Look back at the local businesses Community Impact Newspaper featured throughout 2020 in McKinney.
My Favorite Room offers decor to create clients’ dream space
Issue published: January
Interior designer Kathy McCabe said her store is a collection of the decor items she adores most.
The company’s design style currently features a light, earthy foundation with occasional pops of color, McCabe said.
Hopper’s Cycles serves community of motorcycle enthusiasts in McKinney
Issue published: February
Hopper’s Cycles owner Gary Hopper describes the motorcycle business as a community.
He said the most recent news about motorcycles is often spread through word of mouth, and then motorcycle aficionados will attend events, such as organized bike rides.
After seeing a need for a motorcycle dealership in McKinney, Hopper decided to open up a store.
Husband-and-wife team fuels imaginations through gaming at Carpe Diem Comics
Issue published: March
Melyssa “Lys” Childs-Wiley and Shannon “Shado” Wiley spent 20 years geeking out together about board games and comics.
In 2018, the couple brought their nerdiness to downtown McKinney at Carpe Diem Comics, where they hang out for 70-80 hours a week with their dog, Pancake, hosting gaming tournaments, selling gaming supplies and more.
McKinney restaurant owner merges businesses to keep afloat, help former employees
Issue published: April
Rick Wells said he had to make one of the “hardest decisions” in his life in the spring: he laid off the majority of his employees at Harvest Seasonal Kitchen and Rick’s Chophouse. Prior to the spring, he had 150 employees. In April, he had 25 left.
Although he was not able to employ all 150 workers during the spring lockdown, he still used one of his restaurants to feed all his current and former employees for free.
McKinney dance studios shift to online classes, incorporate new styles of teaching
Issue published: May
Julie Dickens, owner of JDM School of Dance, said that not dancing during the pandemic was “not even an option.”
In order to make dancing possible for her studio’s students, all of whom are between the ages of 2 and 6, she and her staff recorded nearly 130 instructional videos in one day.
McKinney pool companies get business boost from homebound customers
Issue published: June
While a lot of businesses took significant losses in the wake of the pandemic, John Verselt, owner of Southernwind Pools in McKinney, said that was not the case for his business.
He said inquiries for pool designs and quotes tripled or quadrupled in the springtime.
“With the coronavirus, oddly enough, unlike a lot of businesses that are experiencing a drop in work, we got an increase,” Verselt said.
My Diamond Shoppe owner in McKinney instills meaning into jewelry after reopening his store
Issue published: July
My Diamond Shoppe owner Chris Sykes said that while some classic jewelry looks never go out of style—such as diamonds—more people are now looking to buy things that have a little more character.
In his store, Sykes helps shoppers find pendants, earrings, bracelets, rings and more made with gold, silver, gemstones and other precious metals. A workspace in the back allows Sykes to clean, polish and alter jewelry.
In his store, Sykes helps shoppers locate the perfect pendant, earring set, bracelet or ring according to their tastes. His shop offers appraisals, watch repair, and old jewelry buying and resale.
McKinney tax firm Andre + Associates PC serves area for more than 30 years
Issue published: August
Keith Andre worked as a certified public accountant in the 1980s in Dallas. However, as a McKinney resident, Andre said he realized that business activity and growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth area was moving north into the suburbs.
After having this epiphany, Andre purchased an accounting practice in McKinney and founded Andre + Associates PC in 1986.
Stitched with Love in McKinney serves as outlet to customers during pandemic
Issue published: September
Stitched with Love is a full-service quilt shop on Custer Road. The shop sells fabrics, threads, long-arm quilting machines, and a variety of sewing and quilting classes.
The Canine Cookie Co. in McKinney lends a hand to dogs
Issue published: October
In 2004, Stephanie Farrar decided to take her dog treat cooking expertise to launch a business in McKinney and beyond. The Canine Cookie Co., located on East Louisiana Street, sells dog treats, dog birthday cakes, collars, leashes and toys.
The Gym McKinney: McKinney fitness studio aims to help people of all abilities find their strength
Issue published: November
Dan Judge, an award-winning bodybuilder, has worked in gyms for the better part of the last 40 years. Since 2014, he has been operating The Gym in McKinney, specializing in personal training and rehabilitation for disabled clients.
Diggin’ It: How a local art admirer cultivated community in an old bus station
Issue published: December
Tracey Collins said she has always been a lover of all things whimsical. But she saw an opportunity to make this into a community and a business: Now she is selling art, stickers, jewelry and plants in a transformed Greyhound Bus station in downtown McKinney.
