Mabel’s on SE Division, and Lint at NW 17th and Marshall are both closing this August. Lint’s been having a liquidation sale for the past few weeks (everything’s at least 50% off at this point - stay tuned to their blog for updates), and Mabel’s sale kicks off this Sunday at 10 am.

Starting this Sunday - August 12th - we will be having a storewide liquidation. All inventory will be 30% off, and we expect things to move quickly. We will open from 10AM - 6PM for the first two days, and will close at 4PM for the remaining 4 or 5 days.

Is knitting over? Nope, but customers have tons of yarn shops in Portland to choose from, plus cheap online places to buy yarn (and Mabel’s will reopen as a coffee-only shop called the Tandem Coffeehouse).

Mabel’s Cait explains:

This transition comes at a time when the Portland crafting community has an embarrassment of riches: over 20 yarn shops in the greater metro area, in addition to fabric, paper, and other crafting stores. At the same time, we at Mabel’s have felt the sad shift toward internet sources and away from shopping locally. Both because yarn purchases have been dropping over the last year and because the prospect of turning the space into a full coffee shop is more exciting, we are saying goodbye to three great years of Mabel’s and saying hello to what we hope will be many great years of Tandem Coffehouse.

I used to live around the corner from Mabel’s. It was a sweet little shop, but I almost always left empty handed (unless I just needed something basic, like needles). They had a lot of gorgeous yarn, but I was usually on the hunt for something super specific that I wanted ASAP. Luckily, Yard Garden on Hawthorne wasn’t far—and has at least five times as much inventory.

Lint is less specific about why they’re closing (though the owner had a baby last year, so it might just be time for a change).

Since the fall of 2003 Lint has been a dream come true, but fate has a way of altering dreams, throwing curveballs and guiding us to new directions.

Now it’s time to say goodbye to this lovely place and close up shop forever.
My heart is heavy, but filled with love for all of the great people I’ve met and all of the lessons I have learned along the way. Thanks you all for your continued patronage.