hundreds of knitters and stitchers in Maine know that Grace Robinson is fantastic in choices of stunning materials, incredible to help you out of a really bad knitting jam not to mention the only place with a complete selection of needlepoint materials from DMC to fine yarns, needles and more. being close to LL Beans at certain times of year sadly some grumpy tourists stop in looking for cheap thrills and southern Maine locals just try to look the other way. they helped me grind through 2 years of a really scary knitting project and I learned so much from them. But we are locals who don't honk in traffic, dont think we always need to be first in line, and aren't used to bullies. join us and enjoy what you are doing!!!! read more

I drove about an hour to buy yarn and ended up at Grace Robinson, only because my favorite yarn store in Damariscotta (Pine Tree Yarns/Harbor Yarns) was closed. The Mother of Purl was closed too between Christmas and New Years. I have never experienced such rudeness and lack of help in any store ever! I was the only customer and it was like pulling teeth to get one of the two workers to help me find a certain yarn. Grace Robinson and another woman were there and were downright rude. I will never ever go there again. Terrible experience! read more

Bad vibe from the get-go. The staff immediately asked if they could help but in an abrupt way. I think they were trying to be friendly but it just didn't come out right. The store is large and there is a lot of yarn, but it is all spread out in diagonal-ish rows of small individual display cases. It's hard to browse and so weird to spend so much real estate on the spacing. They didn't have any place to sit and knit, which is too bad because there is a lot of square-footage in that store. And would be quite easy to rearrange to be cozy. There is no attempt to be inviting and have you stay. I was very disappointed that they won't sell most books or patterns unless you purchase the yarn for the project. These policies make me feel they care more about sales than about actually helping customers get what they would like. read more

The focus at Grace Robinson & Company is clearly more on knitting than needlepoint. The canvases are clumped together on hangers and a trunk show which would have easily filled up two 8' banquet tables was plopped out onto a small card table. The threads are behind the counter so you can't pick your own and have to wait for one of the sales people to help you. It's not a needlepoint-friendly environment but I was determined. After purchasing an ornament and one skein of thread (because I couldn't find the other colors in the limited selection offered) I went to pay. When I asked for a needle, I was shocked to hear that they don't give you ONE needle with your purchase. Even the salesperson apologized about this. Seriously? I just plunked $80+ for a small ornament and one skein of thread. Every other shop I've been to provides a needle and some even a needle threader. There are very few LNS and with internet sales booming, it's so important for small businesses to cater to their customers and thank them for their business. There's no reason to give my business to a small local business if they don't appreciate the customer. read more

A lucky find for me! Beautiful yarns and helpful staff. Enjoyed a peaceful hour browsing and find yarns not available in my area.

Previously the least friendly yarn store east of the Mississippi, they are now a totally different shop. And I , for one, couldn't be happier. Helpful in person and by phone, they know their product backwards and forwards. Great friendliness and no pressure. Will definitely be back! read more

Don't try and shop on a snowy day or 10 minutes before they close, no one will be there. If you shop on a sunny day between 10AM and 4:50PM, you'll see that the sales staff are wonderful. The selection is more high-end so you won't find economical options. I love the wall of needles and hooks; they always have what I need - when they are open... read more

Nice variety. Inspirational samples. The staff was very nice and helpful.

I love this shop. They carry Rowan yarn which is absolutely beautiful yarn to work with. I have found the staff most helpful and always willing to search for special yarns for my project. I never feel pressured, however, and am comfortable browsing the store. I once bought a pattern and yarn there and was unable to figure it out. Grace, the owner, was available to help me and spent 2-3 hours working with me. Not many LYS shops will do without charging you even if you did buy the yarn there. The shop always has what I need and there are many samples knitted on display which gives me ideas on what to knit next. Highly recommend. read more

If I could give this place NO stars I would. On an impulse buy I got a set of circular needles only to get home to find out she'd charged me $25 MORE than the going rate. Shame on me for not knowing the price beforehand. Thinking she maybe had the price wrong, I called the store only to be told that the purchase I'd made the day before and hadn't opened yet could only be returned for store credit! I asked if she could send me a skein of yarn as a token of good faith for a disappointed and fleeced customer. I never heard back from her. A good friend of mine said, she's a local shopper who has been in the store often enough to understand the insufficiency of pricing and returns. Not worth it to go there and get fleeced. There are plenty of other WONDERFUL yarn stores in nearby Portland who treat their customers right. read more

Way overprice the magazines. I went in to buy the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits magazine and there was a sticker with the price $18.95 written on there. The publishers printed price was $14.99. I have never seen magazines priced like this at any other store. Are they even allowed to do that? There are two other knitting stores in the town so I went and bought it at one of the others for the correct price. They will lose business fast to the other stores if this is the way they do business. read more

Buyer beware!!! Once this store gets your money, you will never get it back. I bought 3 skeins of yarn on Sunday and worked for 2 days on my project and only needed 1 skein. Who doesn't buy extra skeins for a project just so you have the same dye lot???? I went today to return the 2 skeins (untouched) and found out that they don't give you your money back. IF you have a slip (luckily I did) you get store credit. I guess if one doesn't have a slip, you don't get anything back. Everything in the store is always overpriced and the people working there are rarely friendly or smiling. They have a big selection of yarn and hold the exclusive rights to sell encore yarns in the mid coast. I will spend my store credit soon and will try to never buy anything in that store again. There are other yarns I can use or buy online that meet my needs. There is another yarn store closer that has a good selection of yarns available now and I will spend my money there. S.C. read more

I just got into needlepoint. So, I went to this store and asked if they had any advice about making a needlepoint headband. The people working in the store were very helpful and friendly. And, there are all sorts of yarn and all different kinds of painted canvases in the store. read more

This store carries some nice yarns and needlepoint supplies; however, due to its inflexible return policy and poor customer service, I will not be returning. The woman who helped me gave me poor advice about how much thread to buy, which resulted in my buying much more than I needed. I was hoping this would be a place where an inexperienced knitter/sewer could get helpful advice; instead, Grace Robinson & Company seems more interested in their short-term profits than in cultivating positive relationships with customers. I would have been better off using my pattern and buying materials online. read more