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Alameda Yarn Company
Category: Shopping Arts & Crafts Art Supplies Art Supplies [Edit]
2002 Encinal Ave(between Chestnut St & Willow St)
Alameda, CA 94501
(510) 523-9003
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 10 am - 5:30 pm
Sat 10 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Liz P. said: "Grace, bless you. One of the nicest ladies on earth. My grandma taught me to knit when I was eight. Grace taught me all the hard stuff (cables, socks, circular knitting, continental style, fair isle, short rows, etc.) in her…" read more »
16 reviews for Alameda Yarn Company
16 reviews in English
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Review from Kels D.
San Ramon, CA
Updated - 3/3/2012
Along with the great selection they already had (something from everybody, in all prices ranges), I hear the madeline tosh line is now being sold here. It's time for another visit! My only wish -- is that it was closer to my house :-)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/19/2010
I always find wonderful yarn here, and it's reasonably priced. I get professional help when I ask… Read more »
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Review from Kevin W.
2/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yarn Heaven?
Is there such a place - the Alameda Yarn Company certainly seems like it. Yarns of all textures, colors, weight, and many oh so so soft.
My eyes are always overwhelmed when browsing this store because I can't not look at it all.
The owner is a very pleasant woman, and she is more than happy to help you with your yarn needs, and to also teach you a stich. -
Review from Benita S.
Alameda, CA
12/29/2009 2 Check-ins Here
I promise this is my last arts and craft store review! I am pretty much over my knitting phase until next fall, but I do want to review this shop because it's in my town.
If you are just interested in buying yarn, then this is the place for you. The prices are reasonable and there is a lot of variety. There's also a table where you are welcome to work on your projects.
Gail the owner is a very nice lady. Granted she's not overly friendly, but frankly, I like it better that way. I've been in a couple of times and she has offered advice without being too pushy, and I had no problem when I needed to exchange a couple of skeins...look at me knowing the lingo!
This is a mom and pop shop, so I always feel better giving stores like this my money. Happy Knitting! -
Review from Ellen O.
4/22/2009
I thought I really liked other yarn shops in the Oakland area, but this is a wonderful and warm setting.
You don't have to dive into narrow aisles to find yarns you cannot see, and you don't have to search for textures you really want.
Gail is very welcoming.
I really enjoyed the patterns and knitted items she keeps around the store.
I have found my new paradise on earth. Working on a great leafy pattern shawl with a grown up diagram pattern to follow. It might mean I have to go back to ask some questions and I know with Gail's help it will turn out fine.
I found several items which were lower in price than the other shops but then yarns and needles are always expensive.
Love giving the business to a small community business instead of M------'s or B------"s too. -
Review from Shanna C.
Oakland, CA
2/17/2008
I am fairly new to Alameda, and had previously been doing my yarn shopping at Beverly's. I grew tired of the generic yarn (no offense to Beverly's), and wanted something more luxurious for my stash.
Then I discovered Alameda Yarn Co., and went for my first (and last) visit.
There was an older lady working there that day, and she didn't breath a single word to me until I asked her a question about knitting gauge and the different yarn weights that certain patterns called for.
She gave me this look that read "are you serious??!?" ...and then told me gauge doesn't matter, and I can use whatever yarn for any pattern so long as I know what I'm doing.
Great.
So basically, I was back at square one, and decided to not ask any more questions.
Regardless of the lack of customer service, I purchased a few skeins of this gorgeous purple wool yarn.
The store is organized extremely well, but I don't suggest this shop for any knitting newbie. This lady ( not sure if she was the owner), was a bit snotty, and I did not feel comfortable shopping here at all.
I would've given more stars, had my visit been just a bit more pleasant....they do have a nice assortment of fibers. -
Review from Ashley H.
Winchester, VA
11/4/2010
I needed more yarn and didn't want to head out in rush hour traffic to article pract, so my girl drove me down to alameda yarn company. We saw that they closed at 5:30pm and got there around 5:15. When we walked in, I smiled and said hello to the woman knitting at the table... I think she was counting stitches so she just looked up at me and kept knitting...understandable. But she could have atleast smiled... we heard her say hello to other customers. Strange.
We quickly found the yarn I needed and stood near the register waiting to be rang up. After about a minute, the lady that didn't speak to me told me that the lady that works at the shop had to run an errand and would be back soon. We wandered around but it's a small shop and quickly ran out of things to look at, so we sat down at the table and waited.
and waited.
and waited.
And then it was 5:30 and I was annoyed so we just left.
The yarn I was interested in was cheaper than it was at Article Pract, which makes me want to come back. But I really have no patience for wasted trips... I can't decide if I should even bother trying again. I know shit happens, and errands need running... but if purchases can't be made, the shop shouldn't be open. I would have been less disappointed by a "closed early today" sign on the door. -
Review from Jana H.
Alameda, CA
7/25/2011
I love the Alameda Yarn Company! I was contemplating learning to knit and walked in and Gail the owner taught me the knit stitch on the spot. So the customer service is beyond welcoming and helpful. I was surprised to see negative reviews because I have been there a ton of times sitting at the table knitting and buying supplies and have always left with a positive experience. This place is a treasure.
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Review from Shelagh L.
Oakland, CA
3/23/2011
Some Yelpers had a negative customer service experience here, so I feel obliged to chime in and say that was not my experience. The owner/proprietor was happy to assist me, answer my very rudimentary questions and suggest products without exerting any pressure to buy. She also let me know that there are knitters that stop by each day to sit around the table, knit together and share tips. That sounded like heaven for crafters to me. So, I think this place deserves consideration. To me, if feels very consistent with the Alameda way of life - unpretentious, low-key, no hurry, etc. I don't like going to "big box" craft stores, so I'm glad to find this little gem.
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Review from Lauren M.
CA
10/11/2008
Alameda Yarn Company is an extremely charming yarn store on the east side of the island. I recently moved to Alameda and have found that I love the small town feel, and AYC is no exception. The yarn stock is well organized and the clerk was super nice and welcoming. This was probably the fastest trip I've ever made to a yarn store, and pretty much because the clerk was so helpful and patient in helping me find exactly what I needed.
I live within walking distance, which could become dangerous, but fortunately the prices here are reasonable and cheaper than the stores in Oakland's Temescal and Piedmont districts.
As I left the clerk invited me to come on Thursday nights to the open knitting circle to meet the other local knitters, how cool is that?? -
Review from Melissa G.
Sunset Beach, CA
2/8/2011
I really like this store. Last time I came in, I browsed around, looking at all of my favorite lines of Noro and considered spending a fortune on the Alpaca that I love so much, but alas, my financial circumstances are not those of a Kardashian sister, so I needed to get serious about what I came in for, namely three skeins for a Xmas scarf that was due at the end of the week. I found what I needed and for $50, I was all set. The service was friendly and there were lots of people were sitting around the table, engaging in a lively stitch and bitch session -- cool!
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Review from Marie M.
Hayward, CA
11/17/2011
Great yarn selection. It's all nice and soft with plenty of knitted samples. I had no idea what I was doing and Gail, the owner, taught me to knit on the spot. She picked the yarn, the pattern and the needles and got me started. I'll definitely be back for every project even though I don't live in the neighborhood.
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Review from ophelia c.
Alameda, CA
1/12/2010
The charming & colorful Alameda Yarn Company should have 5 stars. Based on the positives (being close to my beau's house, good yarn selection, has a good tree out front to leash the puppy while I'm inside, supporting a local business) it should have blown all other local yarn stores out of the water, except for what happened today on my second visit.
After spending over $100 on yarn there last weekend, I went in this evening to see if I could get a large hank of that yarn rolled into a more usable fashion, as it had tangled even though it was still in the wrap from the store. While I know it was near the end of the day, (the hours leave a little be desired too, as they close at 5.30 on weekdays and are closed on Sundays) the woman working* there refused to help me wind it, saying it was too difficult, even though I'd already found the end-piece and was willing to help her & to pay for it and/or do it myself! (the winding service) Instead she tied a piece of lighter colored yarn to the end bit I'd already found and said "there' ya go" as if she'd done some hugely helpful thing!
Great, now i have this beautiful expensive yarn that is more tangled now than before & delicate and utterly unusable until it gets into some kind of order. So much for step-mama's prezzie, it will take me longer to get this yarn organized than it will to make her the wrap intended for her!
The old Artfibers shop (one of my longtime favorites and recently closed and mourned) in SF used to help others wind and fix rolls of f'd up yarn, some of which wasn't even from their store sometimes! I remember helping someone in another store (Imagiknit, i think) get their yarn organized so it could be wound, now here I am being told that she won't even help wind & ball a hank of yarn from her own shop? Major bummer and responsible for the loss of at least one of the two stars.
They did however have enough of the other item I went in there to get, the yarn for a scarf for my honey, at a reasonable cost and plenty of it, even from the same dye lot, which is AWESOME. :)
The customer service (I noticed this last weekend too - loss of star 2) leaves something to be desired, but it *is* a cute little shop with lots of great yarns. I will certainly be back, because as any addict will tell you, bad customer service is hardly the thing that keeps you from your desire! and i *do* love me some yarn.
Overall, the service here could be better, however, they aren't pompous or over-bearing, which is nice, but they could be more available for questions and other basic services (like winding an unruly hank of their yarn into a usable ball for a new customer, who, if you know knitters, has the potential to be a nearly daily visitor) because if it's close by and the supply is good - which is the biggest plus of the AYC, you'll be there as often as you can. Should the service re-inspire me, I could potentially spend all the grocery money there without batting an eyelash. shhhhh... don't tell my honey!
This shop is small, but it is crammed to the roof with gorgeous yarns and what look like great sales. It has a good selection of needles and notions, but could have more in the way of pattern books & space/ability to try stuff out. I'm not sure that a wheelchair could easily maneuver around in there, but it is at the very least accessible in the sense that you could get in from the sidewalk.
They are also supposed to be getting the addi-turbo kit (http://www.addineedles...) replacements in the near future; when this happens, perhaps i'll add another star...
*working = sitting at a table knitting with no other customers in the store. can i get *that* job? please? -
Review from C C.
Oakland, CA
9/19/2009
The first time I went there I liked the selection and the prices were reasonable. The customer service was underwhelming, but it didn't bother me too much. I went back recently and the employee, or owner, was outright rude in that she was catty and dismissive about my asking after an item THEY USED TO SELL. I wish I had a no-star option.
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Review from Rebecca R.
Oakland, CA
8/28/2009
Lovely cramped with a gazillion yarns store! The owner is a friendly yet quiet woman more than willing to help, yet also willing to let you alone to touch everything! I can't always afford the good stuff, but she's got a lovely collection, including some nice cottons! I will continue to come back!
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Review from Sheila L.
Alameda, CA
8/17/2011
I think this is a great yarn store. This is not your typical retail store...it is so much better. The shop has a big table in the center with folks sitting around doing various knitting projects. Everyone is helpful and friendly. They are all concentrating on their projects and that may be why some of the reviews commented on a lack of friendliness coming into the shop. I am a very inexperienced knitter and went in wanting a simple project. Gail (the owner) spent some time with me and got me started. I have been back several times for help along the way. She really knows knitting and has taken time out of the project she was working on to help me. I think If you are interested in knitting, you should give this shop a try...I am hooked.
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Review from Beth G.
Oakland, CA
2/11/2008
What a delightful little shop!
After a daunting visit to Article Pract that had me afraid of knitting stores, I plucked up some courage and went to the Alameda Yarn Company. Carol, the woman at the helm that day, helped me find everything I needed, and for a reasonable price, too.
The stock of yarn is straightforward. It comes from animals you've actually heard of, there's enough of it to make an article of clothing, and it's priced at or below what you can find on the Internet (bonus, as then you don't pay for shipping).
Hallelujah! I can knit a sweater without taking out a loan!
