The needlepoint shop at 549 Chestnut St. in downtown Winnetka is getting new owners, a new name and a refreshed storefront, but the craft that built a loyal following over two decades isn't going anywhere.

Jane Hayes, who has run The Classic Stitch from that same Chestnut Street address for 20 years, is retiring and has sold the business to Kathryn Cannon Weir and Mackenzie Reimer. The pair plan to reopen the space as Third Coast At The Classic Stitch in October.

Cannon Weir and Reimer already operate Third Coast Stitches at 1365 N. Wells St. in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. They founded the shop in 2021 after teaching themselves needlepoint during the pandemic and spotting a gap in the market. The expansion to Winnetka came after Cannon Weir relocated to Kenilworth, putting her squarely on the North Shore.

Hayes was no stranger to the duo. She showed up on opening day at the Old Town store in 2021 and served as a mentor as they learned the business.

"She was at our store opening the day we opened downtown when we had no idea what we were doing," Cannon Weir told The Record North Shore on Thursday, Aug. 13. "She was a mentor to us as we kind of figured out what we were doing and got the ropes of needlepoint store ownership."

The new owners said they plan to bring more color and light to the storefront and create an updated space for crafting classes. Cannon Weir, a CPA by training, and Reimer have grown Third Coast Stitches from a two-person operation into a larger storefront with an online shop and a full team. Reimer recently went full-time at the business.

The Winnetka location will be the first of two planned expansions beyond the Chicago flagship. A third storefront is slated for Wayzata, Minnesota, in February 2027.

Reimer told The Record that a younger generation of stitchers, many of whom discovered the craft through Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, is broadening the customer base beyond the traditional audience of women who learned from mothers and grandmothers. That social-media-driven interest is part of what gives the new owners confidence in a second brick-and-mortar on the North Shore.

The terms of the sale have not been publicly disclosed. The Winnetka-Northfield Chamber of Commerce had not issued a public statement about the transition as of Friday, Aug. 14. No specific October reopening date or ribbon-cutting has been announced; residents can check thirdcoaststitches.com for updates.