Signs reading “Put down the needles” and “Protect our neighborhood character” have sprouted up in the windows of businesses along Lake City Way as they protest the opening of local knitting shop Rain City Skeins.
The new storefront—which showcases a wide variety of naturally-dyed, earth-friendly yarns—sits within a few blocks of a strip club, a recreational marijuana store, and two vape shops, leading some local business owners to cry foul.
“I have no problem with how anyone chooses to spend their time, but we all know arts-and-crafts stores attract a certain element,” said one employee at Luscious Cups Bikini Espresso. “If they start hosting community knitting circles, you just know it’ll lead to a bunch of people driving here from Matthews Beach blasting KNKX Midday Jazz.”
University of Washington Urban Planning Professor Sandra Heung says there’s a well-documented basis for such concerns called “cute window theory.”
“One or two highly visible new-age retailers can be the tipping point for an entire neighborhood,” said Heung. “Maybe a knitting store seems innocuous, but then a year later there’s a spiritual bookstore blasting flute music through the front door or, even worse, a garden ornaments store with an extensive wind chimes display.”
When informed of the controversy, store owner Betsy McIntire asked, “Well, what do you think of that, Mr. Purrl?” to a large gray tabby resting next to a vintage cash register.
