Diggin’ It, located in a former bus station, offers plants, decor and accessories.[/caption]

Situated in a shaded spot on Tennessee Street just north of the downtown square is a building that has spent its lifetime
reinventing itself.

First built as a gas station, the building was remodeled and in 1959 reopened as a Greyhound bus station. It remained as such for 40 years then sat empty from 1999 to 2010 when a local woman decided it was again time for a reincarnation.

Diggin’ It owner Tracey Collins is a longtime McKinney resident. She had always wanted to open a retail garden store, she said. But the timing never seemed to work out until, she said, life threw her a curveball and along with it a chance to open her own garden and retail shop a stone’s throw from the square.

“I had always wanted a retail garden store out of an old gas station building,” she said. “I don’t know why, it’s just something I always wanted. When the building went up for sale, I just had to have it. The thing I love about the building is that it has a lot of positive energy. You just never know who will cross that threshold to come in here.”

The store is full of products Collins loves, she said, and every day she brings in something new. From the clothing to the art and decor, Collins said she buys what she likes. And, according to Collins, her shoppers like her products, too, and are often referred to Diggin’ It by mutual friends or people new to the neighborhood.

“I am always having people coming in saying they saw someone wearing a top and stopped them on the street to ask where it was purchased,” Collins said. “It’s nuts. I just buy things I like, and it seems to work. I love all of the local jewelers and wear their items all the time—same with the clothing; I buy what I want to wear.”

The store is full of brightly colored attire, paintings, yard art, jewelry, candles, bags and accessories. Collins said she keeps a steady flow of new products in an effort to pay homage to the former busy bus station that was once full of life, adding that she still feels the “happy energy” that once filled the station as families welcomed travelers. Shoppers can be seen daily sitting outside chatting with Collins about her latest efforts to find unusual plants.

“My store is in the neighborhood that I live in, so most of my shoppers are neighbors in my community,” she said. “So they come here to buy clothing, gifts for friends, but since I live in the historic district, this is an extension of my porch out here and sometimes you will see people sitting at my table chatting with one another.”

In the past five years Collins said the store has morphed into somethingall its own. She now offers classes, workshops, gardening classes, book  clubs and yoga in the space next door. She said requests from the community help keep her calendar full.

“There is a constant evolution of classes that take place here,” she said. “It’s just always changing.”

For the latest classes, products visit www.facebook.com/thedigginitshop.