Canvas Works

I love the items in this store. They yarn is of high quality and they have a wide selection. However, and this is a big however, the employees are terrible to deal with. They often seem annoyed at having to deal with questions. They are cold, not friendly. I am new to knitting and they are very intimidating and don’t like to answer questions. I hate having to talk to them. Because of very few choices in town, I have been here many times, and I now just walk in and out as quickly as I can to avoid having to talk to anybody. But the yarn is great. Five stars for the yarn, one for the employees, so a three over all.

Amazing place! Just started knitting and they helped me find the right needles… the perfect yarn, offered to show me what to do! It was amazing!!! :)

I’ve only been in here once, but I will definitely be back. The prices are higher than big box stores, but so is the quality of the fabric, so you get what you pay for.
EXCELLENT customer service from Amy! She was helpful and personable without being pushy or intrusive. Perfect balance.

I love this place.
I understand the need for negative reviews, but I think many of the negative reviews here are absolutely the result of poor customers. I have been here several times and I have had nothing but exemplary customer service. Today, I was asked whether I would like help or to be left alone. I cannot think of the last time that my preference was taken into consideration.
I am a fairly new knitter and incredibly sensitive to this. I was never looked down on, and never felt that the staff members were being condescending. They attempt to get a feel for your level of expertise and try to steer you in the right direction.
The yarn selection is great and they offer so many patterns, books, and other learning resources that are helpful. I can’t wait to join some classes and maaaaybe get inspired to pull out the sewing machine so that I can explore that side of the shop a bit more.
All in all, I have picked up knitting again, after learning years ago from my nana. Canvas Works played a huge part in my enthusiasm and ability to learn new skills (entralac knitting for the win). I will be back again and again. I will also be recommending this shop to everyone I know.

Wow! I thought it was just me, but after reading these reviews I can see that my concerns are universal among other shoppers and are an ongoing issue. I love the space, as others have mentioned. The yarns are lovely and there are many sustainable and hand-​dyed choices that are delightful. The prices are high, and there are not many affordable options, but it is worth splurging to support a local business.
Having said that, I am finding myself less likely to be willing to invest in this business due to the service. The male manager is lovely and has wonderful recommendations, great customer service skills, and good technical knowledge. I always enjoy the times I visit there when he is working.
The other times I’ve gone, however, I have left feeling frustrated and not wanting to return. I have had several experiences with employees who I can only characterize as patronizing, condescending, and incompetent. They don’t seem to have a good familiarity with the stock and don’t seem to care what you are looking for. They are not friendly, and are occasionally even actively hostile. They also presume that you have no knowledge or technical skills without asking.
Part of the skill and art of retail is to assess what a customer is looking for and finding appealing options that fit their requirements. I see no evidence of this in most of my interactions in this store. I often leave feeling like I have paid too much for the wrong thing. I also don’t feel that there is a community element to this store that many other stores have actively cultivated, and I often don’t feel welcomed, as other reviewers here have mentioned.
While I detest buying yarn from box chains or the internet, I have resorted to that several times after an unpleasant experience with this store. I think in the future I will be visiting Tacoma or Seattle for yarn, where there are several wonderful yarn stores with very friendly and knowledgeable staff people that I enjoy interacting with. For those of you in Mason County, there is also an awesome knitting store in Allyn that is well worth the drive for the lovely owners and helpful staff they employ.

I am a new to the game modern gal knitter, After haunting the local big box store I headed off to this local store. I was pleasantly surprised to find good high quality yarns, patterns and supplies. I’ve been knitting and improving my skills for more than a year now and while lots of it is developing your own muscle memory, I can always come to this shop and get some quality advice and assistance. I’ve been to other knitting shops that were so sparse and disorganized that it was completely impossible to shop. There is so much space and quality organization in this shop.

Canvas works is just a lovely shop. The people who work there are kind and helpful, in a sort of quiet, unobtrusive way. Their stock is gorgeous, and if you have or want time to just look and touch and take in the colors and textures, you will find a welcome there. When I have had questions or wanted to try something new, there has always been someone to help me. I took a class on needle felting and had a wonderful time! The classroom space is roomy and airy. They also carry more unusual and interesting supplies outside of «the ordinary». I love to go there and plan my next teeny project. Even though I am not a hi-​fi knitter, I always enjoy swinging by their shop to be inspired.

ETA: Kim F.‘s not-​so-​subtle implication that it’s «the customer» that’s the problem with these negative reviews is ridiculous and misguided. I worked retail myself for a long time and tend to give workers the benefit of the doubt, because I know working in customer service can be difficult. I don’t know the other negative reviewers, but somehow we all had similar experiences. I stand by my review.
Before today, I’d been in Canvas Works a handful of times and would’ve called it adequate. I’m almost always straight-​up ignored by the staff and the one time I asked if they could do a special order, they refused. I honestly have no idea why I’ve gotten mediocre service, unless it’s because I have tattoos and colored hair. I’ve never had a problem at any other LYS, but my more conservative/​mainstream-​looking friends have reported better service at Canvas Works.
Monday, I purchased a set of DPNs; I meant to get the size 4 needles, but mistakenly purchased the size 6 (which are 4 mm, so not an unheard of error). Wednesday, I went to exchange them.
The man who works there (perhaps an owner?) approached me and I said «Hi, I just need to exchange these needles.» He rolled his eyes and sighed, which of course gave me pause. He then proceeded to launch into a really condescending tirade about how they don’t usually do exchanges but never actually said whether or not I could do the exchange.
When I said «I’m sorry, I would just like to know if I can do this exchange or not,» he again became rude and condescending before finally oh-​so-​graciously saying that just this once, he would allow it. He was holding both sets of needles and my receipt; when I moved to take the correct needles, he stopped and said «you expect me to sell these in this condition?» The needles were perfectly fine because they hadn’t been used, though admittedly the cardstock case they were in had been bent slightly from being in my purse.
He gave me back my needles, refused to give me my receipt, actually snatching his hand away. At that point, all I could say was «Really?!» and I left.
As I left, I tossed the original needles back after me and said «you can keep your needles!» Not my finest moment, I’ll admit, but no one and no product was impacted.
The whole thing was just so weird, and the man was so rude for no reason. He could have easily said right off the bat «I’m sorry, we don’t do returns or exchanges on knitting needles.» Which would have been disappointing, but my general response to hearing that sort of thing is «Oh, bummer. Okay, thanks anyway.» And the person who sold me the needles could’ve easily told me the policy at the point of purchase.
So yeah, although I generally prefer to support locally owned businesses, I will NOT be patronizing this business ever again. It’s disappointing, because Olympia doesn’t have (to my knowledge) another LYS.

I love Canvas Works!
Every single time I’ve gone there, I’ve been greeted with smiling, knowledgable staff! They’ve helped me solve all my knitting questions, and they have a wonderful collection of yarn, fabric, patterns, buttons and knitting/​sewing tools.

I sought out Canvasworks on a recent jaunt through Olympia, and I was delighted! The shop occupies a large corner building in downtown, parking was easy, and the ladies inside were really friendly. They have a nice selection of yarns, a great pattern book and magazine section, plenty of notions, and, the best icing on the cake… a coffee bar! There were plenty of tables and chairs, and I perused books and patterns for a good hour.
The back of the store has fabrics for quilters and sewists, a working shop area for folks who want to sew, and a great selection of notions for boat awnings, etc. I purchased a few yards of oilcloth, some gorgeous cotton, and a few patterns.
Upstairs is the classroom space, which is situated under a skylight. All in all, a dream of a shop!
I’d have given 5 stars if there were more supplies for spinning. There is a shelf with some roving, but that’s about it.

This is a beautiful store with lots of light and the displays are great. They have a good selections of many different brands of yarn. I have never had a problem finding a place to park. The hours are more limited than I like, I wish there were more than an occasional evening open. The prices aren’t cheap, but they offer high quality brands and products and are equivalent in price to similar stores in the Puget Sound area.
Even though this is a good shop, it’s never become my yarn store of choice. Mainly it’s because I never feel truly welcome there! There’s no cozy place to sit and knit, just steel folding chairs in the pattern area. The service varies from indifferent to «Seattle friendly», which means not rude, but not über warm either. A LYS is something where you build a relationship over time, and I don’t really see that happening here. I’ve been in there at least ten times, and I doubt seriously that anyone would remember me.
The name and offerings of the store are confusing too. I would have never known this was a yarn store by the name. I’d suggest either being a fabric and canvas store or a yarn store, but not both.
I have taken a class there, and I will say it was a great experience.
Please, get come comfy couches or overstuffed chairs, play some music and change the vibe of the store! I’d come regularly if you did.

Selection is fine, but the staff is grumpy and unhelpful.

More of a yarn shop than a canvas-​y shop. They repackage all of the small sewing notions and sell them at a ridiculous mark up. For instance, cord toggles which usually cost 40 cents are $ 1.99. After shopping at Seattle Fabrics (a brilliant store for outdoor fabric) I will never buy from Canvas Works in Olympia again. Go elsewhere, save money, get better material, and support a different local shop.

I have shopped at Canvas works before and loved their selection and the staff had been helpful in the past so when I was trying to track down some wool felt locally so I didn’t have to order it online I called them. The sales person said they had felt and to come in. I made the mistake of coming with my family. Not only were the two staff members not helpful when I asked about the felt, they were incredibly rude to me, my husband, and three children. My children were not running around, or touching things although they were talking which is apparently not acceptable at that store. I tried to ask a woman salesperson a question about the felt and she brushed me off rudely, so I collected my family as she escorted us out the door. A very unpleasant experience! I use a lot of fabric for my business. I wanted to help a local business but they do not want my business (if I bring my family).

Great selection of trims, fabrics, sewing notions, etc.
Although the male manager is great, the staff is very unprofessional. I waited 10 minutes after flagging an employee down for someone to come and unlock the sewing machines for me, and I also waited in line for 20 minutes (not even exaggerating, the time it took to call in and order a pizza and for it to be ready) to pay for my stuff while listening to the only two cash register staff talk about how much they wanted to go home and get off work.
It made me not want to be there either!

This shop is large and has a nice selection of yarn. I loved many of the samples and the ladies were kind and helpful when I needed assistance.
I didn’t end up making a large purchase, since I was just here on vacation. However, I will definitely be back next time I am visiting my sister. Check this place out!

They have a great selection of outdoor fabrics (sunbrella, ripstop nylon, etc) as well as tablecloth vinyl. And their cotton fabrics are extremely cute – but pricey. Not that the same fabrics aren’t pricey elsewhere. They sell fat quarters of the Amy Butler fabrics, so that’s how I «afford» those. I can see the quality of the fabrics, but its pretty expensive: 10 $/​yard for a (higher quality) pink gingham when I can get the same print (lower quality but good) for 3 $/​yard at (the godawful) Joann’s. I did buy a yard of canvas, which is on a gigantic roll, so it ends up you get a LOT. For that and the outdoor fabrics, I’d go here. They also sell webbing and other notions by the yard, and all-​natural battings. It’s a really fun store – you just might not be able to buy what you want.

Good selection of yarn, fabric, and notions, including a full selection of knitting needles, most sizes made available in more than one brand. Prices are slightly more expensive than straight retail — for example, I found a ball of yarn there for $ 8.50 that I had seen in a recent catalog for $ 8. I guess you’d make up the difference in shipping if you ordered from the catalog, so maybe it all evens out in the end.
The inside of the shop has an open, airy feel that I enjoy, and the shopkeepers will help you find what you need to finish your project. Also, the store offers classes in knitting and other crafts that will result in a finished project — if you don’t get your sweater/​sock/​scarf completed by the end of the class, they’ll help you until you’re done.
EDIT: Minus one star for less than helpful service — they will not order yarn for you that’s not already stocked in their store, and instead of helping you upsize a simple pattern, they’ll lead you to their for-​fee pattern collection, lay out some binders and walk away.