Mary Maxim

About Mary Maxim

Mary Maxim is a specialty retail store located on Wellington Rd in the White Oaks area of London, Ontario. Serving the local community and craft enthusiasts, it describes itself as North America's favorite yarn, quilting, and craft store. The shop offers a diverse selection of yarns from brands such as Estelle, Bernat, King Cole, Gedifra, Diamond, and Cascade. Customers can browse a wide variety of craft supplies, including paint by numbers, puzzles, coloring books, Diamond Dotz kits, Paulinda modeling kits, modeling clay, paracord, and Perler Beads. The store also features a gift department with home decor, fashion wear, and cottage items, as well as a dedicated Quilt Shoppe. The Quilt Shoppe provides fabric collections in styles like florals, batiks, and geos, along with quilting tools, accessories, and kits for all skill levels. Additionally, the business provides full-service quilting, including long arm quilting with a maximum turnaround time of four weeks, and offers quilting classes for beginners and advanced crafters. The business has a long history dating back to a woolen mill in Sifton, Manitoba, operated by Willard S. McPhedrain and his wife Olive. The company originally gained success by using the name of an employee, Miss Mary Maximchuk, to advertise "Homespun" work socks. In 1954, the company moved to Paris, Ontario, where it expanded its product line to include high-quality Canadian yarns and exclusive graph-style patterns. Under the leadership of Willard's son, Larry McPhedrain, the business expanded into the United States in 1956. The store currently features a clearance room for discounted name brands and hosts a monthly "Club 50 Day" where customers aged 50 and over receive a discount on regular-priced in-stock items. Customers can book appointments for quilting services and classes with a knowledgeable associate named Mac.