it. Service was mediocre, only one person there, busy serving coffee. I went back a month later so I could spend time looking at all the yarn. Service was much better this time. But the selections were mind boggling :?. This shop has the largest selection of yarn I have ever seen, so it was worth going back even though there is still no organization and it is messy. 
The second shop I took my mother to was the complete opposite. Everything was organized into neat bins. Staff was knowledgeable and very helpful. Knitted samples were placed next to the correct yarns. :lol:  
On my own I have visited a few other shops. Unfortunately the shop closest to my home is the worst. The staff members are usually too busy talking with friends to bother with the customers. The selection is okay but no one is helpful.
Another shop keeps a resident cat that is mean, not to mention that I am allergic to them :XD:. I wanted to look at some sock yarn and this cat was on a table in front of the yarn. They at first suggested I look around and through the table and cat. When I told them I was allergic to cats they did move (with difficulty) the cat. Staff was helpful though and I have learned the cat has been removed from the shop.


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## elsienicholls (Mar 24, 2011)

I like lots of yarn and books and supplies diplayed in an orderly fashion and good help when I ask for it - I don't want to be followed around but the staff has to be able to answer questions.

My favorite store was in Santa Clara, California - Super Yarn Mart - unfortunately they closed years ago.


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## e.ridenh (Jan 24, 2011)

Customer service first IMHO.

Donna Rae
~~~~~~~~~~


ejyamada said:


> I have been visiting all the yarn shops I can find. Some are great and others not so much.
> What do you look for in a yarn shop?
> I like a place that has a good selection and knowledgeable staff. I like good organization.
> Recently I was taking my mother to shops. (She has vertigo and needs help getting around.)
> ...


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## Grandma Jan (Apr 6, 2011)

I like a shop that will let me wander and look to my heart's content and then be available to answer questions when I am ready. I usually manage to create that experience when I go to a yarn store. I also like to find sales that are really sales and admittedly that doesn't happen very often.


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## cathy47 (Jun 6, 2011)

I have been in yarn shop where you almost couldn't move in it. I don't like that at all. I want space, I want to see what is there and easy access. Having people there that acknowledge you are there instead of sitting in a group and ignoring your there is good. Plenty of yarn..Bunches of yarn..tons of yarn..And someone that knows the products and the skills. Willing to help if I get stuck.


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## Maggietaffs (Aug 2, 2011)

In addition to a wonderful selection of fibers, excellent customer service, and the possibility of classes, I look for the 50%-off sale wall, or a bargain bin. Because my nearest LYS is an 80-mile round trip away, I like to be able to use their website to order needles or that additional skein I should have purchased last week when I was actually there.


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## misenber (Feb 4, 2011)

I like a yarn shop that has a great selection, not only of content but also price. Also an experienced staff that are very helpful because I always have questions.


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## MoMo (Apr 28, 2011)

I like to think that my ideal yarn shop would be well stocked, well lit, airy and open and have a knowledgable staff. In fact, my all-time very best favorite yarn shop in Chatham NJ is tiny, cramped,and packed floor to ceiling with everything you can imagine from yarns to embroidery floss to buttons to patterns... there is a small ( picnic sized) table where the Owner conducts classes, sits for a chat, and generally conducts her day from. BUT, Judy ( the Owner ) KNOWS her fibers, Knows her customers, KNOWs her vendors, and KNOWS where everything in the entire store is within only a very few seconds. She will tell you if she does not have something ( which is rare)and where you can get it. I would not trade this store for anything. I hope July lives to be 100!!! MoMo


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## sam07671 (May 12, 2011)

ejyamada said:


> I have been visiting all the yarn shops I can find. Some are great and others not so much.
> What do you look for in a yarn shop?
> I like a place that has a good selection and knowledgeable staff. I like good organization.
> Recently I was taking my mother to shops. (She has vertigo and needs help getting around.)
> ...


My idea of a good shop I would have to base on my LYS. She has it very well organized. Samples of work that she and others have made out of various yarns she carries. There is a big table in 1 area that people can sit and knit, crochet or do wha they want and just visit. The owner is a wonderful person and is always ready to help even though you don't buy your yarn there. She has rows and rows of books of patterns sand books also you can buy. In another room she has X-stitch material and supplies. She even sells Boyds Bears in her shop. It is the lowre part of a house she has made into her shop and she and her husband live in the upper part.


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## Daniele1969 (Aug 12, 2011)

I think I judge yarn shops like you do. I like plenty of choices to browse, organized by brand or weight, but ORGANIZED!! And not so much stock to the point where it becomes overwhelming!! (though I have yet to go into a yarn store with that much stock sadly...) 

Also, I to would like to be acknowledged when I come in, but not "knocked down" or ignored. and I too would like to talk to someone who knows what they are selling.. 

Wandered into a shop in Mt Airy MD and no one could answer any of my questions.... 

If you're worried about being fair in your judgments of the yarn shops, I think you are being completely fair!!

Daniele


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## ICE (May 4, 2011)

e.ridenh said:


> Customer service first IMHO.
> 
> Donna Rae
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> ...


Jimmy Beans Wool in Reno, NV. The best around, friendly knowledgeable service, great selection, classes, knit club, etc.
ICE in NJ


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## andietom (Apr 19, 2011)

The two independent yarn shops near me are polar opposites in terms of service. Both have good selections of yarn--although the one I like better has more of the upscale yarns. I like to check them out, even though the budget doesn't often allow for the luxury yarns.

Shop "A" has a group of regulars who sit, knitting, near the entrance and eyeball everyone who comes in, as though you are intruding on "their" space. They also talk in loud voices about a variety of very personal issues. While that shop is better organized in terms of yarn presentation (all the baby yarns--both the usual and the unique--are located in the same area of the shop) the atmosphere is not welcoming, and I generally avoid shopping there.

Shop "B" has a larger staff, all of whom make it a point to get to know the folks who come in, and all of whom are eager to help with knitting questions, problems, etc. They have been known to send an email to customers who haven't been around in a while, mentioning some new yarns just in or the next schedule of classes and telling the customer that they have missed seeing them lately. This shop has a vast selection of knitting books and magazines and a seemingly endless supply of circular needles, both fixed and in sets.

Neither shop, however, can compare with the first independent shop in my area that I can into contact with. The owner retired after almost 20 years in the business, but she and her staff were the kind of knowledgeable folks who, when you came in wanting to know how to fix a mistake, were able to show you exactly what and where the problem was, would frog the piece for you back to a "good" row, and watch while you knitted a few rows to make sure you understood the concept. It was an extraordinary place, and while Shop B has inherited most of the old customers and is a great shop, there was something very special about the "old" place.


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## Chava (Jul 7, 2011)

> My mother... has vertigo and needs help getting around.


How many of us are in that category now, as I am? I need a well-lit place, with room in the aisles for walker or wheelchair, chairs for other people to sit in and a table to work on or at least review my possible purchases, and at least one accessible washroom. Borders was ideal and I could at least review knitting magazines and anyone accompanying me could do what they wanted, but they closed.

I would say Borders with knitting would suit me now.

How fondly I remember having a choice of poky little places with one woman (always a woman) who knew her stuff, got your stuff, stuffed the place every which way, had buttons and furbelows and her own little specialties and a card index. And free instruction. And a bin of special yarns, and.. and... Oh yes, we started going where we could get yarn cheaper or quicker. She would order anything but we wanted it NOW.


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## barbarry (May 4, 2011)

One of my favorite stores is small but very well organized. They carry upscale yarns and offer to wind up yarn hanks for you when purchased. Wow! No yarn winder needed! Lots of beautifully done samples around the shop. Good selection of needles, books, and accessories. Nobody follows you around, but the owners are very knowledgeable in answering questions. The owners are a wife and husband who both knit. They have a table and chairs to sit and visit and conduct classes. I get their newsletter by Email about every month for new products and classes available. The newsletter is very professionally done. I like the feel of the place.


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## Chava (Jul 7, 2011)

Do they do mail order? Could we get their newsletter and support them? Note one reason they still exist is that there are two fully involved people and they have diversified their product with product lines


> Good selection of needles, books, and accessories.


 which take up little room, often are returnable if not selling, require little time to deal with, and are congruent with their main business. Which a coffee bar, for instance, is not. It is a separate labor-intensive business


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## barbarry (May 4, 2011)

www.spinningyarnsnh.com You can get on their Email list, and they do mail orders. Located in Dover, NH.


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## immunurse (May 2, 2011)

What I appreciate most is when I see a yarn that I just fall in love with, and I ask them to recommend some patterns to use for it, they have good suggestions.


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## pugmom5 (Feb 19, 2011)

I like the fact that names are only given out if the response is positive. I have a few shops "near" me....all are over an hour + away. One shop has a great selection, but the owner is not the friendliest...but her staff is great. One shop has a great selection but has what I call "the regulars"...they come in and knit and carry on with the owners and you have to fight to get a word in sometimes. 
My favorite place is in another city. Great service, nice people, helpful and there if you need them. Sends out an email to ME telling me about yarns I have asked about. And if she can't get them at a reasonable price for me, tells me where to get them on line.


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## ninal46 (May 15, 2011)

We have a shop that is wonderful. The owner will help you with any project that you're having trouble with, EVEN if you have not purchased the yarn at her shop. I think she is lovely, and I always manage to find some yarn to purchase when I am here. She can only keep her doors open if people do not take advantage of her. I buy a ton of yarn online, but when I go there I make sure I purchase something. She does not want you to do that, but I think it's only fair. What I look for in a yarn shop: the staff must be friendly and knowledgeable and they must have open knitting where one can go to sit and knit. My humble opinion


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## StitchDesigner (Jan 24, 2011)

I like correct yarn organization. Let me explain. I used to live in N. VA. A new shop opened up there. I was working in another shop at the time. The owner went to check out the new shop. That owner had a great selection of yarn. Beautiful stuff. All organized by COLOR! If you needed a particular weight (well, duh!) you had to search the entire stock to find it. 

I would rather go to a shop where: 

Yarn is "to the rafters", but organized by weight. Then I can find the color I want.

People can sit and stitch if they like.

A spirit of welcome is there from staff and knitters.

Staff is eager to help, both with knitting problems and yarn/supply selections.

Inexpensive yarn is also sold.

Good selection of books/pamphlets/magazines.

Good selection of tools/supplies.

Lessons available.


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## ICE (May 4, 2011)

Chava said:


> > My mother... has vertigo and needs help getting around.
> 
> 
> How many of us are in that category now, as I am? I need a well-lit place, with room in the aisles for walker or wheelchair, chairs for other people to sit in and a table to work on or at least review my possible purchases, and at least one accessible washroom. Borders was ideal and I could at least review knitting magazines and anyone accompanying me could do what they wanted, but they closed.
> ...


Would be nice if stores in general would consider people whom need scooters or walkers! Our local LYS's (3) : 
#1. It is frowned upon, because YOU take up THEIR space with your scooter or clunky walker This store has 2 chairs but are almost always occupied by the 2 owners, both woman in their 30's. Don't ask for help. We don't knit, we just sell. We offer classes, (expensive I think, at $145/for 2, 40min) beginner classes. Advanced and lace knitting. Hate to think what that will cost. 
#2. Got in with my scooter, but could NOT navigate, the aisles were full of stuff, finished garments for sale mostly.
No questions to be asked, that is were we provide classes for, and, please be courteous and buy your yarn and needles HERE, if you take the class!
Many "choices" of 1 skein or hank. We will order for you, pay up front and wait a min of 6wks. for delivery! How grand.
#3. Has a lovely front porch, with steps leading up to it!
This one might be closed by now. They had very limited hrs, and mostly had "funky"yarns. Started at Bulky yarns and lowest needles were #13!
Sorry had to vent!
I buy on line from a great store in Reno ,Nevada.
Jimmy Beans Wool. Questions are always answered in a very timely fashion. Great advise about knitting. They have a "live chat". The shipping is just the amount the Post Office charges. NO handling charges. Delivery is timely too.
ICE in NJ


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## freckles (May 21, 2011)

I guess I prefer the shops that have knowledgeable staff but are willing to let you browse as long as you need to and don't keep pestering you. I don't have any reallly close to me that are real favorites.... and I live in a big city, but there are 4 LYS's in the state that I purposely visit when I'm in that area of the state. Two are quite small and cramped with only one or two staff but both have excellent choices whether I'm being frivolous or frugal. The other two are larger and have 2-4 staff at any given time. All staff are well versed in knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving and sewing.... a pleasure to visit and very patient. If you're heading to the Cape Cod for a vacation, give me a call and I'll tell you where to shop!!
Peg


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## ejyamada (Aug 7, 2011)

Great qualities.


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## shelindo (Jul 1, 2011)

My lys has a table for help and/or instruction, another table for leafing through the books of pattern leaflets and yet another table for laying out yarn and stepping back to get the long view. Many swatches knitted up of the yarns (hanging near the appropriate stock.) I feel so comfortable there. Wish I had the where-with-all to financially support her more.


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## dec2057 (May 30, 2011)

ejyamada said:


> I have been visiting all the yarn shops I can find. Some are great and others not so much.
> What do you look for in a yarn shop?
> I like a place that has a good selection and knowledgeable staff. I like good organization.
> Recently I was taking my mother to shops. (She has vertigo and needs help getting around.)
> ...


1. Service
2. Inventory
3. Knowledge of staff
4. cleanliness
5. price
6. convenience


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## past (Apr 3, 2011)

Customer service, not following me around to see whether I'm putting the yarn I look at back in it's proper place. I like shops that have the yarn separated out rather than putting sock yarn in between bulky and worsted weight and spread through the shop. I prefer that if they have samples out, or items they have made for sale that they also have the yarns they used. I went in one yarn shop that had the most beautiful sweaters for sale. I asked the gal where the yarn was because I wanted to get some for a project I was thinking about and she said they didn't sell that yarn there. Another shop had a bunch of sweaters for sale and they were machine knitted. When I asked about the machine used (not that I am very interested in machine knitting), the shop didn't even sell knitting machines.


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## grandmann (Feb 4, 2011)

ejyamada said:


> I have been visiting all the yarn shops I can find. Some are great and others not so much.
> What do you look for in a yarn shop?
> I like a place that has a good selection and knowledgeable staff. I like good organization.
> Recently I was taking my mother to shops. (She has vertigo and needs help getting around.)
> ...


Your location is in hiding but you live in WI. there is a very friendly yarn shop in Appleton called the Iris. I first found out about Iris from this forum.


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## pennycarp (Feb 13, 2011)

Hi MoMo,

My first experience with yarn shops was the Madison Yarn Shop in the 50's. I loved going in there and seeing the yarn displayed in diamond shaped compartments on all the walls. I also loved browsing through all the notebooks with samples of the knitting leaflets you could buy. It was cotton candy for the mind. The ladies who worked there were knowledgeable and pleasant. It was a great introduction to knitting shops. I know it's not there any longer... sad ...

I want lots of yarn, both in quantity and variety, accessible so the customer can handle it and examine it closely. I also want knitting "books" and other accessories such as needles. A great staff is a must: knowledgeable, friendly, not pushy but there to help. Comfortable seating, to encourage patrons to sit and knit (or just chat) for a while, as well as a place to practice a newly demonstrated skill is a must.

If it weren't for my LYS, my first experience in sock knitting would have ended with frustration at being unable to master the figure 8 cast on for toes. A trip to the store, instruction from the owner, a comfortable couch where I could sit and practice for an hour, and encouragement made all the difference. My second pair of socks won a blue ribbon in our county fair this month, just three months after starting my first pair.


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## nagalot (Mar 9, 2011)

I like a shop that is friendly, helpful, and has prices clearly marked! A customer shouldn't have to ask the price of each skein, often to get a snotty answer. I also like a good "sale bin". After all, we "bottom feeders" do perform a public service for the shop owners by buying their partial lots. That's the challenge of knitting and designing for me--using what some more conventional knitter has left.

Janet in Winnetka


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## Ronie (Jan 21, 2011)

A few years ago now I went into a yarn shop that I had my eye on for quite awhile and it was as you mentioned very unorganized and crowded.. there was no one in the shop and the first skein of yarn I picked up was $60.00 and we turned around and walked out... then this weekend I was all excited to go to a yarn shop where we were staying and the place was tidy and had wonderful looking yarns and there was a small group of ladies knitting but the problem I had came when I only spent $15.00 she acted like she was insulted and the smiling friendly lady was done with me... Also I felt like I had to buy something and I don't like that kind of pressure...


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