Jim G.
Yelp
Have purchased high quality thread here for past projects, always shopping with my wife (a knitter). Stopped in without her the other day, and wearing a mask I was barely allowed in the door. Employee yelled at me from the moment I stepped inside , "Where do YOU think YOU'RE going?" I think she meant I needed to sign in and use some sanitizer before I shopped, but she did not make this clear first or use an iota of kindness before she turned aggressive and mean. I was taken aback, and asked her if she didn't want me as a customer. She scoffed, and as I attempted to shop she followed and harassed me, not giving me space, making me very uncomfortable, and interrogating me with questions like, "Why are YOU here? What are YOU shopping for? Can I help you find something?" I knew exactly what I wanted, but she refused to leave me alone to look for it. She then ranted about how I must be there for fly fishing material and how I was looking in the wrong place for the fly tying thread, and it occurred to me why she had been so antagonistic the entire time: somehow she didn't think a man could or should shop in this store. According to the sign up sheet, I was only the second customer of the day, and it was clear that I was not welcome there and the store did not want or need my money. If men are not welcome to shop at the Knotted Needle, I suggest they put up a sign outside to make that clear. If that is not the case, perhaps the staff needs a little training about the diversity of the fiber arts community and how it's not good business to make outmoded assumptions about customers. I was hoping this employee was just having a bad day, and attempted to contact the store by email and Facebook message to find out if that was the case before leaving this review, but was ignored. So I can only assume that ownership/management tacitly approves of treating its customers this way.
