The Yarnery is making a move, and you may be wondering why. Follow along as we tell you about what we've been up to all summer. To say it's been a busy few months is an understatement.
In its 52 years, the shop has had several homes, from its beginnings at Macalester Mart, to outposts in Edina and Rosedale Mall. Most folks think of the old house at 840 Grand as our longtime home — rightly so, as we were there for more than 30 years. When we — Shelly and Scott — bought the shop 11 (!) years ago, we planned to eventually relocate. The house had its charms, but small rooms and narrow stairs made retail and classes a challenge.
We took our time, and found the right spot — our current one — two weeks before the pandemic hit. We love our Selby Ave shop — the open layout, exposed stone and brick, amazing natural light — and we love the neighborhood. And even four-plus years later, we get folks in every week — visitors from out of town, those rediscovering crafts — seeing the shop for the first time. "When did you move from Grand Ave?!" In some ways, it still feels new. We thought we'd be on Selby for a long time.
What we didn't anticipate, in March, 2020, was how much our business would change and grow over the next few years. We are bursting at the seams. Planned social space was quickly jettisoned to make room for yarn, the classroom became a multi-purpose room for, well, everything, and we found ourselves limiting inventory because of square footage. Over the past year we realized we had to make a move to become the yarn store we want to be, both for our brick-and-mortar shop and online.
Our new space gives us lots of room to grow, and most importantly, we're making space for you. It's dramatically larger than our current space: triple the retail space; dedicated learning and making spaces; several restrooms; offices; separate areas for inventory, shipping, receiving, and photography; a patio (check it out next spring for sure!), even a kitchen and staff room. We're investing for the long-term, and will be in our new Mac-Groveland location for a long, long time. In just a few weeks, we'll welcome you to 2040 St. Clair Ave!