Windsor Button

Boston is full of all kinds of history. Walking the streets of downtown, you know that the feet of revolutionaries walked there before you, and gathered in pubs nearby. I love the mix of old architecture with new, and the fact that many of the businesses are not chain stores, but small businesses that have been around a long time – maybe not since Paul Revere’s time but longer than Starbucks.

As a knitter and quilter I am often in the market for certain specialty items that non-crafty people have probably never thought about: sewing machine needles, large spools of thread, batting, cutting mats, yarn and, when a project is nearing completion, the perfect buttons. Now when I say perfect, I do not use that word lightly. After spending a number of months knitting costly yarn into a sweater, for example, the project takes on a personality and a value far beyond the basic cardigan you pick up at Macy’s. And there it is, button holes made, waiting for its crowning glory: buttons that will complement the color, texture and style of the pattern, accenting it without upstaging the knitting itself. Yes, crafters can be a bit obsessive about these kinds of things. Many of the big craft stores out in the surrounding towns carry some supplies, but here in Boston there is only one place to buy buttons: Windsor Button. Located in a bustling, somewhat run down shopping district tucked between the Theater District and Boston Common, Windsor Button is heaven to someone like me. It is not a pretty place, but nothing could look more beautiful to my eyes. Utilitarian fixtures carry every kind of “sewing notion” a crafty could ask for, and beautiful yarns are packed into one half of the store, along with binders bulging with patterns. But the true wonder of the place is the entire wall of floor to ceiling shelves lined with cardboard boxes with buttons glued to the front of each one. An entire wall. There are buttons of every size, shape and color, horn buttons, metal buttons, wood, plastic and leather buttons. Buttons to make this knitter cry tears of joy.

I went to Windsor Button today, a ball of brown yarn from my latest creation in my bag. I entered with a heavy heart. After 77 years, Windsor Button is going out of business. The landlord is planning to put a restaurant in that location. A restaurant? Seriously? There are plenty of places to eat, but in my limited experience of the world there are not too many places like Windsor Button left anymore. I realize some of you might think I am getting just a bit too melodramatic when I say this, but one of Boston’s best landmarks – always a stop on my personal tour of Boston’s top ten when visitors come – is closing its doors.

I spent two hours in the store in somewhat of a state, buying buttons for every project I have in the pipeline along with as many other essentials I could justify.

I lingered as long as I could, soaking it all up, watching a long line of customers matching their projects to the perfect buttons, knowing my creations will be just a little less perfect when Windsor Button is no more.