Dear Ann,
Christmas in Omaha was wonderful this year. When we arrived on the 22nd, it was raining. Raining! In Omaha! In December! We tried to accept it–after all, the temperature in New York was 70 degrees that day, so the whole world has gone crazy and we shouldn’t expect the frozen tundra to be frozen, or tundra, anymore. But on the morning of the 23rd, in the course of a few hours, 8 inches of snow fell. Perfect, powdery, fluffy snow. The kind of snow that knows when to quit, so that the roads get plowed and stay plowed, and everybody can enjoy walking around in the snow. It was magical.
But enough about Christmas.
No trip to visit family in Omaha would be complete without a stop at Personal Threads Boutique at 86th and Cass. Every time I visit, I am awed by the place.
I know that when in Omaha, you used to stop in at Personal Threads’ previous location, a bit further east, on Dodge Street, as I did. (It was where I first saw Kaffe Fassett’s fabric collection on the bolt–a big moment.) In that location, the yarn shop shared space with the Lewis Art Gallery; it continues to do so today, but in a spacious new building that owners Joe and Julie Wynn constructed in 2008. (I am trying to think of another yarn store that is in a purpose-built building, and I can’t think of one. Readers: come at me bro.)
The sheer variety of yarn is incredible. Joe has his finger on the pulse of what knitters are knitting, and he stocks it. All of it. In quantity.
He seems to have a firm grasp on what is on fire on Ravelry, too:
I was particularly wowed to see a deep selection of Rowan yarns, which I have trouble finding in New York these days. Joe’s got it, and he’s got it in all the colors. He’s got Rowan garment samples. He’s got the magazines, and he’s got the yarn-specific booklets. It warms my loyal anglophile heart.
There’s a wall of Koigu. To tell the truth, there’s a wall of everything. Because why would you not have a wall of every kind of good yarn that knitters like, if you were a yarn shop? That’s the Personal Threads approach, apparently.
This time I even got to see the storage room.
(No, that’s not the Personal Threads storage room. It’s the beer warehouse my brother manages. I like to Visit Interesting Stuff when I’m in Omaha. Brother Guy has always been very organized. He told me that what he likes about yarn is that it’s not perishable–like beer for example–but he noted that if something is not perishable, there is a danger that you might keep too much of it sitting around. Tell me about it, brother!)
The storage room at Personal Threads is as beautiful as the sales floor. There’s so much yarn that Joe has installed those moving shelves that are used to store vast archives of medical records or research materials. I made a video of them for Instagram. (If you’re not following @kaygardiner and @annshayne on Instagram, YOU ARE MISSING SOME GREAT STUFF.)
Personal Threads is very 21st Century. As yarn shops go, it’s very 22nd Century.
Omaha knitters are blessed, as are Omaha conventioneers and people who stop in Omaha on their way to the West Coast, and people who come to Omaha for the College World Series or to see the zoo. (The Henry Doorly Zoo is a destination zoo. It’s the Personal Threads Boutique of zoos.)
And one more thing: the annual sale at Personal Threads Boutique is THIS WEEK.
I’ll just leave that hanging there.
Love,
Kay
Wow! Never seen a yarn shop like this. Thanks for the vicarious thrills! Amazing.
I may have slipped off the wagon after reading this. Jumped off the wagon, actually. Ran right to that web site. What yarn diet? It went the way of my food diet. ‘Tis the season to be knitting….
Thanks!
Carin
You’re welcome! Here to help!
Comment
Will try Personal Threads again. Live 100 miles away and you have given me the incentive to go down and visit once more. There are also two new yarn stores in Omaha. Question – the display of the Ravelry items make me want to check them out. I’ve seen the hat, but what are the names of the three patterns?
The hat is the Baa-ble hat. The shawl is Color Affection. I’m not sure what the headband is, but if you’d like the pattern I can find out. I work at the shop. It’s a little slice of heaven!
I don’t know–just knew I’d seen them there.
Ugh. I knit too much as I’ve answered my own questions with a peek to Ravelry. I think the others are Jen Geigley’s Braided and the color affection shawl. I appreciate that you write about the middle of the country.
Sounds like a perfect snow for the holiday.
Did you take an empty suitcase with you to bring home all the yarn you’ll be buying?
Wow! I’ve never been to Omaha but the store looks like it’s worth the trip alone! I agree about it being so much harder these days to find Rowan. I’m happy for my stash (which includes maybe 100 colors of LDK!)
Isn’t Colorful Stitches in Lenox, MA another purpose built LYS? It’s a beauty, too.
I’m enjoying my MDK coloring book Christmas present.
Happy 2016!
Colorful Stitches is another favorite shop of mine–in fact I often mix up the names of Colorful Stitches and Personal Threads. Stitchiful Colorthreads!
I am not a person who gives in to regret very often, but DAMN, I cannot believe I did not stop in there. I googled “best yarn shops in Omaha” before arriving on our Christmas visit, and then noticed it was on the route we took from hotel to in-laws. TWICE A DAY (!!!), I passed right by it! I can only blame this bizarre behavior on the massive amounts of sugar that were shoveled down my throat. Gotta be a connection. Next Omaha visit, i will get there no matter what.
Always wise to save something for the next trip!
Please tell us you’re going to knit that wonderful Rowan sweater, and tell us all about it as you do!
Annual sale? This week?! You’re an enabler. And I like that about you.
Slightly off topic, but I heard an NPR story recently about a place (old country club, I think), where they are building a church, a mosque, and a synagogue and plan to do shared activities. That and the yarn shop should be reason to go.
Yarn provides its own perfect decor, doesn’t it? Just hang it on a wall, spread it out on a table, tuck it into bins and onto shelves, and wham! You’re done decorating a space, whether it’s a cupboard or a showroom. Kay, I thought of you yesterday when I was passing the yarn store where I met you in Harvard, MA back in – 2009? 2010? Haven’t been by there since and unfortunately yesterday I was on the way to a Veterinary Dental Hospital (who knew?) so no time for yarn smooshing.
Love me some personal threads. Joe is great and really has enabling down to a science. I will have to head over there and check out the sale.
Laughing my behind off at your Jersey Shore reference – I started binge watching as soon as the dust settled after Christmas, I’m up to Season 5 today, I needed something to correct my cables by. Thanks for the sale info, that shop looks amazing!
That’s it, you sold me — Omaha gets add to the list of top dream vacation spots I must check out. I need to scale the wall of Koigu once in my lifetime.
In The Making…Birmingham,Ala…gorgeous shop built by the owners…wonderful staff…and I live in Cincinnati!
I believe that Loops Knitting in Tulsa, OK falls in the category of built for the purpose of a yarn store. They even have a link on their website to a pdf you can download that lists hotels near them and other things to do in the area!
http://www.loopsknitting.com/store/pc/catalog/travel_flyer.pdf
What a great store! Kay (or anyone else) do you know what the pattern is for that raspberry, mustard and gray shawl that’s pictured?
That is Color Affection! I believe they made this one out of Silkpaca Lace by Malabrigo.
Thank you! I thought it might be and I’m glad it is!
And just when I think I’ve seen the 2 best yarn shops ever in Loop and Churchmouse, you show me this. Persona Threads is yarn heaven!! Hmm wonder if I can get my husband to stop in Omaha on the way to Lincoln for a football game?
I am glad I read this post before New Year’s! Visited the site and almost called the airline, but shopped in the comfort of my pj’s instead. Talk about service – just 1 hour after placing my order I received an e-mail from the post office that it’s been shipped! Had to clean the computer screen of coffee. Amazing. Will definitely go back there again. Thanks for the tip Kay.
I love that the yarn is stored on wire shelving so the skeins and hanks can breathe.