ThanksKeltic opens in Elgin with $11,000 in local grants

ThanksKeltic, a Celtic goods shop owned by Nikki Richardson Rafferty, opened in downtown Elgin on July 12 and received local grant funding to help renovate its storefront.

Nikki Richardson Rafferty, owner of ThanksKeltic, said the business received a $10,000 matching grant from EDC and $1,000 from Main Street to reimburse fees and pay for improvements such as painting, windows and an outdoor patio. "EDC awarded us, $10,000 matching grant," Richardson Rafferty said. "The main street gave us a thousand dollars for some of the fees that we paid."

The grants helped the shop complete cosmetic work before and after its July grand opening and offset costs tied to relocating the business, Richardson Rafferty said. "A lot of it was the patio that we have outside. A lot of it went to that painting and doing the windows just making the building a little bit more attractive in the area," she said.

Stacy Ford Osborne, interim public information officer for the city of Elgin, hosted a recorded interview with Richardson Rafferty in which the owner described the store's history and merchandise. "The store is actually 25 years old and it was in Austin for 19 years and then in Dublin Texas for 6 years," Richardson Rafferty said, noting the Elgin location is the shop's latest move after operating at festivals while looking for a permanent site. She said the new address is "34 North Avenue C" and that the shop is "directly across the street" from the post office.

Richardson Rafferty characterized the initial community response as strong. She said shoppers have included supporters who remembered the shop from previous locations in Austin, Houston and San Antonio. The owner described the store's inventory as largely imported from Ireland and Scotland, supplemented by work from local artists in a dedicated art room, and cited specific popular items including pashminas and food items such as Welsh cakes and whiskey fudge. "Our Welsh cakes and whiskey fudge, I can't keep on the shelves," she said.

Richardson Rafferty also described plans to travel to Scotland in January to source additional merchandise and said the storefront will close for two weeks for that trip. She said the shop will continue to expand its children's offerings and work with small artists: "We hit the smaller places to find a smaller artist in Ireland...we're his only US distributor."

Osborne named city staff who assisted the business with the grant process. In the interview she identified Kaylee Frye as the city's interim economic development director and Christina Alvarez as the city's Main Street manager, and Richardson Rafferty said both "walked us through pretty much everything of getting it done." Richardson Rafferty called the application and reimbursement process straightforward and encouraged other local entrepreneurs to inquire.

The owner said the business is building its online presence and currently maintains a Facebook page under the shop name. "We do have a Facebook presence...we are on Instagram," she said, but added that the full website was not live at the time of the interview because initial efforts focused on opening the physical shop.

The Elgin segment did not include any formal city council action tied to the grants during the interview. The statements about grant awards and staff assistance reflect the owner's account and the host's identification of city staff; the interview did not include documentation or presentation of grant approvals or council minutes on camera.

ThanksKeltic is located at 34 North Avenue C in Elgin. The owner invited customers to visit the shop across from the post office and to ask questions about the grant process in person.