Wandering about ten years in the wilderness, driving up 101 as it got closer to the City, (I took the much more scenic 280 home), I was stunned when I found the place.
“How long have you been here?”
The woman answered with the owner’s name which I didn’t catch, “…’s been here 34 years.”
“I’ve been here 23. How did I miss you?!”
But in all my years of knitting here, I had never heard of this place. I couldn’t believe it. The entrance was at the side of a building that had the names of its other businesses facing the street–and the Cottage Yarns sign was pretty and big, true, (not the one pictured on the site, which I was looking for) but it was sideways to the road and if you missed it on approach, looking for something else, and went past, you missed it. You could not see the store itself till you walked past the gate.
I pulled over anyway, figuring that had to be it, looked back to the sign, and went, well, duh, Alison. I walked down the sidewalk and there you go.
The ironic thing is I had had lunch once at the cafe kitty-corner from there–with the employees of a competing yarn store, no less, a LYS now gone. I was right there. And I did not see this place.
Advertising is a good thing. Meantime, now I know who stocks a lot of Malabrigo!
“Give me your phone number and I’ll ball it up for you and call and tell you when to pick it up.”
That was very kind of her, I told her, but no, thanks; by way of explanation, I told her what town I’d driven from.
Oh. She chuckled.
But the best part? Besides getting really nice yarn and being able to check the shades and match up the handpaint skeins in person? I tell you. I asked her with a twinge of shyness as she checked me out if she were familiar with the book “Wrapped in Comfort,” (note that Amazon has now dropped that last, three-cent discount–their stock on hand must be really low, and when they’re gone, they’re gone) and she smiled and said, “Oh, yes! We’ve got it right here.”
“That’s my book.”
The oh cool! look on her face made it worth every mile. Every. Single. Mile. Thank you, whoever you were. I will be back.