Any Boston-area Needlepoint shops?

Try checking the website of the trade organization --

-- not all shops belong, but many do.

You will often find paternayan and other fibers offered at a lesser price onine than what you pay in shops. There is overhead to consider at a brick and mortar establishment. Also there is customer service,and the ability to pick and shoose colors in person. This may be particularly important when looking at dye lots -- sometimes the dye lot variation is enormous. When you buy in person you have the ability to see exactly how colors will blend. Good luck in your search.

Katherine in Omaha

There is a much nicer needlepoint store just up the block from Newbury Knit and Needle. It's on the same side of the street, but is on the second floor, so you might not have noticed it. The staff there is wonderful and they have tons of everything. The store is called Needlepoint of Back Bay and is at 125 Newbury st (617-536-7999). There is also a nice little place in Salem called B.F. Goodstitch, which I am positive sells blank canvas because I've bought plenty from her.

Elizabeth

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

I would second the recommendation for N of Back Bay, I discovered it on a convention trip to Boston and it was really really nice. I don't needlepoint, I cross stitch, but the fiber collection was great. I can't honestly tell you about blank canvas though but I'd say give them a try.

Alis>There is a much nicer needlepoint store just up the block from Newbury

Try the shop locator at TNNA's website.

There are NP shops that pretty much sell only handpainted canvases, and then there are Needlework Shops that sell supplies - you just need to do some looking for a Needlework Shop that carries NP and not cross-stitch only.

You might try them: Needlepoint of Back Bay

164 Newbury Street (between Dartmouth and Exeter Streets) Boston, MA 02116 Tel: 617-536-7999 Fax: 617-536-7999

E mail: snipped-for-privacy@needlepointbackbay.com

If you do some web-searching, you'll find some shop links. This designer has a listing of shops in Mass - if you hit this link and scroll down you'll find several that ought to have what you want.

luck ellice

Thanx! I went to Needlepoint of Back Bay and I HIGHLY recommend them! To anyone in the Boston area, I found the staff MUCH friendlier and more helpful than at Knit & Needlepoint, near the Ritz-Carlton on Newbury. Needlepoint of Back Bay was marvelous and well worth the trip. It's across from Pottery Barn on the second floor in a building on Newbury Street. I purchased a laying tool there, and will be going back for more. The prices as well seemed quite reasonable. Blank canvas, painted canvases, frames, fiber, laying tools, etc. were all available....and importantly, a FRIENDLY AND HELPFUL staff! Wow! What a change compared to my other experience up the street!

I've often found that if there are multiple shops in town, one is friendlier than the other. Typically, the other will fawn all over their regular customers, and assume that anyone they haven't seen before is there to shoplift.

A while back, a friend and I went into two NP shops, which are basically across the street from each other. At the first, an employee shadowed each of us. That is, till I slapped my American Express Gold on the counter, at which point, they couldn't have been more obsequious. My friend, who was still shopping, suddenly lost her "shadow", who was dispatched to the back room to get a few more things for me.

It's incidents like that, that convince me that I want to keep paying the extra for the Gold Card instead of going back to the basic green.

At the second, we were greeted, and allowed to shop without being tailed. They were willing to answer any question, but didn't make us feel that we were untrustworthy just because they hadn't met us before.

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I'm glad you liked it too. It's funny that they're both on the same street and yet so different. There's a nice yarn store just down the street a few doors also, and a bead shop. And some great restaurants (I went to Stephanie's on Newbury Street and it was wonderful.) In fact I really enjoyed the Back Bay experience (stayed at a hotel attached to the Prudential mall...)

Alison

Nothing could convince me to pay for a credit card. They make enough money without charging me a fee. And if I have to wave my credit around to impress people, I don't want to deal with them anyway.

Elizabeth

I would never give my money to anyone who couldn't be bothered to treat me with common courtesy if there was any choice at all. It just tells them it's okay to treat people like that. And it absolutely is not.