Mary Maxim

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Mary Maxim is the largest privately owned craft and needlework mail-order company in North America. Its office is in Paris, Ontario, while its headquarters are in Port Huron, Michigan. There is a retail store at 75 Scott Ave, Paris. The Port Huron retail store has closed, but the office stays open. Mary Maxim sells crafts, yarns, knitting and crocheting kits, and other hobby items.

The company began in Sifton, Manitoba, when Willard and Olive McPhedrain bought Spinwell Manufacturing Co, which made spinning wheels, and started a mail-order business called Sifton Products. In 1954 Willard moved the business to Paris, Ontario and renamed it Mary Maxim after a store employee, Mary Maximchuk. The name Mary Maxim was created by shortening Mary’s name, following the idea of naming after a helpful household person.

In 1956 Willard’s son Larry opened an office in Port Huron, Michigan, recognizing potential in the United States. Mary Maxim became known for quality knitting yarns, and in the late 1950s for bulky knit sweaters with wildlife designs. The first sweater pattern, designed by Stella Sawchyn, appeared in 1951.

Today about 60 people work in Paris, Ontario. About 15% of sales come from retail stores in Ontario and 85% from the catalog division. The company has also expanded online, and about 25% of sales come from internet selling. Mary Maxim is owned by the third and fourth generations of the McPhedrain family—Rusty and Jane, and their sons Chad and Mitch. Rusty became vice president of operations in 1987 and president in 1995. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in June 2006.