Stitch Therapy

This was my second time in the shop… the owner clearly knows her way areound knitting and crocketing the yarns and samples make you want to try take on a project.
The first time I came in I had picked a project of my own .a stuffed animal for afriend who collects elephants. The owner picked out appropriate yarns and accessories. the total came to over $ 70. A bit much, but I felt I was buying as relationship and a place where I could learn and get help with future projects. The second time I came in I wanted some help wiht a problem i was having she offer to give me a leson for $ 25 and be came angry and nasty when I indicated I had assumed that for the prices she charged that I could get some help from time to time. I guess I was remembering a time long past where stores treated customers as more than a one time sale.
I will not be going back

Macxine is finally back on Lincoln Place! It’s early days yet, and she’s ordering in a concise but choice selection of yarns for your pleasure. Plus, you could always sit, knit and schmooze. Yeah, that kind of place. So happy Stitch Therapy has finally found a long-​term home!

I have mixed feelings on writing a review for Stitch Therapy. First of all, I am very sympathetic to small business owners trying to operate in the insanity that is Brooklyn. So I completely understand the credit card minimum. I also get that some people might feel ignored if the shop was particularly busy when they visited — it’s a small shop. They literally could not fit a second sales person in there. Be patient people.
I think that this is a great stop if you’re trying to complete a project and need felt, thread, needles, polyester fill, etc. The owner seemed quite nice when I was there actually. I was only disappointed by the yarn options because I’m fairly allergic to wool. I try to use alpaca/​silk/​etc whenever possible and those options were limited. HOWEVER — I think it’s probably really expensive and difficult for a shop that size to keep a large inventory of very expensive yarn (no matter where you buy it, believe me I travel a lot and anything not acrylic is soooo expensive) in stock at all times.
So I’ll check back in and see if/​when stock is updated. And for those who are less experienced knitters (I am terrible actually but I keep trying), I feel your pain. It is very nerve-​wracking to go into a specialty shop and ask for help. Don’t let it get to you!

I almost couldn’t believe the bad reviews on Unilocal.I mean, HOW could a yarn shop have such bad reviews? It’s not like they’re spitting in your food or making you wait for hours.
But from the moment I walked in, something was off. I was looking for knitting needles, found the ones I was looking for, and a woman (the owner?) came up to me and asked if I needed help. So far, so good. I responded that I was just looking for knitting needles to which I got third degree questioning: What are you knitting? (Squares for a blanket). Do you have a pattern? (No). How do you know what you’re knitting? (Because I’m not an idiot?).
Being young, I may not look like a knitter, but I actually have some experience. I held up the needles I was going to buy, and I asked if they took credit cards, to which she responded «Not for that amount…» ($ 11, the minimum was $ 15), basically implying that I would have to buy MORE. Sorry, no way. Bad vibes at this place.

Wow. I’m not really sure where to start.
I had an expired Living Social, which was still good for the paid 20 dollar value. Basically it was 20 dollar store credit since that’s what I paid. It took me a while to figure out where the store moved to and I was excited to find it was very close to my husband’s work!
I stopped in today to take a look and use my credit. I picked out some very expensive yarn and some needles. Although my total came to 21.33 in addition to my store credit, she refused to sell me a sale book I had picked out for $ 5. She very rudely told me that I would have to pay $ 22 for the book since I was using my paid store credit. That makes no sense since I am paying full price and not using the promotion.
In addition, Maxine was rude and made me feel like I was unwelcome in her store. I’ve been to her previous locations in the past and was also unimpressed with her attitude, but brushed it off at the time. This was just horrible today and I plan to never return.
I’ll take the trip a little out of the way and go to La Casita or Brooklyn General where I smile when I leave.
I wish I could take back my Chase small business vote since Maxine is certainly not interested in my patronage.
What a shame.

After receiving the owner’s response to my review — in which she insinuates that I am a liar and the scenario I wrote about must have been «going on in my head» — I can confirm my previous rating of one star and reiterate that I will never attempt to shop here again nor will I recommend that others do so. Coincidence that an overwhelming majority of the reviews, ratings, and commentaries are negative? I think not.

When my DC friends found out I was moving to Brooklyn, they went in together on a gift certificate for me to Stitch Therapy. I was excited to use it, but our new apartment didn’t have lots of yarn storage space, so I held off on cashing it in for more than a year. I finally decided to use it to get yarn as a gift for another friend, and when I went, I was unimpressed. The yarn selection was quite limited, and most of what there was was on the more expensive end of the spectrum. The staff were not particularly friendly or helpful. (Yes, it was a pre-​holiday weekend, and the shop was busy, but still, I was there for half an hour hemming and hawing and no one asked me if I needed any help or recommendations, or even looked my way when I tried to signal for attention).
All in all, I’d go here for a my-​cat-​just-​broke-​my-​dpn-​in-​half emergency needle purchase, or to buy a skein or two as a gift for someone, but probably not to buy yarn for a project for myself.

One of the WORST retail experiences I have ever had!
The owner is Horrible! She is rude and disrespectful. I don’t understand how any business person could conceive of treating patrons with such an awful attitude! The shop itself is small and has a limited and boring selection. T top it off everything is ridiculously over priced. I will NEVER return, and I would strongly advise anyone and everyone to steer clear of this terrible place.

I don’t understand the animosity of some of the other reviewers. My experience with the staff here has been good. Some knitters are apparently very easily offended, while others admit that they were asked to leave after doing things which I, as a fellow customer, would find annoying. I’m actually quite impressed that the owner told them to take it outside. Too many proprietors don’t, for fear of losing the business of the offending customer, and end up losing the business of the silent majority.
It’s true that the staff don’t fawn all over you and ask if you need help every five seconds, which seems to be the norm in many stores in the US these days. That’s fine by me, because I’d rather be able to browse without feeling pressured and am perfectly capable of speaking up if I have a question. When I’ve done so, I’ve found the owner to be helpful and knowledgeable. She’s shown me some techniques and suggested I return if I’m having trouble with a project. (For the record, I’d describe myself as an intermediate knitter, although I was an upper beginner when I started going there.)
I like the selection of yarns. It is expensive, but not outrageously so for what it is. They almost exclusively stock the high-​end stuff, though there is usually a sale rack. Yes, I agree that it would be nice to have some cheaper options. However, the shop is obviously trying to fill a niche, not provide every yarn under the sun. Just as I don’t walk out of Brooks Brothers complaining that I can’t buy a $ 20 shirt, I don’t hold it against Stitch Therapy that I can’t buy a $ 4 skein of yarn there. My only gripe is that it would be nice to have a wider selection of colors in the yarns they do stock.

I hate going into a store and feeling like I am an idiot, somehow the employees made me feel this way.
I was trying to get some information about knitting and I feel like all I got was a sassy attitude. ugh.

I really don’t like this place. As an advanced, but wool-​allergic knitter, I am offended that there were only 3 yarns for me to choose from that had zero wool content. Those 3 yarns were basically a billion dollars a piece too. When I asked about a knitting circle, the owner told me that I could be in one, but only if I had purchased the yarn there. Other shops have implied that, but I have never been told straight up that that was a requirement for a knitting group. When there are only 3 yarns at your store that I can wear, how do you expect me to be able to buy the yarn here to show up to the group? I went here once and I will never go back again.

OK– I get it, some people get turned off by Maxcine’s sometimes ‘standoffish’ attitude. But, honestly, if I had to put up with some of the park slope shoppers I’ve seen– I’d be a bit wary too! Agreed– the 20 minimum on the credit cards is a bummer, but with such gorgeous yarn I never have a problem!
I adore this store– i personally love her selection, though not extensive it tends to reflect the current season. I love being in there during the fall and seeing all the rich orange, browns and greens! And all you have to do is show that you actually care about knitting, plop yourself down and start knitting– and you’ll get all the help you need! Maxcine has taught me so much in the past years, and been so warm and welcoming– I think part of that is attributed to the respect I show for her store! She truly loves the space, so if you’re sitting in there on your cell etc– I can understand why she’d be less than thrilled.
Go for yarn, go for classes– go for the community!!! If she doesn’t have what you want, Maxcine will direct you to someone who does or order it for you!
Toughen up guys! I kind of like a store owner that isn’t blowing smoke up my…

This place stinks, flat out. I haven’t been there since they moved into Brooklyn Mercantile, but when i was in before, the owner of the shop was mind-​blowingly rude. Also, I agree with the other reviewers in that it has a small selection.
Bottom line: If you want to run a niche business like a knitting store in a place with rent as high as Park Slope, you have to at least TRY to get customers excited about what you have to offer.

First offense: Being asked «What are you here for today?» in a tone that implied ‘buy or leave’.
Second offense: I was asked to «go outside», because my son and I were having a (normal tone, appropriate, etc.) conversation while I was looking through a knitting magazine. (that I was buying from there!)
I’m done.
The store itself doesn’t even make up for her rudeness.
The selection is low, in books, yarn and notions. She clearly expects everyone in her shop to buy something every time they come in. I’ve never seen any people hanging out there knitting, so there’s no feeling of a knitter’s community that most yarn shops have (and want to have!). Not much in the way of samples hanging up for inspiration.
Don’t waste your time. Even if you have a good experience the first couple of times you go in, it won’t last.

Today was my first time visiting the store since it moved into Brooklyn Mercantile.
First, they could use a sign outside making it clear that Stitch Therapy is inside.
Second, same complaints about old store remain. It is small and the selection is not that impressive.
But I have the same compliments too. They are very nice and helpful. They don’t hurry you along and are happy to let you just lounge at their little table of in the comfy chair. Very good advice about projects and techniques.
Another pet peeve though: they have a $ 20 minimum for charge cards. Granted if I didn’t have the cash, she would have let me charge it so that’s nicer than some other stores.

After visiting this store on several occasions and experiencing the same thing each time, I feel compelled to review it.
The selection here is limited, especially now that the store is sharing a space with Brooklyn Mercantile. I would probably buy yarn here for small projects, and would definitely buy needles here.
Unfortunately, I do not feel comfortable going in here. Like most of the other reviewers, I feel that the owner is rude and impersonal. More than once, she has said something that offended me. I understand that running a small business can be stressful, but when you’re running a small business in Brooklyn, you need to make sure all your customers feel welcome because they’re the ones who will return and continue to purchase from you.
Many of my crafty friends have had the same experience here, including a friend who tried to purchase items just under the debit card limit. She was waved away and told, «Looks like I can’t help you then.»
I’d much rather make the trek to Brooklyn General in Red Hook where at least I know I’ll be met with a smile and a larger selection.

The first time I went in here was with my boyfriend, and the owner and another worker totally dismissed me. As an advanced knitter, I was really upset by their condescending attitude. They didn’t even ask me if I needed help.
On my second visit, the owner was much nicer because I was with a female friend, so I stuck around to really investigate. The stock is incredibly limited with very few colors. They don’t even have a wide variety of needles, which is so necessary in a yarn shop. And, honestly, what kind of self-​respecting yarn shop doesn’t have Malabrigo or Lorna’s Laces? I’ll take my money elsewhere, thank you very much.
Bottomline: Overpriced, awful selection, bad colors, rude staff… but it’s yarn, so I can’t give it 1 star.

Contrary to what other people have said, I did not experience the rudeness of the owner. Rather, she just seemed a bit distracted and more occupied with talking to the other employee (?) than helping me and my friend. But once she did notice us and engage us in conversation, she was really sweet and knowledgeable. Was even able to figure out where in Boston I shop for yarn. She also offered to ball the yarn for me, which was very nice, as not all places do.
The store is very tiny, but the selection is not overwhelmingly good. They really like Noro, so if you do, you’ll be very likely to find the colors you’re looking for. But that seemed to be their trend, buy a few brands in every color, so it looks like the selection is much larger than it actually is.
I actually almost didn’t buy anything because it took Maxcine (I’m assuming…) a really long time to tell me that it was on 15% sale. Finally decided to get it and she ended up giving me 20% off! I’ll always take the additional discount, but it seemed strange that it took her so long to let me know, even after I had picked it up and was looking at it.
Also, though she accepts credit cards, there is a $ 20 minimum. Granted, that’s not hard to get to in the store, but it’s really obnoxious to have to find something for $ 2 just to bump up the purchase. (Although, I can’t complain too much. Got a back issue of Vogue knitting for $ 2, so I guess it’s worth it.)
I had a decent level of customer service, but there has to be a better place to buy yarn in Brooklyn!

Very cute store with what looks like a great selection of yarns. Nice selection of patterns and I hear the lessons are great. Plus it’s not too far from my house! This seems perfect.
However.
The woman working when I went in (who I’m assuming is Maxcine that all the other reviewers mention) was extremely rude. I walked in and asked where the buttons were, and she basically rolled her eyes at me and pointed. After looking at her (by the way — minuscule and overpriced) selection and noticing that most of the buttons were random assortments rather than all the same one, I said ‘Do you have more of this one? All the ones I’ve picked up are mismatched’ to which she replied ‘Oh, all the ones you picked up huh?’ Sorry, that doesn’t help either of us, does it? In this economic climate, the fact that I was even considering paying $ 2 per button (!!!), IMHO, should warrant a little more help and friendliness.
So then I left and went to Fiber Notion — way better experience.
All the 5 star reviews make me want to try it again though, maybe I caught her at the end of an off day.

Warm and cheery on the outside! There are shelves full of beautiful, luxurious yarns, notions in baskets, and a plethora of things that inspires crochet projects (I’m not a big knitter).
Cold and bitchy on the inside. The owner just exudes a feeling of disdain to anyone new, it seems. I’m not a novice, but I can definitely understand how novices can feel… this woman doesn’t take to browsing lightly. She’s rude and condescending. I’d rather give my money to a faceless corporation than a small business that doesn’t appreciate, or even respect, its (potential) customers.
The best yarn shops cultivate relationships with long-​term knitters (and novice ones who one day may become long-​term), dispensing advice (and inspiration), because that’s what’s valuable going to a yarn store and not just ordering online. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it here.