Atelier Marin

I came into Atelier Marin the other day and was very impressed by the selection of yarn as well as the quality of service I received. The two ladies working were exceptionally helpful trying to help me find yarn for my proposed project and were conscientious about the cost of the yarn my project would require. They voluntarily took down other garments made from the yarn I was considering so I could get a sense of the weight of the finished project. Ultimately I actually fell in love with one of the sample garments and switched to an entirely different project and purchased the yarn for it instead. The selection and friendliness of this shop were exceptional, they reassured me they were there if I needed any assistance on my project and I would return again to do business.

Absolutely yummy yarn! Yes, on the pricey side but this isn’t your run of the mill selection of materials. I expect to pay about what I did for what I bought. The gals who were there were delightful, helpful and knowledgeable, and the selection was pretty amazing considering the size of the shop. I will definitely be back!

I’m an experienced knitter and worked in a yarn store for two years and I don’t understand the negative, hurtful reviews that some people have written about this store. It’s small, but has a great selection of yarns, is cozy and welcoming, and the staff are knowledgable and helpful.
I’ve had several interactions with the owner and never once detected any whiff of bad attitude from her.
Do you people know how hard it is to run a small specialty store like this? It’s not like selling a toaster. If you sell a sweater’s worth of yarn, you often have to help that person all the way through the project (if they ever finish it!) before they’ll come back and buy more yarn. And it’s a store! Not your living room! Go home and knit! We had a woman who regularly came into the store where I worked (not this one) and wanted to knit and eat her lunch there every day.
I have a feeling that a lot of the nasty reviews were about people making inappropriate requests and then not getting what they wanted.
This is a nice store run by a pleasant lady. End of story.

Despite all the negative comments I’ve heard about this place, I popped in one day just to ask if they could recommend a knitting repair place. The lady was very short with me… acted put off that I even had the nerve to ask and that my question was absurd. What a snot.

Small stuffy store in a cute shopping district. Truly beautiful specimens of completed knitting projects. Inspiring displays.
I am a weaver. I walked in with a fellow male friend, and we could hear the collective gasp. We might as well have been Klingons in full military gear. I looked around at the ten women there (perhaps two were staff) embarrassed that I had intruded.
After the cursory staff contact — that familiar pointed/​annoyed/​unpleasant «can I help you?» tone — I was ignored for about 30 minutes. I was made to feel that I was in the wrong store.
And even though I made several pricey purchases, I left feeling like I was a Hell’s Angel crashing a garden society tea party.
Come on, ladies, this is the Bay Area in the 21^st century.
Over-​priced but excellent selection of yarns.
I won’t be back. Too bad. I like the product lines and displays.

This is a beautiful yarn store! They have many projects on display that you can do. The patterns are free with the yarn purchase. The ladies are very helpful. The yarn here is GOOD/​beautiful/​very high quality yarn, so it is a higher price than other places. But the things you can make with high quality yarn are so much nicer!!!

Love, love this store! A wonderful discovery for the knitter inside me. During a visit with my cousin (who is an avid knitter), I wanted to show her around — i found Atelier online, and decided to check it out. Well, 3 simple knitted cowls later, not only am i a fan, i am an addict! The yarns are beautiful, Amanda and her team are wonderful, and the store is a true find. Go check it out!

I give it 2.5 stars. It’s a pretty, cozy store with beautifully displayed yarn and great patterns. The location is also perfect for me. I have found the people working there (all 3 of them including the owner) to be very pleasant and helpful although it took a little warming up. My main disappointment is that when I’ve taken my project there for some help, one of the (I assume) less experienced knitters who works there did not correctly fix my knitting mistakes. It’s happened numerous times and I can no longer take my mistakes to her. Also, the prices are high. Finally, they don’t want people to knit in the store unless you’re in a class. It’s such a beautiful setting for knitting — i wish they would dedicate some time during each day or week for people to knit there. I know I’d buy more yarn from them (even at their higher prices) if they’d do something like that for the knitting community.

This shop is very appealing at first glance, with an excellent selection of yarns beautifully displayed. But in my three or four visits, communication by the owner, who did not greet or ask to help, ran the gamut from impatience to barely disguised hostility in response to fairly simple questions. I was also uncomfortable with the way she spoke to another customer rudely over my head as I was making my purchase. Clearly there is an «in crowd» of upscale women who are worthy of attention and certainly demand it, but «the rest of us» who don’t take the classes there, or who need to ask the prices, are better off at Dharma where they’re happy to help and answer all manner of questions. Too bad, could be such a great place. Just not what I’m looking for in an LYS.

This store continues to disappoint me. Although there is a good selection of nice yarns, they are not individually priced and so you don’t know how much you might be spending unless you ask. The woman who owns the store then seems put out when you ask her the price, and is not very warm to begin with.
Though this is the closest yarn store to my house I don’t ever shop there as it is just not a happy place. I’d rather travel any distance to get help and good yarn.

I agree that the owner has some attitude problems. I have been in the store a couple of times. The first time she was cool and disinterested, and the second time downright rude. Needless to say, I won’t be shopping here.

I have been in the store a couple of times. If I have any questions, or am unable to find something, I have always been helped. I like that there are simple patterns that are free with the yarn – and I am currently working on two of them. I have been told, although I haven’t had any need yet, that should I have any questions about the pattern, to bring in the work and they can help. Great!
With the holidays just around the corner, knitting is back in for me!

In my opinion both the knitting supplies and classes here are overpriced, but you may not realize what you’re spending until you get the bill as there are no prices posted. Other knitting stores in Marin have more reasonable choices and some even offer free classes if you buy the supplies.

I’m not a knitter, but my partner is. This is the only yarn store he’ll patronize. Having joined him on a few visits, I can see why. The joy of knitting so clearly evident in the presention of materials and in the owner herself that it has made me consider taking up knitting myself! I actually find myself enjoying the wait while new patterns and yarns are discussed.
Even someone like me who still doesn’t knit can see that this store reflects a real passion for knitting …