UNION — Inside the simple white facade of Knitkabob, customers are greeted with a world of color. Balls of yarn in every shade line the walls, along with every shelf and display cabinet.

For the last 11 years Knitkabob has been a beloved yarn shop for locals and travelers alike. But Knitkabob is more than a shop — it is a community gathering place for crafters, thanks to owner Maggie Owens.

“We opened March 14, 2013, and we are closing March 14, 2024,” she said.

Owens retired in 2011 after nearly 30 years in academia at California State University Chico. She got her start as a professor of mathematics before becoming department chair then associate dean and eventually the dean of science.

She and her husband, Xenogeny Smith, were looking for a “quiet college town” to make their home. The couple liked both Oregon and New Mexico, but Owens said that Oregon won out in the end due to their concerns about water rights in New Mexico.

Owens and Smith initially thought they wanted a small hobby farm, so their real estate agent kept bringing them to Union.

One afternoon they met their agent for lunch at the Main Street Eatery, and the next time they came to Union they saw the building was for sale. So, despite the ongoing search for a home, Owens took the plunge on the retail space on South Main Street.

“My husband was afraid of what would happen if I was home alone all the time,” she said with a laugh.

The couple brainstormed ideas for the shop — at one point even considering a laundromat arcade. In the end, it was her husband who suggested a yarn shop. Owens said she learned to knit around the age of 6 from her paternal great-grandmother. Her maternal grandmother taught her crochet.

While Owens herself prefers knitting, Knitkabob offered a full variety of crafting supplies, including hooks, needles and notions. The shop served a dedicated local customer base, but Owens said she also had crafter come from Hermiston, Boise and the Tri-Cities in Washington.

Her favorite part of the job was the interactions she had with customers, she said, especially those who were just getting started on their crafting journey. She would give them a pair of knitting needles and watch as their hands went from shaky to confident.

However, after more than a decade of running Knitkabob, it is time for Owens to retire from her retirement job. At 68 years old she is suffering from macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration is fairly common and is the leading cause of vision loss in people older than 50, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The disease causes people to lose their central vision.

Owens said her failing vision has made it difficult to work on the computer. It’s also made it harder to help customers with projects.

“I have truly enjoyed working with all my customers and I am amazed at all the items they have crafted over the years,” she said. “It has been wonderful, the best retirement job ever, but my vision is failing and I just cannot continue running the shop.”

While Owens herself is ready for retirement, her customers are sad to see the shop go.

Heidi Klammer has been going to Knitkabob for around nine years, she said. She first went to the yarn shop after inheriting a half-completed project from her mother, which Klammer promised she would finish.

Klammer eventually joined the crafting group that met every Thursday at Knitkabob. She is incredibly grateful for the community Owens cultivated.

“It is truly going to be a loss,” Klammer said.

Pam Swanger also felt that sense of community at Knitkabob. An enjoyer of locally owned yarn stores, Swagner started shopping at Knitkabob from the time Owens’ opened her doors.

“It’s been a joy to shop there,” she said. “It’s not just the shop, it’s Maggie.

Knitkabob, 156 S. Main St. in Union, is open from noon until 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, until March 14, 2024.