“We’re creatives, we like building things,” Kaci said. “I think that is why every 10 years we get an itch to build a new business.”
When the couple saw what was formerly East End Garage and prior to that a grocery store on Greenville Road, Kaci said they fell in love with it.
In addition to the fact that they believe the east side of McKinney is where future growth is heading, they said they liked that the building has a story just as their antiques have stories.
“We’re restoring these antiques and making them functional, and that’s exactly what this building needed to make it functional again,” Kaci said.
The virtual antique shop opened in 2020. Three times a year customers can shop in person. In the fall and spring, East End Salvage is a vendor at the Round Top Antique Show in Round Top, Texas. In June, the Lyfords host The Market at East End at their McKinney location. Customers can make appointments to shop.
The Lyfords frequently travel to Europe where Kaci sources merchandise at flea markets, architectural salvage yards and antique stores in England, Belgium and France.
“We rent a big van and go around the country filling it up,” Kaci said. “When it’s full we take it to a storage unit and when the storage unit is full, we put it in a storage container and ship the container over [here].”
Kaci has a degree in interior design. She said many of her customers are interior designers while some just love making their homes look like design magazine photographs, such as a local repeat customer.
“I found her kitchen island In Belgium,” Kaci said. “It was a worktable that was disgusting. We cleaned and restored it, made it look beautiful. It is the showpiece in her kitchen and has been photographed a hundred times and featured in design magazines.”
East End Salvage
705 Greenville St., McKinney
www.eastendsalvage.com
Hours: by appointment only
