I can usually find the yarn I need. And that means the world to me. I feel lucky to have this place in my 'hood.

I was just there to look for a buckle, so I can't speak too much on the selection, but I think if you're looking for out of the ordinary, you might be able to find it at Mendel's. Just don't count on the staff to help you though. The staff was a little bit weird-no, a lot weird. This wasn't your typical too cool for school that is prominent in the Haight-this was they are on something weird. They were just huddled together, cracking themselves up. Something about their demeanor did not make them seem accessible-hell, I was a little bit scared (picture Attack of the Killer Hipsters). read more

This place is awesome if you are inspired to design your own costume! They have a great selection of funky fabrics, feathers, and lots of other fun items. A little pricier than other craft/fabric shops, but it's a one-stop-shop for cult crafty craziness. Worth a peep... read more

Love this place. Nice range of supplies, prices are reasonable. Fabulous fabric--tons of fake fur and fun stuff. Very helpful staff.

My Mendels experience has a wide swing. I love that they are close by. They have some good fabrics, particularly oilcloth, but they never have enough of a selection of any one category of items (think "peanut butter, bread, but no jam"), so I usually go to other arts, craft stores (typically farther away) before visiting them, just because the risk is always rather high that they will be completely out of what I'm looking for. read more

I take my kids there whenever we are in need for a new ideas for projects, and they love it there. Great art supplies and beautiful handcrafted papers. Employees are somewhat helpful in finding things. Could be better customer service! read more

Don't know why this place is scored so low. I've been here several times for craft and sewing/knitting supplies and have always found everything I've needed (buttons, toggles, craft wire, different papers, etc). They have very helpful salespeople. I think the prices are reasonable. read more

Mendel's always has a great selection of notions and a variety of fabrics that you're not going to see at all the other stores in town. I find the staff very helpful, and the layout is easy. If only their fabric prices were a little better, I would use this as my one stop crafting shop. read more

If you need some fake fur this is your go to place. They have an extensive variety and the website is fairly easy to navigate what you need. With that being said, fake fur isn't cheap so it may be worth it to buy your boot covers or whatnots already made. I placed an order on line and didn't receive anything (but then again I wasn't billed). So I reordered and receive my order in two days. I have to say that when I called to check the times the business was open I was rudely hung up on. Another time I called right before closing and they said that they didn't want to turn the computers back on. OK then... So I was happy to receive my remnants of furs (sold by the bag) and two 'tails' of trim which I plan to use to decorate my bike with for my wink wink, desert festival at the then end of August. Considering how much I like the fur, I would buy more but the shipping and handling fees hurt! (not as much as tolls and gas and parking in the city though). Faux Fur aka Fake Fur-this is the only place I found it out. read more

we are essentially comparing two stores at the moment... discount fabrics and mendel's customer service: discount - negative one. Apart from the man who used to own a store @ 24th and mission and likes my tattoos, the rest of them are assholes mendel's - one star.... barely. But in comparison, they win selection discount - 2 stars for fun fur, minus three for overpricing mendels- has peacock feathers for less than $1, which is good real time but over 4 times the price for buying them online from various suppliers. Also , they have had iron on letters in silver at least 50 % of the time i have wandered in and asked for them, so i guess that's a half a point or so. Overpriced trims. But there is no other option here for trims... we,for better or worse, are NOT LA. price discount FAILS mendels SCRAPES THROUGH ( because i am grading on the curve) all in all, if ya need something, here is how you should do it discount fabrics off of fourth fabric outlet @ 17th and mission I'm not telling you a few because i like my trade secrets Mendel's on haight Discount on haight godforsaken britex mark up hell and that's how it goes but mendel's has it's place and it's a step above what is in walking distance. C+ for effort anyhow read more

If you're into raver gear fabrics and Burning Man, then Mendel's is probably your crafter paradise. I mean, the overall selection is alright and I usually find something I can settle on, but the fabrics are tacky and uninspiring, the staff are snobby or just ignore you, and the hours are pretty shitty too. read more

I've been here a few times and have always been surprised by the unprofessional-ness of the people that work here. I know it's in the Haight, but that's no excuse to yell at each other in the store and treat your customers like crap. Last time I was paying for some stuff at the counter with my card and I pulled a pen from the cup that had exploded ink all over it- which got all over my hands...I asked the guy if he had a tissue or something, and he was like...um, no...and then he was like, you should have used the pen I gave you! I couldn't believe he a)did not apologize for the ink all over my hands, and b) made me feel like it was my fault! What a jerk. Despite their great craft supplies I will be avoiding that place from now on. What a shame. read more

Super helpful and friendly staff with lots of craft goodies to inspire your next project! The fabric section in the back focuses on specialty fabrics like faux fur and vinyl. Lots of options for calligraphy, stamping, jewelry making and kids crafts. read more

Great store full of all sorts of crafty stuff. I'm glad places like this still exist and would much rather go here than to a huge craft store. read more

I love it because it has many different things. Traditional art supplies as well as crafty things.

I shop at Mendel's regularly because it's conveniently located two blocks away from my house. With that being said, I am not a fan of the staff at ALL. I have a great deal of knowledge in many mediums so I rarely need assistance thankfully. Majority of the staff are not warm, and make it very obvious that they don't enjoy helping customers regardless of how often you shop there. I don't enjoy writing reviews like this, but honestly maybe it will help them to be more mindful of such unfortunate customer service. P.S I have worked in retail for most of my teen, and young adult life. I know that at times people can be demanding, but that's no excuse! read more

They don't have the hugest selection of everything, but they do have something for everyone -- the jack of all craft trades, if you will. Extremely friendly and helpful staff helped me find what I needed to feed the craft monster inside me. Love their paper section; it's like a fun-size version of Flax. read more

Unbelievably RUDE, immature and unprofessional staff.

Pretty badski. I don't mind that they had nothing i wanted in their fabric section, but the staff was RUDE! either that or really, really stoned. You know how when you smoke too much, you can get kind of stand-offish? It was like that. If they were stoned, then apologies. But still, be more helpful. read more

While not as large or comprehensive as the big chain craft stores, they have a great selection of art supplies, fabrics, craft supplies and costumes and it's not too overwhelming. I love coming here before Bay to Breakers or Halloween or any time I have an arts and crafts project. The staff is very helpful and knowledgable too and it has a great neighborhood-San Francisco- Haight street feel. I just wish they were open later. I often have to go elsewhere simple because they are closed. They a read more

I've been here many times over the past 3 years, I've only ever encountered one nice employee ever. Great place for art supplies if you don't mind dealing with some pretentiousness. read more

Close and having a lot of stuff at ok prices. Last I was there they were mostly all out of white acrylic paint but thats the only issue i've had. read more

Great store, crammed with fun materials, trim, and craft supplies. The staff have been great with a range of questions (e.g., comparing different types of fabric dyes for repairing bleach stains). read more

I stumbled upon this store while on a nice walk through the Panhandle and the Upper haight area. This store is outfitted with beautiful decorations and i took special notice and admiration to the ideas for halloween costumes. I hope to come back soon and buy some supplies to create a minion costume read more

If I ever need tiger print felt or sparkly puff paint ever again, I will be coming back here. The staff was helpful in telling me where things were and I find them quite easily... though I got distracted by all their cute merchandise! If I was more artsy-crafty, I'd be in this store everyday. Suffice it to say, my creative sparks only come out when I'm under pressure... like last weekend when I was trying to put together my and my friends' tiger costumes for the Chinatown YMCA run. Glitter, cardstock, googly eyes, paint, fabric, costume props, etc! Lots of ideas could be born out of this store! read more

I've done my thing here. There is a small but decent supply of fabrics, a great supply of assorted craft things, and a ton of awesome one sheets of printed paper, if only my good for nothing creativity could think of something fabulous to do with them. Look I don't want to brag but I did used to be an amazing decoupager. My dad thought I was genius. Sadly, I remember nothing. Sorry, paper! read more

This place really is Far Out man! I'm the sort of gal that happens upon 'crafts' by mistake or circumstance, so rarely am I actually seeking something in particular. Mendel's is perfect for wandering and finding weird or interesting items that you can turn into some goofball project. Lots of cool paper, paints and fabric (good place around Halloween time). read more

Prime location. Haight Street would not be the same without this "gem" of a crafts store. However, seeing as Haight Street has become an expensive tourist mecca resembling a faded photograph put forth by the people's republic in an effort to boldly propaganda the ideals of some bygone glory, the "gem" is bedazzled. Which they sell here, btw. They sell feathers. And felt. And tissue (though an alarmingly slim selection). And expensive paper similar (purposefully, but without the cultural attachment) to the handmade stuff in Japantown. They have an expensive variety of ribbons and trims. I took the 7-year old kid here and the little snit wanted some $7/yard fringe thing to make a headress for herself which she insisted would be gorgeous and then promptly forgot about the minute it was purchased. The fringe is florescent yellow. I do not think there is much possibility that it will gain another life being repurposed into something more tacky. Tacky little kids. There was a bundle of faux furs that have much potential. Again the little snit wanted to make a hat or something equally laborious for the whole family. However, she again promptly forgot to make them. She also nearly dropped the whole lot in a bundle as she tried to be annoyingly cute whilst skipping the way home. In sum, this place is a crafts store that is filling a much needed niche in this neighborhood. However, the prices reflect the real estate which has long realized the economic potential of foreign money and the real probability that people nick things from shops whenever they can. Therefore, the price is for the goods, for the rent, for the goods ppl steal, for the possibility that someone needs to make a cheese hat, for the feathers. If you're ok with paying for all of that, it's a terrific store. read more

Service is poor but these guys have a little of absolutely every kind of art supply you could name. Their furry and weird fabrics are great, and they have a good selection of yarns and knitting supplies too. If you're in the area, these guys will have what you need. read more

I came in here for the express purpose of getting meter change. Not wanting to freeload, and taking the opportunity to get back into sketching, I bought a bunch of art supplies. Punch line: they nevertheless wouldn't change more than $1 for the meter :( read more

Love this place! Most amazing selection of oil cloth ever. Most kind & fun staff ever. Definitely a go-to for non-professional crafters :)

This is the most frustrating arts and crafts store. It looks big, but every time I go there they do not have what I am looking for. The place is full of weird, little-used items. The fabric selection is off-beat. Maybe this place is good if you wander in and don't need anything and just want to see if they have anything unusual. Other than that I would rather go downtown to the Art Store or Pearl. read more

this is as close as you can get to getting anything useful on haight! i highly recommend this store. prices arent theeeee best, selection isnt thee best, but if you in the area often, a great place to get a single spool of ribbon, or a special button, or anything related to visual arts. they also have some awesome san francisco posters for 4.00, but they just CANT keep em in stock. i like ya mendels! read more

Really cool store. They have a wide range of stuff but does lean more towards the craft side of things. Great place to purchase seasonal and event themed items as well. They are part of the Haight-Ashbury tradition, well worth the visit. read more

I have only lived in SF for a year and living so close to this gem is amazing!! Who knew I would use this store so much in everyday life. Everyone is always super friendly and will happily help you with what ever your working on. This has also become my go to gift shop- great journals and art supplies for the kids in the family!! read more

I've tried so hard to support this place but they've just shown me time and time again that they don't deserve my support. I never really mind when a place is expensive, but when it's expensive and the staff are rude and unknowledgeable I get annoyed. I've asked employees about where certain supplies are kept but usually only get a vague answer or they don't know if they even stock the item. I've seen the store manager a couple of times help out her team on the register, and even she was super rude and unfriendly!! I'll just go to blick's from now on, where the real artists shop... read more

I went into Mendel's yesterday looking for a specific drawing tool. I went knowing they probably wouldn't have any blending tortillons, but thought I'd use Mendel's as an excuse to get out to Haight St. on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy poking around in an art store. Instead of not getting what I was looking for, I got something no one looks for--bad service. And I was hoping my Mendel's experience would be different from others's reviews. I've never had a bad time in an art store...until now...! After perusing their barebones and dusty drawing section with no luck, I decided I would ask a clerk. They seemed kind of busy, so I waited for what I thought was the right moment. A woman behind the counter was leaving their check-out section so I made my move. Without even a glance in my direction (forget about any attempt at eye contact) she said bruskly to hold on. So I waited till she came back. I waited while she was on the phone. I waited as she started to check customers out (which by the way she hadn't been doing previously). At this point I was kinda irritated. She had obviously forgotten I had requested help. I decided to wait in the long check out line so that I could ask her again, proving a point. Hopefully this time I would at least get a direct look. By the time I made it up to the register she had moved onto something else. Probably better off for the whole sour situation. Being busy is one thing, but being annoyed at life because its busy is another. You might actually enjoy yourself if you just roll with the punches. Her negative energy definately rubbed me wrong and I could tell it was wearing off on her co-workers as well as they shouted across the store at each other. The guy who finally helped me, helped me find where they should be and determined they must be all sold out. Leaving 15 minutes later, empty handed wasn't a complete waste. I left knowing the next time I need anything craft related I'll either go to Walgreens (for the kindergarden level materials which Mendel's has a lot of) or make the N Haul up to Pearl's on Market for everything else wonderfully artistic. Don't go to Mendel's for real art supplies. It may be good for crafty-type stuff to do with your kid as long as you don't mind ending up with whatever is left on their dingy shelves. read more

Mendel's has been in San Francisco for a longggg time. It's seen the hippies come and mostly go. they have an amazing selection of doodads for crafting, really a teacher's dream. My favorite among their varied selection are the blank note cards for creating your own card, the yarn which is affordable and for a small store a good selection, and of course the wonderfully extravagent buttons - many of which are unique and all are affordably priced considering the material. they will ask you to check in your bag, and if you have a specific question in any of their areas there are salespeople who specialize in for instance, buttons. as far as i can tell the salespeople are two kinds: lifers and art students. they are generally very helpful but can be a little snippy (kind of like going to Paris.) I recommend this store, for inspiration if for nothing else. read more

the most simple request: all I wanted was to buy a single ballpoint pen. After searching through many single pens, I asked the clerk...They only sell ballpoint pens in closed packs of many. I cant just buy one?!...ok, a fabric store, but art supplies? read more

I made a phone call and asked "Do you have black lace?". The woman laughed out loud for 5 seconds and then said "Sorry didn't mean to laugh at you. Yes we have lace galore- come on over". Now why would I make a phone call before I go? Obviously because I don't want to waste my time if they don't carry what I am specifically looking for. So I go to the store and guess what? No black lace. Navy blue lace. I did not ask for any lace- I asked for black lace. So the woman goes "well did you say you were looking for fabric or trim?". Well I don't normally buy fabric- if the question is not clear or you have one but not the other in your store, you could have asked "are you looking for fabric or trim?" instead of laughing and wasting my time. What a joke. read more