Nikki Himes has been part of the Ellicottville local scene for a decade now and has become a part of its business landscape. Graduating from Springville Griffiths Institute in 2009 gave Himes the freedom to explore her surroundings and now she finds herself becoming a partner with Rachel Northrup McGee and Scott McGee as part owner of the Purple Doorknob as it expands to a new storefront in the Elmwood Village in Buffalo. In 2013 Himes found herself moving to Ellicottville after a few years of coming “to Ellicottville to hang out with friends and I moved down here when Calla Wagner [best friend] and I decided to get an apartment together.”
Himes made her life in Ellicottville as she fell in love and married the man of her dreams while working at the Gin Mill in 2015. Brian Rick swept her off her feet and they married in October 2022. Nikki is an avid animal lover and has a menagerie of pets at their home in Little Valley. Together they have nine animals sharing the house including three dogs, four cats, a chinchilla and a bearded dragon. Himes’ first job in Ellicottville was at Tim n Bonnie’s as she transferred from the Springville location called Blasdell Pizza, and soon found herself in other jobs as well such as Lifeguarding at Holiday Valley. She also wanted to see the world so she drove solo visiting National Parks and elsewhere around the country. She visited the British Virgin Islands for a spell and travelled to Australia solo as well.
Himes has worked around the village including Tangled Twigs boutique, but the Gin Mill has been a staple in her life since she started there. Now her responsibilities have grown as she moves from manager at the Purple Doorknob to part owner. Nikki started working there one day a week in 2017 when she took over Brooke Szpaicher’s position upon her departure from the store. It seems as though kismet took over as Nikki shared in an email, “Rachel and I clicked right away and have always had a lot of fun working together. My biggest contribution early on, was reorganizing the layout. My system for keeping the socks organized thematically has persisted ever since.”
In 2018 Himes asked to take on more responsibilities and she began taking on more managerial tasks, like payroll and creating social media content. The Purple Doorknob found a new storefront on Washington Street in 2020 opening in June of that year and by December Himes became the “Operations Manager”. “Owners Rachel and her partner Scotty were preparing for a new addition to their family and wanted my help in running the store so they could spend more time at home with their kids. When their youngest was born in August 2021, Rachel was able to take a small step back from the store for a while. I have always enjoyed my work at the store, but stepping up into the management position truly ignited my passion. I love being involved in a small business; it is work that my organizational skills are well suited for. I love the colorful whimsical vibe of the store too! I never could have dreamed that my one-day-per-week job would turn into an actual career that I love, but I do appreciate the irony the silly kid who wore exclusively brightly colored mismatched socks her entire childhood ended up here.” Himes wrote.
Himes also told The Villager that the owners were dreaming of expanding while she grew with the store, “but they never had any solid plans about when or how it would happen. When Brian and I decided we wanted to move to Buffalo, I suggested to them that our moving could facilitate the perfect moment to open that second location. We agreed and started searching for a new spot early in 2024, and I knew that I wanted it to be in the Elmwood Village.”
A place called Campus Wheelworks at 744 Elmwood Avenue had moved leaving an empty storefront and Himes found it perfect. It’s next to a well-established store called “Everything Elmwood” which is next to Watson’s Chocolates and on the other side is a store opening soon called” Queen City Vintage”. “The new store is similar in size and layout to our current store and we intend to keep the vibe/decor similar – think purple and whimsy. The Elmwood Village neighborhood, despite being in the city, has a similar feel to it as Ellicottville does. There’s a sense of community, lots of fun and interesting shops, tons of foot traffic, and some really cool cafes and restaurants. We are planning to open this spring.”
Himes also expressed to The Villager, the opening of the second location, which she will be running “was the catalyst for me joining as an owner”. She will also continue to be involved in managing the Ellicottville store, “With me in Buffalo, and Rachel and Scotty in Ellicottville, working together to manage the two stores, we will be able to share responsibilities and keep a cohesive brand between the stores. As a team, we all balance each other out well and bring complementary strengths to the table.”
Himes also wrote a short history of the Purple Doorknob which hangs on the wall there which regales the history of the store and its origin as an antique store with “sock displays for added flair”. And the purchase of the store by Northrup and their move to the new location which is steeped in Northrup history.