Lion Brand Yarn Studio in Manhattan
Photo courtesy of London Kaye
Lion Brand Yarn Studio in New York City is closing on April 2, 2020. The closure was announced on their website and social media channels on Thursday.
A leading supplier of yarn to retailers like Michaels and Joann Stores, Lion Brand will continue distributing their yarn to stores around the United States. They will also continue selling yarn online, and at the Lion Brand Yarn Outlet in New Jersey. According to Lion Brand CMO Richard Ezra, the shift away from retail represents a refocus on their core competency: distribution.
“We are not a retailer – we serve the retailers,” Ezra said.
Lion Brand’s flagship retail store
Billed as a, “unique retail store and education center,” Lion Brand Yarn Studio opened on November 18, 2008, as a stand-alone concept store in Manhattan’s Union Square neighborhood.
The flagship store created a place for customers to browse and shop Lion Brand Yarns’ full collection of yarn. “It’s been a dream of mine for over 10 years–to have a flagship store, a studio space at our Manhattan location, where we can display our yarns and inspire customers with our images and garments in a way that truly reflects the Lion Brand vision,” Lion Brand president David Blumenthal wrote in a June 2008 blog post. “In all of New York City, there are so few places to buy Lion Brand, we think you’ll enjoy the opportunity to purchase our yarns when you’re here,” Blumenthal said.
A space for creativity
Lion Brand Yarn studio hosted many craft events in their 2,000-square-foot store, including workshops, book signings, and exhibits of fiber artworks. CMO Ezra cited a decline in event attendance over the years, down from a high of nearly 1,000 students per year.
The store’s seasonal window displays featured elaborate knit and crochet installations. Fiber artist London Kaye created a series of crocheted window displays for the studio in 2017 and 2018. “It was always such a joy being in the Lion Brand Yarn Store and even more special getting to dress the windows,” said Kaye. “My favorite window I worked on was for the winter season. I used a whole variety of yarn colors and textures. Not only was the crochet inside the window, but it also leaped outside, covering the facade of the building in crochet snowflakes. After that, I created a different design for every season over the course of the year! I will miss the Lion Brand Studio, but that won’t stop me from using Lion Brand Yarn,” said Kaye.
The studio displayed a colorful world map in the store during the summer months. Visitors could place a pin on the map to represent where they were from. The yarn map reflected visitors from 30 countries.
Lion Brand Yarn Studio announced a 20% off sale at their Manhattan shop beginning on February 9th. The company did not comment on staff layoffs related to the store closure.
“We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation and thanks to everyone who has visited and supported the Lion Brand Yarn Studio throughout the years. We will cherish the friendships and community we have cultivated over the past 11+ years and will continue to be inspired by all that we have witnessed from you,” staff shared in a statement.
Erin Dollar
Contributor
Erin is the textile designer and artist behind the home décor company, Cotton & Flax. She licenses her surface designs for fabric, home décor, stationery, and other clients. She’s also a teacher, writer, and enthusiastic advocate for small creative business owners. She lives in San Diego, California.
So sad to see yet another bricks and mortar yarn shop closing. Our local Shuttles, Spindles, & Skeins in Boulder, CO, is facing the same fate. Buying yarn online just isn’t the same experience, and I’m never sure if I’ve picked the right color.
This literally makes me cry. I dreamt of visiting them in person to see all the gorgeous yarns not available here. I am so sad that will never happen. As much as I appreciate the convenience of ordering online, it is nothing like visiting a shop.
This made me really sad too, though I’m getting the news rather late! I almost cried when I tried to visit the store while in NYC a while back, and it was closed on Saturdays (the only day I could get there). I got to see the window and peek in the store, but couldn’t go in 🙁 I always thought I’d be back….
I’ll be visiting NYC in March, I’m happy to see it one last time! The store will be missed for sure.
This is such grave and sad news. True yarn lovers know the real experience of touching, working with, and seeing yarn first hand. Ordering on-line certainly is impersonal and lacks learning from others in the yarn communities. This is another sign of the times and it is just wrong.
Oh My Lord! How am I get my Vanna White yarn again?! It seems that this was going to happen when I could not get the catalogues anymore. Please check too see if they may think about this situation. I love Vanna ‘s, the Jiffy and all the other’s yarns.
I almost never buy yarn unless I can see and touch it. And where will we go for such a knowledgeable friendly service? I can buy yarn online from a dozen sources that don’t have shops to set them apart. Sad and short-sighted.
so does this explain why my order of May 23rd has not been delivered or that I cannot reach the website to get any information I’ve left the emails and phone calls and post it on their website nobody’s answering call nobody returning call nothing from them folks what am I supposed to do? I am not the only one in this situation
I am so sad that this great store is closed. What a beautiful store it was. I took many classes there and bought a lot of yarns over the years. The store was like I other The window displays were the best.
Just another example of corporate America fucking the little guy! Glad to know your a sell out to the American Dream also..won’t buy your product because of this ! I will support the family owned local businesses before I will buy crap from corporate America.
Lion Brand is still a family-owned business.
I am laughing so hard at your “selling out” comment. Lion Brand are not a “little guy” and hasn’t been in a VERY long time. It was one single brick-and-mortar store – you can still get every single yarn online or in other retail stores, just like you could before. This will literally make zero difference to anyone except those few who wanted to visit this very specific location – meanwhile, the rest of the US (and worldwide) population still gets their Lion Brand yarns at other retailers or online, just as they always have.
So so so sad…I want to cry too. These are such hard times for most everyone with this terrible Covid-19. Cooking and the fiber arts & crafts are keeping many of us from going bonkers!
I grew up with a grandmother who was a phenomenal craftsperson. You name the fiber craft–she could do them all. What yarn did she use? One of the few available at the time; Lion brand yarns. She bought it at Woolworth 5 & Dime stores. She taught me how to knit using Lion with good old Boye plastic or aluminum needles which I still have.
This is yet another nail in the coffin for people who love the time honored crafts of fiber arts. It’s also a blow to many people who want to learn but cannot afford the outrageous yarn prices of yarn used in publications like Vogue Knitting, or pretty much any yarn in a magazine.
And no pretty well-lit picture of yarn will ever replace being able to touch & see the real thing.
I live northwest of the San Francisco Bay Area where so many yarn stores have closed. Pretty soon the only places where they will still be will be the major cities and those of us living outside of those areas, will have to be satisfied with Joanne’s or Michael’s which sells less and less yarn every year.
At least Lion yarns as a company is not closing–oh boy now THAT would be time to cry 😭.
You are soooooo right!!
As someone who is always on the road for business travel, I try to visit the local yarn stores wherever I land. Lion Brand’s studio was one of my favorites – it was the only place to touch and drool over LB Collection yarn (I admit to being a ‘fiber snob!’). Somehow there was always room in my suitcase for a few skeins.
Rest in peace, Lion Brand Studio….until you rise like a Fiber Phoenix and return to us die-hard brick and mortar yarn shoppers. All the best to the Blumenthal family and the Lion Brand team as you focus on serving retailers!
I am very sad i have a half made afghan using vanna’s acrylic color (aqua) and cant find it anywhere was buying it at ocean state for $2.50
If you still need it, Vanna’s acrylic yarn color aqua is up for sale on eBay right now. (02/23/21).
“Lot Of 3 Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Yarn AQUA #102 Discontinued Soft 3.5 Oz Each”
It is advertised as $24.99 with 5.50 shipping
-Linda
I want to know why my yarn has not been delivered. You charged card and I have nothing
You’ll need to contact Lion Brand for customer service about your yarn. We are a trade association and can’t help you with this.
Me too! I was making my husbands out of thick and quick in Bershire. I’m so beyond sad as I’ve worked on this for years. 💔
I have a question about a very old basket I found in my husband’s grandmother’s home. It has a metal logo between the woven strips of wood that says “Lion Brand.” Could this been made for your company at some point to hold your product? If so, do you know when. His grandmother had some really old items in her house that belonged to other family members, so I am interested in the history of this basket. Thanks!
I enjoyed my visit to the store. I bought the “signature” knitting bag, and the Aran style wool yarn, which is still a great product. It’s sad to hear it closed, but Covid put and to my local yarn shop and my favorite cafe out here in California. And many lives, too.
*an end
This closure was announced before COVID shut things down here in the US.
i left NYC 3 years ago for Salt Lake City where there is only 1 really expensive yarn store. I was getting to NYC every 4 months & would stop in to the studio to stock up. i have not been back to NYC in almost 2 years because of the pandemic & i have really been wedded to the web site. Unfortunately the discount stores like michaels & joann & Walmart never have reasonable amounts of Lion Brand neither do they carry anything but the most basic things. I did notice that in the year prior to the pandemic service became disinterested at best & down right rude at worst. i found that so sad because in its heyday it was such a beautiful retail store & I took so many wonderful classes over the years . I suppose that Mr. Blumenthal knows what he is doing, still it is very sad. I remember when the store was new, Shira was often in the studio learning with us customers. The Studio was such a special place. Somehow all the individual knitters lose out .