Big fan. Great selection and staff. Super sorry to hear that it closes for good May 1, 2027read more

this stores selection is good but a bit hard to find things, the main issue with this store is that…read morethe lady cutting my fabric gave me like 10 cm less then I needed, that might not seem like a lot but I needed 20cm by 20cm squares for a blanket so imagine my surprise when I get to the last row and its 20cm by 10 cm, there were also many notches cut into the fabric. She saw she didn't give me enough and didn't do anything and she RUINED MY BLANCET. would NOT recommend

Travelled to Granville Island from out of town to visit a few specific shops including this one…read more Arrived during normal operating hours. The "Open" sign was posted on the door, but the door was locked. The owner was inside but just stared awkwardly as I attempted to open the door without offering any explanation. Won't be making any attempt to return.

My friend told me one day we would be going on a yarn adventure and we entered this yarn shop on…read moreisland. I never noticed it was here at all. Most of their selection is wool (unfortunately for me who is allergic). But they have some greater speciality yarns, and even some alpaca. It is a very small shop with many hand dyed yarns. They have some cheaper yarns but much of it is a bit pricey for a poor student like me. However, if you happen to be on Granville Island this is defenitely a stop for a knitter!

Future me wants to have all the wardrobe here…read more I knew I had to go inside while I was standing across the way waiting for my friends. They all eventually followed me inside. There was one particular piece that caught my attention and nearly got.

DO NOT order for here! They will take no responsibility for…read morethe package actually arriving. My package never arrived and I do know this for sure. They would not refund my purchase. Never again...

This place moved from down the street, and I always try here for fabrics before going to dressew…read more It's normally the husband I see at the shop, and he's been pretty expert at cutting the fabrics, though I've asked him a question time to time about how to sew the fabric I'm buying and been met with a friendly shrug. But when he cuts I always get straight, confident lines done with extremely sharp shears, compared to the jagged cuts I sometimes end up with at dressew. They devote their entire attention to the customer in front of them, which I wholeheartedly respect and I'm willing to wait my turn for their service. Granted they seem more expensive than dressew, they really aren't, in that they sell mainly higher quality fabrics, that which would be available at dressew is of comparable prices, but they sell more wools, silks and higher quality fabrics than dressew even with a much smaller store. I had the opportunity to take advantage of a few of the last days of their moving sale, and walked away with an entire garbage bag full of fabric for about 60.00, some of which I still have, is still in style and will still make great pieces. They may not have the prints that you'll find at dressew made out of polyester, that whatever you make will be good for one season only, due to wear AND design, but if you want to make yourself a high quality winter coat, or a weightless silk dress mirroring the runways, this is where you want to go. A designer store indeed!

I have found fabrics here that I couldn't find anywhere else. Each time I go, I find something…read more The downfall is the location. Parking is very expensive downtown. Coupled with the street people in that area of town.

I saw this booth on Saturday of last week at the Make It craft exhibit. Hand crafted accessories…read more Clara made this cute scarf that was reasonably priced. Awesome lady at booth.

From the owner: We knit and crochet, specialties in amigurumiread more

The last Sunday of every month the Railway Station is home to some of the coolest designers and…read morecrafters that you can find in the city. Jewelry, clothing, art, baby attire, pottery, accessories and (yes!) they even have guys stuff too. It's a bit overwhelming for a first timer. So here is my Portobello Survival Guide: I really haven't seen a difference between arriving early or late. However, bring $2 for admission and if you're public transiting it, get off at Science World. There's a shuttle that picks you up from Station Street and Terminal running every 20 minutes. Or there's a big parking lot to park in. Nourish your body and your brain - you don't want to get lightheaded looking at a cool necklace or bracelet or while trying something on. Luckily the crepe stand outside tastes as good as it smells! I always make sure I've had my coffee beforehand - too many things to touch and feel once I'm inside! Make the rounds with stealth effectiveness. My "circuit" takes me from the entrance way straight down the first row and then moving my way to the back skirting along the wall. In the back there is a room on the right that I hit up before I zig zag through the 4 aisles in the middle. I then find myself back at the entrance. If executed properly, you won't miss a thing. Just be careful to note the very back window-wall of pretty things as you zig zag and the front row of stalls as you make your way back towards the front. Be a market star and bring your cash! Most of the vendors love it more than credit. I've noticed that lots more have their own credit equipment. There is also a communal debit/credit stand near the window-wall at the back. You'll be directed to pay there if you make a credit card purchase from a vendor that doesn't have their own. There's also an ATM machine, just before you start the zig zagging. Every month brings new designers and artists with different wares, so a frequent trip is a must do! And, if you're lucky like me this past weekend, you'll can find a great deal, like Two of Heart pants for $25! (They were marked down from $100...I'm a girl who likes to shout out my good finds) I also like to ask what boutiques they might be sold at -just in case I'm not into an impulse buying mood.

This market started out optimistically as a venue for local artists to sell their work and get more…read moreexposure. Unfortunately the high priced tables and poor marketing has driven most of them out. All that is left is off-the-rack, end-of-line sales from local stores and jewelry. Lots and lots of jewelry. Last weekend the public turn out was minimal and they didn't even sell all their table space so they had to cordon off part of the station. Lame. For the gals, it's good for some fashion, jewelry and knickknacks. For the boys, even metrosexuals like me, not so great.

If you love silk, you'll love this place. When you enter on the left, there's a silk worm terrarium…read morewhere you can see the little guys in action. The main display area of the store is finished products (woven and felted), but they sell it from cocoon to clothing. Unfortunately they don't sell fabric, which is my only complaint. They have the silk fibre on its own and mixed with other natural fibres, as well as a colorful selection of silk yarns. They even have silk elastic, which I had never even heard of before I visited the shop. If you only go to one store to buy silk-related products in your lifetime, go here. But I think the best part of the shop is the giant looms that sit in the display area, where you can usually see staff members weaving the silk into fabric.

Our textiles class had a field trip to Granville Island this afternoon, and one of our stops was at…read morethe Silk Weaving Studio, after just having learned a few things about Silk and Silk Worms in class. I was really really thrilled to see a loom in real life.. which makes ME sound really interesting, I'm sure. There are ladies working at the looms as customers browse the studio and it's quite fascinating to watch. I wanted to give it a shot myself, but there are signs on all the looms saying not to touch them. They were totally cool with me hovering over them like a creep to watch them work though. The rest of the studio is filled with various silk woven garments and other things that are absolutely gorgeous with very very informative tags on them. And I was shocked (in a good way) to see that they actually had live Silk Worms!! There were a few glass aquariums around with the various stages of the worms, and a little plate with a fat little guy eating some Mulberry leaves! SO COOL. You can also buy hardened Silk Worm cocoons at the front counter. They are (I think) 25 cents each, or 5 for $1.

Blim is a small, bedazzled space, packed with a bunch of awesomeness, products from artists local…read moreand abroad. T-shirts, postcards, art, pins, stickers - you, too, can bedazzle yourself. They have a rear area that serves as a workshop and space for community events. They are able to screen-print tees on-site, so that's useful if they don't have a shirt in your size. They're also willing to ship internationally. Have questions? Their staff will chat with you about Blim's history and its offerings, so don't be shy. Pay them a visit - I was here just last month, and look forward to returning. Credit accepted.

A little store packed with a lot of stuff. They sell harajuku fashion imported from Japan, vintage…read moreJapanese ski suits, and lots of other creative pieces from clothing and accessories. Blim is also a silkscreening studio and they run workshops for artists in the community to learn about various techniques and crafts. Local artists also sell their clothing and accessories here, so Blim has a no photos policy. The people who work there are happy to explain this as well and are very enthusiastic about their space.

There aren't too many Granville Island frequenters who haven't stumbled upon the Maiwa Handprints…read moreshop but be prepared to have your mind blown: There is also a Maiwa East shop in the city. Same ethical business practices surrounding artisans but this shop focuses more on furniture and less on textiles. Definitely worth a jaunt over to check out Maiwa East... the prices are rather steep but considering the ethical approach and the fact that these beautiful pieces have made there way from India, not too surprising! Really gorgeous furniture. Promise.

I loved this store pre-COVID. As a local artist I was in here quite often, and I'm very…read moreappreciative of their mission. However, I've found their pandemic response extremely frustrating. Aware that they were probably closed near the beginning of the shutdowns, I poured over their site, their FB page, and their blog for information about when they would be open, and if they were doing store pick-ups. NONE of this info was available at the time, and their social media posts didn't even acknowledge the pandemic. So I had to send an email. I was told that their locations would be opening in a few weeks' time, and that they had store pick-up available through their online store... but I had to proceed through the whole checkout process in order to even see that it was an option. Strike 1. This should have been at the very top of their website. Strikes 2 and 3 were when I walked over to this location, and was told that I cannot shop there after all. "We are closed to help stop the spread of COVID-19" a sign said on the door. When I rang and spoke to an employee, I was told that only the Granville locations were open, in spite of what I was told over email. So let me get this straight: to "help stop the spread of COVID-19" I was being sent to a densely-populated tourist trap downtown instead of this location, which is quieter and therefore much safer? I would rather not have any locations to visit than be rudely told to go wade through crowds of people not wearing masks or distancing. (And yes, this employee was rude. As a fellow service worker in an essential industry, I found the customer service to be practically nonexistent. I get it, the world sucks right now. But as a paying customer, I expect a little modicum of respect.) Even though I have a gift card left over from the holidays, I won't be spending it any time soon. I'm going to take my business elsewhere until the pandemic is over and Maiwa can resume their normal operations.