BUSINESS FEATURE
BY KAREN CHANEY
“I WASN’T A HUGE KNITTER, BUT I NEEDED SOME KNITTING NEEDLES, AND THE CLOSEST YARN SHOP WAS IN PLANO, AND IT HAD CLOSED.” GINGER HAYES, MCKINNEY KNITTERY OWNER
Hayes describes the shop’s yarn as “upper-end.” It is hand-dyed and comprised of mostly natural bers.
Ginger Hayes, a local resident, said working with customers and bringing in new products are her favorite aspects of owning McKinney Knittery. (Photos by Karen Chaney/Community Impact Newspaper) McKinney Knittery Locally owned yarn store expands multiple times to meet demand A lthough opening a yarn store was not Ginger Hayes’ original dream
Marguerite Mahard, a regular customer, knits a shawl while at the shop.
McKinney Knittery 117 W. Louisiana St., McKinney 469-714-4002 www.mckinneyknittery.com Hours: Mon., Wed., Thu. 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; Tue., Fri., Sat. 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun. noon-4 p.m. KNIT TOGETHER SESSIONS These sessions are regularly o ered at McKinney Knittery for like-minded crafters to be inspired by their works and get free help with projects. WHEN: Mon., Wed., Thu. 6-8 p.m. (Projects can also be worked on anytime the doors are open, and many people choose Friday mornings to knit together.) WHERE: Dedicated knitting area at McKinney Knittery COST: Free
location, which is the biggest of them all. But the space needed some work to help it live up to its potential. The building owner agreed to let her renovate the 120-year-old building. In November 2019, she began what would be eight months of renovations, including removing the ceiling to reveal original beadboard, scrapping three layers of ooring to expose original wood ooring, adding a restroom and much more. She worked with the Texas Historical Commission to get a historically correct rendering for the facade, and that transformation is underway. Hayes said most of the yarn she sells consists of all-natural bers, such as alpaca, silk, cashmere and
cotton. “We have a lot of blends because two bers make each other behave better,” Hayes said. “A little bit of nylon helps a sock last longer; a little bit of wool helps the alpaca from stretching out so much.” In July 2020, Hayes launched Downtown Dry Goods, a quilting and garment-sewing store within McKinney Knittery. “I always wanted a quilt shop, and there was a need because the two quilt shops nearby had closed,” she said. McKinney Knittery o ers classes for all skill levels. The shop’s three most requested classes are “Intro to Knitting,” “My First Sweater” and “Making Loops,” which is an intro to crocheting class.
destination, she is pleased with where this detour is taking her. “I wasn’t a huge knitter, but I needed some knitting needles, and the closest [yarn shop] was in Plano, and it had closed,” Hayes said. “I had always wanted to open a quilt shop, but I thought maybe what we needed in downtown McKinney was a yarn store.” In 2015, Hayes opened McKin- ney Knittery in a small space in Doozie’s Corner, a boutique mall in downtown. Due to growth, two years later, she moved to a bigger space on Church Street, then a big- ger spot at 107 W. Louisiana St., and in 2020, she moved to the current
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