Woolcott & Co

The How to Close a Business Equation
Poor Customer Service + Overpriced and Run-​of-​the-​Mill Merchandise = 25% Off Going Out of Business Sale, 50% Off Books and Synthetic Yarn
It’s still expensive, so bring your cash so you don’t blow your recession-​strapped credit.

Oh Woolcott. 32 years in business, and now you’re leaving me. It’s out of preemptive nostalgia that you got that extra star, you know, but you really are A-​OK by me.
The selection here is not the best, but they’ve got some good yarn. Some gems (Jade Sapphire, Cherry Tree Hill), some «what?“s (so much novelty yarn!) and a lot of good quality workhorse yarn (Cascade, a huge range of Classic Elite, Rowan, Debbie Bliss). Nothing ever really stood out to me as *so* lovely, *so* exceptional that I had to buy it. The prices were always just a dollar or two more than the competitors. Which is why today, the first day of their going-​out-​of-​business sale, was the first, and surely last time I’ll make a purchase there. And that’s only because it’s all 25% off and I’m a sucker for a sale.
The staff here really have varied. The ladies are always fonts of love and affection, the guys, well, not so much. But I’m a «get in, grab what I want, and go» kind of shopper anyway. My male knitter friends have always loved Sean and his twisted humor.
But they’re on their way out, so go pay your respects to another yarn shop biting the dust.

I really like this store. They have a great selection of yarn and the prices aren’t bad for the quality yarn they sell. Woolcott is at least $ 1-​$ 2 per skein cheaper than another LYS that I’ve visited a few times.
And I’ve never had the problems with the staff that other people have recently mentioned. They are sometimes too helpful! I need to assure them at least two times a visit that I don’t need any help. Also once I ran in to Woolcott near closing and I told the employee that I’d be quick. She told me to take my time and that she wouldn’t mind if I stayed past closing. How cool is that?

I went in last weekend to collect my reward yarn (for being me), and although my purchase was 1 measly skein of angora & I made the clerk go rummaging the files for the free pattern that called for 2 (I’d bought 1 earlier but she didn’t know that), she was very nice about it, & even nicer when I asked her to wind my poor, tortured lace on the automatic winder.
It was in 36 or so pieces, some of which were half-​felted together, each of which she patiently helped untangle and unknot, frequently having to wait while I spit-​spliced, &, upon my explanation this was all the aftermath of being told I looked like a potholder, all the while she and her friends offered anecdotes of projects of their own being tainted by unfortunate descriptions…
All for only $ 10. I’ll be back, and less demanding next time.
The time before was also satisfactory: the owner was there, lip-​synching Elvis.
And I feel compelled to add: I have no problem with employees knitting their socks off in their downtime. It means they know wth they’re doing, unlike some other stores I could mention, but won’t… and that they’re usually happier, and that they have some consolation for their pittance of an hourly wage. Also, isn’t this Cambridge, home of the pinkos? If you want staff chained to the radiators, try Walmart. Honestly.

I have not had the problems other people had. I went in and asked for help with my project. I was very specific about what I needed and where I still had questions, and the woman who helped me was very helpful. She even helped me find an organic yarn which is fair traded. Since I am knitting preemie caps for a church group, this was a perfect suggestion!
Yes, the yarn is more expensive, but the quality is much better. They actually have dye lot yarn! Most places have no-​dye lot yarn, which means it’s not unique. You can get is any time. I’d rather do something a little more unique from time to time. I can’t afford to shop there all the time, but I will be buying skeins there from time to time.
As far as the bad service I’ve heard people complain about, I didn’t see it. I also keep in mind that this is Boston. I’ve seen much worse on the MBTA. :)

I really want to like this store because the owner is a friend of a friend. I try to like this store, but I just can’t. Here are the reasons why.
— The employees are stand-​offish and cliquey. When there are people who they know in the store, they are super friendly. When I have been there with someone who is a regular, they are chatty and accomodating. When I go there on my own, I really can’t get anyone to help me.
— It seems whenever I go in, the employees are sitting around and knitting. No offers to help.
— When the owner is there, things are a little better. Not much.
(Do you see a trend here?)
Woolcott does have a decent selection of yarns not carried in the area, but there doesn’t seem to be enough to knit a sweater.
I always stop in when I am in Harvard Square, but I rarely leave with anything. Considering my knitting habits, that’s saying a lot.

I went here today after not having been here in years (due to a bad first few visits, but I heard that its under new management so I decided to give it a try).
Overall, there are very few T-​accessible knitting stores, and this is one of the better ones. The staff were helpful but not hovering and the guy who rang me up gave me some good tips about the sock flats I was buying. Yes, the selection is small, but its also about 200 feet from the Red Line train. Also, they had a good selection of prices, from gorgeous expensive stuff to plenty of options in the $ 7-​$ 10/​skein range. Yay! My graduate-​student-​budget thanks you, Woolcott!

Expensive yarn, snotty staff, some things never change.
About once a year, I walk the 5 minutes from my house and go to Woolcott, just to see if I can learn to love this place. I am an avid knitter and weaver – I plow through yarn like no one’s business. I am a yarn junkie and I’m the real deal. I would love it if this place could be my source, but it can’t.
So, here’s what happened this time. This is pretty much what happens every time I go there, but I’m going to stay specific to one visit here. I walk in and there is the usual cluster of unsmiling staff. There are either two or three people working in this postage-​stamp sized store. I say two or three b/​c one person is going in and out of the back room, one person is sitting at the cash register, one person is sitting at a table knitting and all three are having a conversation. Except that halts as I walk through the door, they just look at me like I’ve just walked into their private home uninvited. I say hello – ME, not them – and no one responds, they just go back to their conversation. Nice.
I start looking at the yarn. The person at the register calls to me from her stool, «Can I help you find something?» with a tone one might use if I were, say, looking through property that was off-​limits to me. I explain that, no, I just like to look at everything b/​c I tend to buy whatever yarn grabs me and then find a use for it. That’s not good enough for them. «Well, what are you trying to make?» Okay, valid. I smile and say, «I don’t know yet. I’ll know when I find the yarn.» The cashier and the woman at the table look at each other, smile, and look away. The cashier redirects her conversation to woman at the table, «So ANYWAY…». ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I’m all for supporting my LYS but not this one.

Previous reviewers have covered the pluses (friendly staff! fantastic and unique yarns!) and minuses (no parking… slightly pricier than Windsor Button) before me, so I’ll just give one example of the excellent service that characterizes Woolcott.
I received a Woolcott gift card for my birthday, and when I finally got around to using it a couple months later I found that the card had never actually been loaded with any money. I was kind of annoyed, but whatever — it wasn’t going to stop me from buying my yarn. However, a few days later I received a refund on my credit card (with the receipt mailed to me via snail mail) from the owner, who had gone back through all the transactions around my birthday and found the gift card purchase. That level of customer service *really* impressed me, and I’ve never found the staff to be anything but friendly and helpful!

I used to knit in NYC, and let me tell you, you have not seen attitude until you’ve tried to buy yarn or a knitting needle down there. Also, small stores? Please!
Woolcott is like an oasis of fun and sweetness after what I was used to before. True, it’s smaller than some places up here, but they carry so much lovely stuff. Yes, the staff chats, but with customers as well as with each other. I’ve sat down with them and killed some time knitting and chatting and getting advice on my needle-​holding technique.
I think the attitude that others have mentioned here is like… you know when you walk into a party where you don’t know many people, but everyone there is really good friends with each other? If the moment is right, you say hi and they say hi and sudenlly you are absorbed into this cool group of friendly people. But if someone’s on the phone or it’s crowded and overwhelming or something else is off, then you feel like you’re barging in and unwelcome, and the connection doesn’t happen. Trust me, try again, because these folks are nice and fun and creative and helpful. It’s just a little more of a party atmosphere than your typical retail experience.
Sean, the newish owner, is always looking for new and interesting yarns and accessories and other fun products and services for his customers. What he said below about always trying to listen to his customers and make things better is so true. He even helped me knit socks for my BF on his antique knitting machine, so that I could give him something homemade, while still stepping around the superstition of «don’t make something for your BF or else you’ll break up.» And Sean had it all done for me within a lunch hour!

I popped into Woolcott & Co on my way home from class today and not only were the staff members helpful, but they were interested in my life — I’m kind of a sucker for this.
The woman who helped me out with a) choosing a color for my hat and b) my complete ineptitude with the ball winder, was curious about why I’d recently moved to Cambridge and if I liked it. She even added the pattern I was about to start to her Ravelry queue. This kind of friendly service is exactly what I want in my LYS, plus the employees at Woolcott & Co really seem to be enjoying themselves and the product they push. I detected not an once of elitism or stuffiness about the place.
Why, then, only four stars? Because it’s hellish parking in Cambridge and I eventually ended up parking illegally, and because while the shop really is lovely, five stars should be reserved for a selection of yarn beyond the human imagination and truly stellar discounts, which sadly, Woolcott & Co. does not provide. That said, I will certainly be returning to this very pleasant shop.

Woolcott & Co is a quaint shop with wall-​to-​wall yarns to appease any knitting or crocheting fancy. I am fairly new to knitting and wanted quality yarn to make a scarf for a birthday gift. The staff helped me pick a few different yarns, needles, and displayed a few beginner’s books to choose from depending on my learning style (stitch ‘n bitch vs. olé school yawners). Some prices are «up there» but sometimes that’s the cost of quality crafting. I figure the price tag for the raw goods is slightly less than what I would have paid for a similar scarf that I didn’t make, TLC not included… And, the yarn stood up to a few «unravelings,» which says a lot for a newbie. I gather that the ohs & ahs I rec’d were not from my knitting ability, but from the color and texture of the hand-​dyed yarn. Now, I’m hooked.

This place was warm and… as others have noticed, slightly elitist. But! If you want to learn how to knit, you probably want to start on Red Heart anyway… This place is for the knitters who know how to knit and want some great quality yarn. I didn’t find the staff at ALL pushy, but very helpful and not at ALL snobby (I’m a beginner who came in with an expert knitter friend).
On the only downside, is the shop is small so their quantities are limited.

They do have a lot of really nice yarn here, but it always seems that the color I want (usually the display swatch) is out of stock. The yarns seem to change frequently as well, so if you started a project and realize that you need more, you’re probably going to be out of luck.
The staff know a lot, but would rather sit around the main table knitting and talking/​gossiping among themselves than helping patrons. If you ask a question, you will get an answer, but otherwise, be prepared to listen to stories about other people’s kids — you can’t avoid the chatter in a space that small.

Woolcotts is one of my favorite places to burn my paycheck on a Friday afternoon.
Don’t be scared if the shopworkers are bantering (or bickering) back and forth over the lone table and multiple moving knitting needles; hop right in and they will regale you with knowledge, know-​how and bad jokes.
If you’re a wallflower, make sure you’re giving off «Leave me ALONE» vibes, otherwise you’ll get sucked into the social snarking somehow (I think that’s a plus, mind you).
Skip the book section, it’s pricey and everything’s pretty well-​thumbed before you even get your hands on it. They make up for it with plentiful patterns. If you ask a shopclerk’s opinion on the color of the yarn you chose to make a hat for your mother, they’ll find another unsuspecting customer who has hair color like your mother’s and have you hold up your yarn of choice to the other customer’s head for a color comparison.
Customer service depends on how busy the shop is and how needy the other customers are, but they’ll make time if you ask. Whenever I’ve lost a stitch or twisted something wrongways on the T ride home, I come in and they fix it right up for me, no questions asked.
All in all, it’s a nice place to regain your sanity and lose your money.

I went in today on the advice of you Unilocalers, and I was very satisfied with the service. The man was very friendly and helpful, and we had a nice discussion about Unilocal!The store pays attention to its reviews and tries to fix what is deemed lacking.
I found some nice yarn for a good price. I am just taking up crocheting again, and found the colours and types that I wanted. Unfortunately, they do not have much for crocheters, but I knew that going in and I still had a good experience! Good job!

This place is TINY!
They do offer a variety of yarns (including some I’d never seen before) but they don’t have a lot of skeins. So if you’re planning to do a big project, they might have to order yarn for you.
On the particular day I was in there they seemed to have about 4 people working and they were customer servicing me and my friend TO DEATH — which is incredibly annoying. Especially seeing as how small the store is. I felt like they all ganged up and wanted me to leave. I felt eight eyes on me every time I picked something up to look at it.
Also, you can hardly move in this place or spend a lot of time searching through the pile of malabrigo since people are trying to get by in every direction.
This place doesn’t have anything that I couldn’t get anywhere — except snooty employees.

Oh yea, love this place! If you’re a crafter, you walk in here and you don’t know where to begin. They definitely have one of the widest selections of yarns I’ve seen in the immediate Boston area. That variety means you can find some really awesome quality and INEXPENSIVE yarns, which I was really happy about.
Even if you’re not looking to buy a new crochet hook or knitting needle, make sure to check out their selection anyway. They had an abalone crochet hook, lit-​end knitting needles (so you can knit in the dark!!!), bamboo and quicksilver crochet hooks, just to name a few. Make sure to check out their book selection as many of them are on sale, and they have some hook-​wallets hidden in there as well (if you’re looking for a truly fabulous way to store your crochet hooks).
I didn’t have any problems with the staff, but when we went in my friend and I were the only two people, so that’s something to consider. But the people that did talk to us were really friendly and quite helpful. It is easy to feel a bit intimidated by the MASSIVE expertise in that one little store, but yea, don’t be. Even a basic knitter and crocheter like me found exactly what she was looking for. I’ll definitely be stopping here when I’m in Harvard Sq from now on.

Small and snooty. Located on JFK St. under the parking garage near Grendels.
They have some really lovely high-​end yarn, but also some serious attitude. Not much in the way of needle/​hook selection, and most of the fiber was animal-​based. I’ve been in twice, and probably won’t be back.

Woolcott and Co is a small but dense knitting store in Harvard Square. Large range of different yarns here, many are high end. Almost all their selection is animal based fiber. So if you are looking for wool, merino, alpaca, whatever check it out. Beautiful stuff. Large selection of needles, crochet hooks, and other notions.
Being vegan I was more looking for interesting natural yarns which they don’t carry/​carry much of.
Oh and I’d like to add that the people there are REALLY helpful and friendly.