In my constant search for a local yarn shop, I recently visited Yarnologist and Whimsical Wool Gallery.  These two new shops relatively close to me both opened in April, 2024.  When I got back from Europe, I visited both in the same week, so it was easy to compare them.

I’ll start with Whimsical Wool Gallery because it is the one I visited first.  It is located in Powell, Ohio only a few miles from where John and Jackie live.  The location is convenient, but the store did not make a good first impression.  The yarn selection was extremely limited.  Jackie and I were the only ones in the shop and I spent a while talking to the owner.  It takes some time to build up a good stock of yarn because each manufacturer wants you to get all their yarns, which is a big investment.

Whimsical Wool Gallery carries Malabrigo and Berroco yarns, which are two brands that I use quite a bit.  Berroco Comfort Sock is my go-to sock yarn.  Malabrigo is my favorite yarn when I’m “Knitting the National Parks” hats. Their Rios yarn comes in a large selection of colors and knits up beautifully into the hats.  She also had a small selection of Wonderland yarn.

I love to look at hand-dyed yarn or special soft blends, but these yarns are often $30 a skein.  And anything you knit with something so expensive has to be hand-washed.  One of my gauges of a good yarn store is to ask the owner or clerk “What do you have for knitting a baby blanket?”  I want something a step above JoAnns or Walmart yarn.  I also want something that is less expensive and can be machine-washed.   After all, someone with a newborn doesn’t have time to hand wash a baby blanket.

When I asked the owner of Whimsical Wool Gallery what she had for a baby blanket, she didn’t have a single suggestion.  Talking to her, in general, was kind of depressing.  She was discouraged by how her shop was going.  She said people came in once and then didn’t come back.  Frankly, I don’t blame them.  The shop itself was mostly empty.  There were only a couple of samples, which are often the inspiration for future projects.  The owner said one project I noticed was knitted by her mother in the 1960’s.

I bought a couple of skeins of Malabrigo Rios that I can use for my hats, and then Jackie and I headed out.  I want to support local yarn shops, but I don’t know if I will be back.  On the one hand, she carries some of the yarn I use regularly.  On the other hand, going there was depressing.  Not what I look for in a yarn shop.

I went to the second new yarn shop a few days later.  The Yarnologist is located in an old, but well-maintained house on the square in Johnstown.  The store was easy to find because she has a huge sign out front.  The yarn selection in Yarnologist was just as limited as Whimsical Wool, but the feeling was completely different.

Because the Yarnologist is located in an old building, Misty, the owner, was able to fill one room up with yarn.  As she continues to grow her stock, she can add other rooms.  She had a second room with a nice selection of Cascade yarn, another brand I use frequently.  Best of all, the store was nicely decorated and had lots of samples on display, made with yarns from the shop.  It was a very inviting space.

I talked to Misty for a while and she was encountering the same problems as the owner of Whimsical Wool.  It is hard to have enough of a selection when first starting out.  But Misty was very upbeat and I enjoyed talking to her.  When I asked what yarn she would recommend for a baby blanket, she suggested Cascade 220 Superwash.  It was a great suggestion.  The yarn is relatively inexpensive and can be machine washed and dried.  I bought three skeins for a baby blanket.

Misty invited me to come for the “Stitch and Chatter” on August 24 from 1 to 3 p.m.  The group meets to knit or crochet and talk.  The other people in the group can help if you are having a problem.  I was glad to go and took the baby blanket I was working on.  There were eight women there and I was the oldest!  We sat around the table in the back room of the shop.  It was fun to meet the other women and listen to them talk.  I went back to the September “Stitch and Chatter” and put the October date on my calendar.

Both the yarn shops were interesting places to visit, especially since they opened at the same time.  There was quite a contrast between them.  I hope they both do well and are around for many years to come.