Knittn’ Kitten

A fun place to explore and buy reasonably priced vintage sewing/​craft supplies. Definitely worth the stop.

I was so excited to come here! I am constantly on the hunt for cool vintage fabrics and bargains. I was a little disappointed though. The fabrics were more expensive than I expected. Some of the other reviews here had mentioned $ 2-​$ 3 yards of fabric. I saw a few priced like that in the sale section but the good stuff was marked higher than that– average $ 7/​yard.
Also I found the vibe in there very un-​welcoming. I’m definitely the type of person who likes to be left alone when I shop but theres being left alone and then theres feeling really uncomfortable in a store cause you’re the only one in there and the person working barely says hello to you. Even when I went up to pay I felt super uncomfortable. The woman working (owner? not sure) rang up my sale with barely a word or even a smile. Customer service seemed non-​existent. A «hello, how are you, did you find everything you wanted?» would have gone a long way. I’m not sure I’ll be back again for this reason.

Time to take a break from my passion of canning, I decided to brush up on my knitting skills (long ago abandoned) I went to Knittn’ Kitten for supplies and had a wonderful time.
The staff were helpful to get me a good starter selection of materials and I then spent another hour browsing and digging thru finds. Unfortunately all the goodies got to think that I should also start quilting, which resulted in another arm full of items to buy!
I appreciate the variety they have due to the sale of older fabrics and materials. It’s like digging in my mother’s attic.

A thrift store with nothing but crafts!!! There are lots of treasures here. I was introduced to the place through a friend. I enjoyed being able to browse uninterrupted. Found some great yarn and vintage buttons, as well as a few completed crafts (jewelry) for Christmas Presents and neat handmade cards. Also vintage jewelry (fun stuff) for cheap. They have a little bit of everything. The owner Ethyl happily showed me a photo album of her daughter Rome’s sewing works of art.

This place is very cute and quaint. Too out of the way for me (or probably most people) but not far from my friend/landlord’s house so I stop by once in a blue moon. They do have some stuff for other than knitting, and this is where my interest lies. So ask me not about knitting — for this may be the best knotting store in the whole wide world.
It’s a pretty good store from some jewels, and charms and some crafts as well. I wish it had more of that. There’s a cool wall of jewelry and chachkies as you enter, and another table full of jewelry-​making stuff (some findings i there as well).
Decent sized store, I feel they could be a bit more/​better than they are. I’m also not aware they do any marketing. There are tons of fabrics as well, they seem to specialize in vintage fabrics. I thought maybe they had classes but i don’t see them listed on the site. So I really like this quaint store, but not enough for a 4 (and I almost never give 5) — but a 3.5 for sure!

Ethel and Rome are rare treasures, just like what you’ll find lurking around on the shelves and in the bins at Knittn’ Kitten. Whenever I have a project or need help, Ethel has always been happy to take the time to work with me and help me find a fabric that will work with whatever I’m trying to do.
Yesterday I went in with a simple dress pattern (they have tons of patterns for sale as well, usually for very little money) and told her what kind of fabric I needed. She took me around, chatting with me and another woman as well while she looked, and offered a few suggestions on substitutions. I ended up taking home three-​ish yards of a beautiful breezy flower print and some denim-​printed cotton material for my dress, and I’m super excited about sewing my own clothes for the first time in about 20 years. Usually I make dolls and soft sculpture, and Ethel has invited me now on a few occasions to post my progress to the Knittn’ Kitten facebook page so she can see how it’s going.
I LOVE YOU, KNITTN’ KITTEN!

I’ve been to this store a few times and always find a bit (or a lot) of fabric calling my name. While the store is overwhelmingly stuffed with sewing goods, there is a method to their organization and they’ll gladly help you find more of what you’re looking for.
Secret tips I learned last time:
1) If you love vintage patterns, tell them. The owner’s daughter pulled out *boxes* of vintage patterns for my browsing pleasure. What you see on the rack is only a smidge of what they have. The price is right, too! 3 – 5 dollars depending on the year.
2) If you’re looking for specific fabric content or style, tell them! The owner showed me the rack in the back where rayon often hides, and after I lamented the modern loss of border prints, she told me which bin housed a naval-​themed border print.
3) They have an entire bin of lining fabrics. It’s worth dumping it all out to see what’s there. The owner even suggested it to me!
For knitting and crochet, I’ve found great vintage booklets but I’m not as keen on the yarn selection. Not sure exactly which type of lining to use? Ask for a suggestion. They’re really nice.

The only thing wrong with this place is that I always walk out with way more fabric than I meant to buy! It is a thrift store, so you never know what you will find, and of course, if you don’t buy it right away you’ll probably never see it again! The prices are incredibly fair, so even if you overindulge, like me, you’ll get a lot of fabric for your money. And just looking at all the cool vintage fabrics gives me lots of ideas for projects. You do have to dig around, but you can find fabrics from all eras and in all materials. The owner is very friendly, knowledgeable about fabric and has a lot of personality. She will usually cut down large pieces if you want just a part of it. (unfortunately, I usually want more, not less!) She has shown me cool stuff from the back room that she hasn’t even had a chance to price yet. I love this place and I would go back more often if I didn’t have so much fabric already.

So much great fabric for almost no money. I wish I could come here every week because there’s a high rate of turnover. I see that a few people have had poor experiences with the proprietor, but she was cordial with me and showed genuine interest in my project. I suppose anyone can have off days.
In any case, this is an establishment that requires repeat visits – you never know what you’re going to find.

I was only in the store for less than 2 minutes, and already she was criticizing me because I don’t know what ‘fat quarters’ are. I looked at her in the eye and told her, «I’m not a quilter, so I don’t know what those things are called. Do you mind if I open one of these?» My intention was to buy Christmas fabrics from her, yeah in August, it’s time to start making ‘stuff’ for Fall Bazaars. She has no Christmas items, they’re all in storage.
Anyway, I asked her if she had any fabrics of yellow stars and white background. She went in the back room and took out more fat quarters, trying to help me. I was telling her how I acquired many yards of fabric, from this lady who used to make hair ties, after she died, but because I used to work at a fabric store, I knew how much per yard, they are worth, while she interrupt what I was saying and started to say again: «you used to work in a fabric store, and you don’t know what fat quarters are??» Finally, I got disgusted with her and told her: «I came here to buy fabrics, NOT TO ARGUE with you!» and left. I told her: «I was a cashier, and I didn’t worked in the quilting department, nor did I learn how to quilt while I worked there, we didn’t even sell fat quarters when I worked there!»
But for me to argue to someone, and for her to attack her customer just because they’re dumb & stupid, I don’t think that’s right. Maybe, that’s how she talks to other people, but that’s NOT how you talk to customers! I just couldn’t believe that just happened to me! How rude of her to do that. .. for now, she just lost a customer and I will NOT BE GOING BACK!
I’ve called her once before, about 2 months ago, inquiring about buttons if she have any of the small buttons I needed, and she was rude to me then, not at all helpful! I didn’t want to go, today, but I was curious what other fabrics she has in store. It was a totally waste of time.
For anyone who makes crafts for a living, should KNOW, it’s Christmas in August in order to have Fall & Christmas items ready for Bazaar sales! As for myself, this will be my first time, making stuff to sell, so I’m all new, but at least I’m prepared for what’s ahead of me.
She’s NOT AT ALL friendly!
Update: After my visit there, the following day, I found on Craigslist a lady selling all her stash of quilting fabrics. I drove to her house and found bags & bags of already cut-​out fabrics, just what I needed to make my projects. .. Christmas squares for $ 4, probably 5 pounds worth of fabric, enough for two years! Others were priced $ 3-​$ 5. It was like I just won a lottery! If you’re looking for quality fabric scraps, Craigslist has plenty of good materials, BY THE YARD, cheaper than here! Just search Arts & Crafts.

there’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said about this unique place but i’ll try to find a few things.
the owners, Ethel and Rome, are both super supportive when you are on a quest for that special something. They have both spent alot of time, both while i was there AND after I’d left, to help me find some critical items for a project with a time limit. They certainly didn’t get paid for this but it did ensure my undying loyalty to shop here first! And they have done this on more than one occasion.
Rome makes buying trips to Czechloslavakia for beads and buttons. There are some truly unique and gorgeous glass beads and buttons for super reasonable prices.
lets see, a few other things…
They are closed on Mondays.
As others have said, they appreciate cash purchases so they don’t have to pay fees.
Street parking on Glisan during certain hours can result in your car being towed. Its easiest to park around the corner and walk.
The bottom line is, I never come away empty-​handed and I always come away with a smile on my face and the feeling of having found treasure.
This is one local business we need to support cuz there is NO other place like it.

This is really a one-​of-​a-​kind store. kind of like SCRAP, but concentrating in yarn, fabrics and textile supplies. A great concept. Very cheap prices. I found some really interesting fabrics. But prepare to dig through large bins! The lady who worked there was quite nice.

The idea and spirit behind this place is just amazing. The lovely ladies who own and work here are friendly and kind. I make the knittn kitten a regular place to stop by for inspiration, sewing notions (elastic, lace, snaps) and to dig through their pile of knit fabrics. prices are low and the stock rotates regularly so be sure to go back as often as you can. I always stop at an ATM for some cash before I go in. One, to save this small business from those awful card charges (which can have a big impact on independent businesses like this), and two, to help keep my budget reasonable! There are just too many wonderful treasures housed in this building’s humble exterior.
If you’re looking for something specific, this might not be the place you’re looking for. as a crafty thrift store you can’t guarantee that you’ll find exactly what you need (although they do buy certain things that people commonly need so that they can offer them all the time), but if you love to craft I’m sure you’ll find something here to give a new home to.

«A» jokes that I’m really an old lady trapped in a kid’s body and I can’t help but agree when I fall in love with places like this. I’d heard of this place for a while, but I never seemed to pass it when it was open. I finally made it and boy was I excited.
This place feeds my excitement for vintage fabrics, yarns, beads, and other random tidbits they may be hiding. The sweet lady told me that if I was looking for something in particular, they could help me because they had stock in the back they could look through too.
I ended up buying some beads, but everything was such a reasonable buy. You really can’t go there expecting they’ll have stock of something though. It’s more of a treasure hunt. I’ll be sure to head back for my next fabric project.

I love thrifting and crafting, so combine those two together and you get Knittn’ Kitten. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They had tons of old/​vintage sewing patterns, fabrics and yarns. Their selection of buttons and notions were pretty good – and inexpensive.
Didn’t find what I wanted in their fabric section, but that was okay. Especially since I ended up with a bunch of vintage buttons, notions and two incredibly discounted packets of snaps all for under $ 8.
I love it!

Actually found out about this place here on Unilocal.The lady behind the counter was very friendly, reminded me of a great aunt. She greeted us right away! Very supportive for Portland’s crafters. Loved to see and smell fresh flowers.
Prices are EXTREMELY inexpensive! :) I loved sifting through the bead and button bins. I also had fun looking through the vintage aprons in the back room. Would like to see more odds and ends there.
My total came to $ 1.75 for 3 items. Make sure to bring cash because minimum credit card purchase is $ 5!

I love crafty fun as much as the next deep fall/​winter Portlander looking for something to do other than hit a bar while getting my artsiness on.
The ladies here are FABULOUS at finding fun, sometimes antique items that others do not want or have made, and selling it for REALLY reasonable prices. I have found some great large beads here that everyone loves. Some of these things are so groovy you can’t pass them up.
If you love to craft, and love to find crafty goods on the cheap from great people, go to the Knitt’n Kitten. Donate what you don’t want anymore from your crafting stock to keep the inventory up and great! The only reason I would be upset with them is not being open on Sunday. It’s the only time I have to go crafty goods hunting!

I’m in the midsts of destashing and cleaning up my craft room, which has resulted in many unloved items, so I took them to Knittn’ Kitten!
This wonderful craft thrift store sells everything one could need to add to ones stash, or to make that handmade item brilliant. You can find beads, buttons, fabric, patterns, yarn, sewing and knitting notions, and more! The staff is super cool and friendly. And the prices are cheap!
Support this great store, donate your unloved items, and buy new ones.

Knittn’ Kitten is tops because:
1. Personalized Shopping, they know almost all about knitting and are glad to tell you what they know.
2. Unique items, you have to see it to believe it! Knitting and craft and clothing and sewing and… beyond!
3. Yarn and craft items here are cheaper than what you’ll find at the corporate stores.
4. They have a very young set of customers, the place is hip!
5. Right on the Glison Street bus line
6. Ethel owns the place and she can give you expert advice… try that at the big box store!
Thanks to Colleen «The Vinyl Queen» who helped me write this review!

I love thrift store shopping. I also love shopping at yarn and fabric stores (I think that it is all of the tactile sensation). So imagine my surprise and delight when several friends told me about the Knittn’ Kitten, which is a thrift store for craft supplies (and vintage fabrics).
I took bus #19 out here (which was a little scary). Don’t be dissuaded by the exterior (which is a hideous blue box), there are treasures inside. I am sure like any thrift store, the inventory changes day-​to-​day, but I made some really good finds.
I am so glad that someone thought to open this store — oh, and they take donations too! So if you have decided to give up on knitting and want to get rid of your yarn, bring it here. I will probably end up buying it. ..