Lindenhurst General Store opens inside Holy Black Barber Shop
Kelsy McLary at her new business, Lindenhurst General Store, located inside the Holy Black Barbershop in Lindenhurst. Credit: Kevin McLary
Lindenhurst General Store owner Kelsy McLary keeps her customers in stitches, with a crafty twist.
In addition to vintage and everyday goods, gifts and apparel, the in-store Stitch Bar for custom chain-stitch embroidery is a star attraction of the business that opened in May.
“I learned how to sew as a kid and got a passion for it from my grandmother,” says McLary, 31, whose store is located inside the Holy Black Barber Shop, where her husband, Kevin, cuts hair. “I picked embroidery back up as an adult in a big way.”
A 2015 graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, McLary has held previous fashion retail and supervisory roles at Uniqlo, Aerie and Madison’s Niche. She did embroidery as a side gig on Etsy.
“I wanted to combine everything I know and everything I love into the shop,” says McLary, who has assembled an array of small vendors, some of them local, to fill out the general store. Items include T-shirts ($34), patches ($12 and up), good luck bells ($18) and keychains ($10 and up).
The Stitch Bar is McLary’s domain for personalizing items one stitch at a time. “You can bring in your own garment or choose from a selection in the store,” she says. Prices start at $18.
Customization is an enduring trend. “People are craving experiences and things that are special and one-of-a-kind,” she says. “That goes for all ages.”
Local mothers seeking embroidered baby names are frequent customers. For a bride-to-be, she recently stitched “Mrs. Keegan” onto a pair of pants, while a comedian had the name of his show threaded onto his T-shirt.
“The other day, a kiddo who came in with his mom for a haircut designed his own hat,” she says. “He showed me exactly where he wanted. He was so excited.”
McLary’s hands are seldom idle. “I’m sewing like 80% of the day,” she says. “When I’m not interacting with customers and helping them out I’m usually sewing.”
Gentle stretches come in, well, handy, as does something her grandmother instilled decades ago. “Her advice was really just to have fun with it,” she says. “I just want it to be joyful.”
Lindenhurst General Store, 168 N. Wellwood Ave., Lindenhurst, lindenhurstgeneral.com, @lindenhurstgeneral
