Spun — Local services in Ann Arbor

Edited to Add:

One of the owners of Spun, Pete, reached out to me immediately following this experience. We had a great conversation and I recognize that while his staff was in a challenging position trying to manage customers and a class, there were ways this situation could have been handled better. I appreciate his efforts to find a quick resolution. Thank you, Pete. I will be back.

I’m deeply disappointed by a recent experience at Spun in Ann Arbor. This has been my go-to yarn store for years—despite it being over an hour away from where I live—because of their excellent yarn selection and previously great customer service.

Today, I drove to Spun specifically to pick up yarn for a meaningful project: a wedding sweater for the daughter of a dear friend. I arrived shortly after the store opened and quickly found one of the two yarns I needed. The second was a lace yarn located in a back corner of the shop where a spinning class was taking place.

Not wanting to interrupt the workshop, I politely asked a staff member at the counter if she could assist me in retrieving the yarn. I explained that I lived quite far away and knew exactly what I needed. Without any effort to help or offer an alternative, she curtly told me I’d have to wait 40 minutes for the class to finish—then turned her back and walked away. I was stunned not just by the refusal to help, but by the unnecessarily rude and dismissive tone.

Yes, I could have waited. But the issue is how I was treated. There were clearly other parts of the store where the class could have been held without cutting off access to merchandise, and a little empathy or effort from the staff could have made all the difference.

Disheartened, I put the yarn I had selected back on the shelf and left. It’s incredibly disappointing to feel unwelcome at a store I’ve supported for so long. Unfortunately, I’ll now be turning to online retailers to complete this project. I truly hope Spun reconsiders how they approach customer service in the future, especially for loyal customers who come with genuine needs and...

Spun is one of those amazing small businesses that makes a shop feel like a community. My friend and I took the Intro to Crochet class and went from no knowledge of crochet to confident crocheters. We enjoyed the class so much we followed up with the Granny Square class and I even took the Market Bag class too. Every time I go in there are folks that can help me figure out what yarn will or won't work for a project and talk me through the options for hook size. My friend got a notions box and they put the sweetest personalized drawing on it! I've had some of the best chats with the staff as they convert my skeins into balls; including a lengthy chat where they entertained my kids. Spun is an Ann...

Yarn stores all have a quality of magic to them… the colors, the textures, the multitude projects that you could cast on… However, Spun stands out for their incredible selection and thoughtful staff. I’ve gotten to visit twice now (I live in NY and am also quite devoted to my local yarn store back home) and both times have walked out with the perfect yarn for the project I was shopping for AND something completely irresistible for joy 🤩

On my most recent visit I sat down for the Sunday afternoon drop-in crafting session and had a lovely time. It’s clear that Spun is home to a wonderful crafting community.

Whether you’re an experience knitter/crocheted or looking to start, definitely check...