The Point of everything

The Point NYC (now closed)
37a Bedford Street
Bedford St at Carmine St

The point at The Point on Bedford is enjoyment. They're a bakery and yarn store, with lots of tables and not much space. I am rather picky when it comes to retail staff. They should be attentive without being intrusive, as well as helpful and knowledgeable without being pedantic or condescending. With a full room of knitters (not shoppers), The Point's staff nailed my requirements.

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Yarn Connection

Yarn Connection (now closed)
Madison Avenue off of E. 37th St.
Upstairs

Tight, tiny store, dusty. Old magazines. Needles located behind the door. The staff had their favorite people and was more than willing to chat with them. I asked for help and got it, but not good help – I told the woman I am allergic to acrylic, showed her the yarns I’d picked up, at my request she located other colors for me but she never bothered to tell me that two of the balls I’d picked up contained acrylic. What part of allergic didn’t she understand? And of course the store had gone out of business, so I couldn't return it.

Knit New York

Knit New York (now closed)
14th Street between 2nd Ave and 1st Ave, closer to 2nd.
Down short flight of stairs from street level

Large, white, clean shop. Never tried to the café.

First trip: helpful people, gorgeous colors in the yarns, very pricey but great sale bins. Spent $70 mostly on yarn.

Second trip: unnecessarily aggressive staff were beyond unhelpful (ended up with wrong sized needles because she wouldn’t listen), still pricey yarns in an astonishing variety of colors, uninteresting sale bins. Spent $16 only on tools.