McKinney | July 2023

BUSINESS FEATURE Birds & Words Family-owned store brings decor to McKinney

BY KAREN CHANEY

2023 HOME EDITION

1 Items with words, such as cards, signs, wall art and dish towels; prices start at $2.99 2 Items of whimsy, such as wall mounts, bird decor and vases; prices start at $14.99 3 Vintage items, such as typewriters, cash registers, architectural pieces and bird prints; prices start at $12.99 TOP THREE ATTENTIONGETTERS

W hile living in Houston, Scott and Liz Conn took a monthly trip to Canton, where they met their son Colin Conn and daughter-in-law Allison Conn, who lived in Tyler, to run a booth at Canton Trade Days. “We had such fun and success; it was growing rapidly,” Liz said. They sold a variety of home decor items, such as signs Liz painted and furniture Allison painted. “A lot of our customers were from McKinney, and they told us to check out McKinney,” Allison said. “They said a store would do really well here.” In 2017, the entrepreneurial quartet opened Birds & Words on Kentucky Street in downtown McKinney. In 2020, because a corner spot became available, they moved the business to the northwest corner of Virginia Street and Kentucky Street. “We didn’t even know where McKinney was,” Liz said. “We came and checked it out, and we said this is fun. We all moved up here.” They opened a second location in Allen in Watters Creek Village in 2019. Regarding how they chose the business name, they said they looked around their Canton booth and noticed they had a lot of birds and word-centric merchandise. “Words have so much meaning,” Liz said. “They can encourage or tear down. It felt important to us to com- bine words that uplift you because so much of life gets you down.” Scott said as co-owners, they have divided responsibilities based on their talents. He oversees human

resources; Liz handles management, branding and social media. Allison, with Liz’s assistance, took over buying, merchandising and staging. Colin provides tech support, and as a Realtor, he watches for holiday pop-up location opportunities. They all work together to create some of the items sold in the store. Liz said the inventory comprises vintage, homemade and wholesale items. It encompasses a variety of styles, such as whimsical, French country and industrial. There are vintage typewriters, bespectacled animal head wall mounts, archi- tectural items, snarky dish towels, candles, cards and more. “We want it to appeal to everyone,” Liz said. “I’m so happy when men are happy in our store.” Their customers are a blend of locals, out-of-town guests and those who buy online. “We’re most proud of our one-of-a- kind items,” Liz said. “We have a lot of oddity seekers,” Allison added. Colin is glad they listened to their Canton customers. “A big reason we’re in McKinney is all the events they put on; those have gotten better,” he said. “The foot trac of McKinney is great.” They said they are surprised to hear customers remark on how the store makes them feel. “The store is really layered, and people talk about experiencing it,” Liz said. “People walk around several times because there is so much to see. They feel rejuvenated, inspired.”

Co-owner Liz Conn makes some of the merchandise, such as this canvas sign.

PHOTOS BY KAREN CHANEY

The whimsical animal head wall mounts are popular with their customers.

Bird-themed decor items are popular buys at Birds & Words.

From left, Colin, Allison, Liz and Scott Conn opened Birds & Words in 2017.

Birds & Words 100 W. Virginia St., McKinney 469-714-0388 www.birdsandwords.org Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

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MCKINNEY EDITION • JULY 2023