Borealis Yarns

Great selection of yarn, notions and patterns and an extremely helpful staff. I always go here to buy giftcards for a knitting friend, and am always tempted to pick up my needles again and start knitting again!

Borealis is my favorite yarn store by far! I have always felt so welcomed here, and any questions I have had are answered without making me feel silly for having asked. This is not the kind of yarn store that comes off as snobby-​everyone there is kind and fun, and they seem like they love their jobs. The selection is unrivaled-​an entire room of sock yarn? Yes please! Any time I’m asked about yarn stores in the cities Borealis is my recommendation hands down.

Solid selection of yarn, incredible if you need sock yarn. What’s nice is the staff were really helpful and kind. I saw a shawl I liked, and they told me to find the pattern online for free, then sold me the appropriate amount of yarn to make it. A bonus: the bathroom is a must see, with lots of ridiculous old crochet patterns from the 70s.

Big, friendly store. Parking is easy to find on weeknights. Kind of place I want to «belong» at.

The Twin Cities are a serious knitting community, and there are lots of great places to buy yarn. Borealis stands out for it’s friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The selection of merchandise for sale is great, but the staff and clientele are even greater!
Extra treat: If you order something at the coffee house next door, they will bring it to you at the big oak table in the yarn store! This makes going to knitting group or class so cozy. And how nice to see neighboring businesses that complement one another so well!

This is the only yarn shop I’ve been to since moving to the twin cities, and I definitely won’t be bothering to check out any others. Awesome selection — why would I ever need to check out any other shops? The folks there seem nice, but I haven’t needed/​wanted much help, so I can’t really comment much on service. I frequently see them answering other customers’ technical questions, so I’m pretty certain that if I ever needed advice, they’d be a tremendous help.

I love this place. There are so many people in and out and they all seem to know eachother. It’s very «hey! come on in and sit awhile!» Great, friendly staff.
All their sock yarn makes me want to take a sock class there.
I only wish they had Misti. Oh well, no one’s perfect — but they’re close. Too bad I’m not closer to them. ;-) The other observation I have (about me in the store, not the store itself) is that there are so many things to see and touch and get excited by that I tend to go into a bit of a trance and it’s hard to remember what I came for. lol Though I did get some great Pastaza there today.
Nice café next door, with a pass through into it.
In conclusion, I really really like their selection of yarns and needles and their kind, helpful and knowledgeable staff. That’s why even though I live ½ hr. up the road, I still make it a priority to support BY when I’m able.

I get together with a bunch of friends to knit twice monthly. The little coffee shop that is attached is a really awesome bonus to the yarn shop!
The ladies who work here are extremely polite, friendly, approachable, and (most importantly) KNOWLEDGEABLE! They know everything there is to know about knitting and the products that they sell, which is great. I’m something of a born again knitter, having tried to start when I was 12, and again when I was 21. Now, at the ripe old age of 27, I’m finally in full swing of knitting.
These ladies have answers to all of your questions, and if they don’t, there is someone sitting around knitting who does. They have an annual 20% off EVERYTHING sale that just ended, and I got some fab fibers this past weekend. Bring cash if you can – small businesses benefit from cash sales to avoid paying credit card fees. Get a punch card if you are going to shop there regularly. Stop by for all of your knitting needs! :D

Love this place-​just started knitting again. Love the fact that it’s connected to a coffee shop. What’s better than knitting and coffee?

I wish I could say that I had to experience of those who previously wrote reviews but I can’t. My experience at Borealis Yarn was horrible and ruined my entire day. The staff woman who was working was incredibly rude, belittling, and honestly quite mean to me. They definitely care more about balls of yarn than they do about their customers. Bad people, bad store. I’ll never go back.

A cute yarn shop located a few blocks away from University. They had a lovely selection of sock yarn — I had to fight my incredible urge to spend ridiculous amounts of money on it!
A rambunctious knitting group was up front — it looked like a lot of fun, but they were REALLY loud, almost making it difficult to shop in the front room. I think that just goes with the territory, I think that it’s awesome that they have meetups (can’t wait to figure out the schedule and join in!), but it took away some of the serenity found in petting random skeins and thinking about things you could make with them.
I’d definitely go out of my way to go here again — sock yarn! Wow!

This is one of my favorite yarn shops, mainly because the ladies who work there are actually nice to me!
They also have a very extensive selection, and a lot of lamb’s pride, which is my favorite.
Good sales too!

Yes, please! I think this might be my new favorite amongst the local yarn store haunts.
The staff was friendly but not annoying (if you spend a lot of time in yarn stores you KNOW what I mean). I would not hesitate from recommending this store to new knitters who are looking for quality product without the fear of being snubbed (which is also something you’ll understand if you spend a lot of time in yarn stores).
The selection was fantastic. There was an excellent array of expensive things to fondle and consider splurging on and a solid supply of affordable, quality yarns for every other project.
And even though I’m not a sock knitter – I like to knit one sock and then ignore the fact that I have 2 feet and never get around to knitting the other – the back room has an incredible wall ‘o sock yarn. I have to bring my mom here. She’d die in ecstasy to stand in the presence of all that sock yarn.
The organization in the store also made sense. It was easy to browse and get lost in yarn fantasies without ever feeling overwhelmed.
Definitely a top notch LYS. :)

Everything that’s already been said, I totally agree with.
As the first stop on our «Yarn Crawl» yesterday, Borealis Yarns proved to be a great shop.
What I would like to add about it is this:
I am not a seasoned knitter; I’m verrrrry novice.
I love all the color and texture of the yarns.
The staff were friendly and encouraging.
It’s pretty close to home for me.
There are big windows on 2 sides of the front of the store. Very nice.
In reading previous reviews, it sounds like they have casual, weekly knitting group in the store. I outa get over there sometime for that and try to increase my comfort level with this fine art because I would love to make so many beautiful things with such beautiful yarns.
Has anyone yet mentioned the variegated knitted «bumper» on the pole outside their front door? It’s really cool.

Can you believe it, been knitting for 3 years and have never been in a yarn store? (I don’t count Michaels and Joann’s as yarn shops)
I am happy that Borealis was my cherry popper — very nicely laid out. I loved that we were greeted and were given a quick layout overview and then were left to fondle on our own. Loved that they had lovely samples and these samples were found right near the yarn used to make them.
Staff was perfect, equally help, knowledgeable and encouraging.
So far the best yarn shop I have been to :)
Note: they do except credit cards, but it must be a minimum purchase — I think $ 15

I met the Unilocal Knitters here to kick off the Unilocal Yarn Crawl this morning. What a treat! This store is comfy and friendly like your favorite pair of jeans. The staff were welcoming and knowledgeable — helpful without being in your face.
When I asked about getting six balls of Noro in the same dye lot I ended up having one sales person digging through the bin for me while another went and ran to check the back-​stock to see what they could find. I ended up cradling all 6 balls in my arms like a proud yarn mama and grinning.
The other part of my pattern called for two skeins of Brown Sheep Worsted in black. The sales person I asked about it didn’t know what it was but looked it up for me and they didn’t carry that yarn. I was a little surprised by that as I can’t think of a shop I have been to recently that hasn’t carried this — but other that the lack of Brown Sheep I can’t think of anything they don’t carry. The selection was truly tempting! And to the credit of the sales person — she suggested Cascade 220 as a substitute — which is amazing because that is the yarn that the pattern said could be used as a substitute — so I really have to give these guys credit on their yarn knowledge!
When thinking over all the things that I like about yarn shops, this place pretty much nailed every item I could check off:
Staff: friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming. NOT snobby.
Store: Funky enough to give it’s own unique vibe without being cookie cutter sweet.
Yarn Selection: Other than the lack of Brown Sheep I have to say it was Excellent. I was able to buy two gifts and the yarn for two different patterns for my own selfish needs.
Price: Pretty on par with all the other yarn shops I have been to.
Parking: Easy Peesy.
It was a wonderful way to spend my morning — I will be back!

Great things about Borealis:
— Selection of yarn (there’s an additional room of it in the back)
— Selection of tools, books, etc. (we’re talking sheep-​shaped tape measures)
— Knowledge & helpfulness of the staff
— Knitting groups and classes
— Location next door to a little café
— Punch card toward $ 20 off!
People who work and shop here love yarn. It is, in my opinion, a gem in the city of St. Paul.

Big fan of Borealis! It’s actually where I learned to knit! Went in there one day with some girlfriends, sat down with some ladies that were knitting at the front of the store, and they were so excited to help us learn! It wasn’t even a class, just ladies being friendly. I came back a few years later when I decided to take up knitting again and it’s still my favorite place to shop for yarn. They have such a huge selection of beautiful yarn, including lots of discounted yarn, and the people there are still incredibly helpful and friendly. I wish I lived closer so this could be my regular place to shop for knitting supplies, but I do make sure to make special trips there several times a year.