I am sad to report that Mabel’s is closing down the knitting shop side of things this month, but on the bright side the owners will be keeping the cafe up and running as Tandem Coffeehouse, with lots more treats on the menu.

From their website:

We hope you will continue to hang out with us at the new cafe, where knitters and crocheters will be more than welcome; we plan on hosting an open knit night, and the staff will remain mostly the same: that is, knitters and crocheters with mad barista skills.

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.

Although Mabel’s will no longer exist, it is vitally important that the Portland knitting community continue to support other local yarn shops. With the loss of Lint, this has become even more important, and we really encourage you to visit and buy your yarn from places like Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks, Close Knit, The Naked Sheep, Knit/Purl, the Yarn Garden, and others. These places give you the chance to feel and interact with the yarn you buy, to talk with other knitters and crocheters, and to feel the pulse of the vibrant local crafting community. Please support them as you have supported us. … This isn’t Goodbye, it’s just Hello in another language.

Everyone there is really excited about the new direction, and they’re eager to get their yarn, books, magazines and supplies out the door, so everything is now 40% off, and they’re open seven days a week through the sale.

They’re also selling all their lovely hand-knitted and crocheted samples, along with store fixtures (like 4×4 Expedit bookshelves) and big stacks of vintage knitting magazines and Workbaskets.

I picked up some Iceland in one of my favorite colors to attempt the gorgeous Peony Knits capelet, which I’m hoping to slowly and laboriously knit sometime between now and winter. I need one more ball so I have enough, so if anyone has a line on 4043 Forest, lot C, I’m all ears! I’m not the biggest perfectionist knitting-wise, so a close-enough dye lot should be just fine, I’m not terribly worried about it.

I know I’ll be stopping by for my coffee and milkshakes fix when they unveil the new cafe in a few weeks! I just had some tea there this morning, it’s such a nice place to hang out.

If you go:

Mabel’s Cafe and Knittery (soon to be renamed Tandem Coffeehouse)
3041 SE Division St, Portland
503-231-4107