Owner to close yarn shop; Bonnie Kotary cites high taxes, competition from big-box stores as factors
Schenectady — The owner of an Upper Union Street yarn shop says she is closing because of high taxes.
“Our payouts are more than our income. Times have changed,” says Bonnie Kotary, 70.
Kotary’s Ye Olde Yarn & Gift Shoppe has served customers for 30 years but will close this summer. Kotary first opened her small business in 1978 at McClellan Street and Eastern Parkway.
She stayed there for 22 years and then moved to the upper Union Street area where for the past eight years she has offered high-quality yarns and knitting supplies and free two-hour classes on Monday nights.
Kotary said she was paying $10,000 in sales, payroll and property taxes.
“Another victim of Schenectady’s tax structure. … Everything has gone up in price. It is the tax system,” says 28-year employee Shellie Kitchen, 67.
