Favorite Needlepoint Shops

Our friend, Jane, in Chilly Hollow has started an interesting discussion about favorite needlepoint shops. It's sad to hear that so many people have bad experiences in their LNS. Personally, I have never had that experience in any shop I've ever visited but I know people who have. And as bad news travels fast, bad reviews travel even faster. So let's concentrate on the positive and I'll start by listing some of my favorite brick & mortar stores as well as internet stores.

The Bristly Thistle - Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, Florida. Michele Herron is a warm and welcoming shop owner. She also has a store in Michigan. Michele put me on to Tacky Bob ( a CD-like case that holds a sticky pad on which you can place your beads without them going all over the place while you stitch) and the Stitch Zapper that is great for sealing the ends of shiny, slinky threads. Her store is well-stocked with an abundance of threads, canvases, and accessories. She has great trunk shows, too.

Amy's Golden Strand, Memphis, Tennessee - I could go on and on about the fabulous service I receive from everyone at Amy's - Amy, Jill, Robin, and Peggy. I feel like they are my LNS even though they are about an 8 hour drive from Augusta. But, they are as close as my computer and Jill is always quick to answer my questions or send me things I need or can't live without. If Amy doesn't carry it, I probably don't need it!

Needle in a Haystack, Alameda, California - I know that I can find almost any thread I could possibly need or want at Needle in a Haystack and I can do it from the comfort of my favorite chair. If, on the rare occasion, what I need is out of stock, they are happy to special order for me. Their communication with me as a customer is great. I have been very impressed.

Needlepoint, Inc, San Francisco, California - This is the shop that started my needlepoint obsession all over again. I was in SF on a business trip in the mid-90's and looked out my hotel window in downtown SF and, lo and behold, on the second floor of the building across the street was Needlepoint, Inc. That was a fateful day when I decided to walk across the street to "just take a look". Despite being a tiny shop, it was/is filled with wonderful treasures. I think I walked out that day with two projects. Dianne, the owner, could not have been nicer and for several years they became my local needlepoint store (all the way across the country). On subsequent business trips to San Francisco, Dianne took me over to their finishing department. It was an incredible open, well-lighted space filled with any fabric you could imagine. They were finishing furniture, bags, pillows, shoes, wall hangings - you name it. I'll have to share with you in another post, the wall hanging that they finished for me.  I haven't shopped with them recently but I just visited their website and they are offering a wonderful stitching trip in August to The Grand Hotel at Mackinack Island, Michigan. Sounds heavenly!

The four stores I have listed are ones that I have either personally visited or have had numerous transactions with online or on the phone. I really hope I get to visit Amy's sometime soon. I've already plotted out how to break up the drive from Augusta to Memphis!

I look forward to seeing everyone else's replies to Jane's posting. Visit Jane at Chilly Hollow to see what others have to say.