Today, I went to a new yarn store in Winchester. I won't name it. I will just say that it isn't the same little yarn shop in Winchester that I used to frequent, but another one that one of my little knitting circle ladies recommended.
They had a beautiful selection of Berroco suedes, and for the first time in my life, I touched Cherry Tree Hill. Ah. Ah. Ah....total yarn porn. Cherry Tree Hill, my friends, is MUCHO expensive. But the colors are so, so, so beautiful. Very clear color saturation, and whoever designs their colorways has probably studied color theory. Impressive.
I also met the owner, who was very, very nice.
HOWEVER....
I really left the shop uncomfortable, and to the point that I might revisit the store and return my yarn. (Or maybe just exchange it.) For starters, when the owner left, the woman working the shop bombarded me with questions. Every two seconds..."how ya doin'....how is the shopping coming...etc". OK. I know that good customer service includes trying to help a customer, but there is a point where you just stop.
Second, the woman TOTALLY smelled like cigarettes. For the fiber arts community, this is a frightening prospect. The fibers in the shop didn't smell like smoke, but there is this psychological thing that goes on when a knitter smells smoke. Yes, Kevin smokes in our house, but he is relegated to one room, and only with his head hanging out the window. My fibers are protected.
Third, the woman pressured me to no end to buy the Cherry Tree Hill. I mean, she badgered me. And then looked at me as I was checking out and said "you are just making a HUGE mistake"....I even explained to her that I am in no position to drop over $20 on one pair of socks right now. She just shook her head and sighed like I had offended her.
Typing this sounds lame, but she went to an extreme. During my experience, I had to ask her to leave me alone. And two seconds later, she was hot on my heels. I don't want to be watched while I shop! Do I look like a thief? No! Sometimes, us yarn whores just want to look and fondle fiber to think about inspriation....not to make decisions on the spot.
Maybe she just has a really weird sense of humor I didn't pick up on. Let's look on the sunny side.
OK. I need to go back to the shop. I have decided. I need to talk to the owner. This was such a bad experience. It needs redeemed.
I love Susan, my Y2Knit shop owner. She is just so, so, so cute and funny. She knows me. She knows my style. She understands my manic knitting impulse. I just want to put her on a shelf and talk to her all day. And knit with her. Good shop owners are like good therapists...you just find one that fits you. And you stick with her.
