Makity Make craft store expands to Old Courthouse in Woodstock

Julie Callahan grew up in Woodstock and now is living her dream of being a business owner on the Woodstock Square.

Callahan has an IT background and now is the owner of Makity Make, which opened its first location in Algonquin in 2020.

Callahan said she grew up crafting and had wanted to get into the crafting business.

“I’ve always just wanted to open something like this,” Callahan said.

Makity Make is a do-it-yourself craft studio where people can paint pottery and make wood projects, among many other crafts.

“We’re like training wheels for art,” Callahan said.

Callahan had been looking for a space in Woodstock for Makity Make since 2019 and eventually applied for a space in the Old Courthouse.

“I always wanted to be on the Square,” Callahan said.

This month, Callahan became a business owner on the Square when Makity Make opened in the Old Courthouse, and this past week, Makity Make expanded its hours to 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Callahan said the variety of activities available at Makity Make makes it unique.

“There’s something for everyone,” she said.

Callahan said Makity Make sometimes will bring the studio to people who can’t come in person. She said Makity Make has been to day cares, senior living facilities and public libraries, among other locales across the Chicago area.

“We bring the art to them,” Callahan said.

Callahan said the studio also offers workshops with topics that will include knitting, glass painting and polymer clay, among others.

Unique to the Woodstock location is a room in the front that overlooks the Woodstock Square. Callahan hopes to turn the space into a “pop-up” for artists who can rent the space and showcase their work.

Callahan said she is working to build “a sense of community through art,” noting one of the shop’s taglines is “Where community and creativity come together.”

With the Woodstock location in the Old Courthouse, some of the history remains in the space. A chalkboard with the results of elections from the 1970s happens to be on the opposite side of the entrance to Makity Make.

“People want to see the renovations,” Callahan said.

Although the Woodstock location is the second for Makity Make and Callahan said the business plans to have three shops, she has no plans to expand at the moment.

“I’m just going to stick with two right now,” she said.