Maddox and her husband were both defense contractors, which took them to all parts of the globe. They landed in Dayton and opted to live downtown. Maddox also chose downtown Dayton as the home to her new business, Strings Attached.
The Maddox family once lived in Beavercreek, where their children attended school. But when they returned they wanted to locate downtown. And when her dream of owning her own yarn store came to fruition, Maddox knew she wanted to be downtown. “This is my neighborhood, and neighborhoods need yarn stores,” she said.
Having worked in yarn stores after graduation from college, Maddox has over the years taken mental notes regarding yarn stores. “Working in the business helped me gather ideas.”
She contacted the Downtown Dayton Partnership and through the Site Seeker program visited several potential locations throughout downtown. “We are between Flying Pizza and Vessels. You really can’t ask for a better location,” she said. Maddox, who resides at Performance Place downtown, loves walking the block and a half to work. “It’s like my annex.” Because Maddox is the first tenant in the space at 225 N. Main St., she had the luxury of designing the space to her needs, including a big-screen television and kitchen. “During football season, people came in and knit and watched the games. They can make a cup of tea. It’s fun.”
Strings Attached opened quietly Nov. 4, and Maddox is pleased with business so far. “We have a quite a few folks who work downtown who have registered for knitting and crochet classes,” she said.
Knitting classes are from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., allowing employees to walk over on their lunch hour. Crochet classes are from 5:30 to 6 p.m. The store’s hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
Maddox is proud of some of the wools available at Strings Attached. “I carry a lot of things that are difficult to get.” She has cashmere from Afghanistan along with hand-embroidered Afghan shawls her husband discovered when he was last deployed there.
Maddox, who has been involved in needle work since she was a young girl, sees a resurgence of knitting and crocheting. She points out that summer is a great time to get started on handmade gifts for the holidays. “Spring is a good time to crochet a shawl to have at the office in the summer when your office is freezing.”
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