Every industry creates additional business opportunities, and the Thoroughbred industry is no exception. Silks Unlimited is one such unique venture and is located right here in Lexington at 535 West Second Street. Alice Craig initially started Silks Unlimited after working for Barclays, a supplier of many goods for equine owners. Then in 1990, Patricia Headley Green purchased the business. As the daughter of the late Hal Price Headley, founder of Keeneland Race Track and Sales and one of the original Kentucky "hardboots," Patricia's purchase just made sense.
As Silks Unlimited became available, Patricia had just finished supervising the first edition of the ever-popular "Bluegrass Winners" cookbook published by the Garden Club of Lexington, sold her farm, Hardboot, and moved to the city. She needed something to productively fill her time. Being one of Hal Price Headley's 16 children and grandchildren involved in some part of the Thoroughbred business, she thought Silks Unlimited was an ideal match. She had been around horses all of her life and knew what horse owners needed in the way of jockey silks.
With her innate good taste, Patricia began to work in making this local business known throughout the country as the perfect place for horse owners to have their jockey silks made. With the help of her daughter, Adele Headley Green, who is actively involved in the business, and the four very talented seamstresses who hand-make the silks in their homes, Patricia has accomplished this goal.
To quote Adele, "Mother and Silks Unlimited is a perfect fit; since 1990, she has cultivated clients from a very deep reach in the Thoroughbred business that number 5,000 today. She has an unerring eye for color and design, what looks right and what won't work. She has business acumen that is native. She has a soft touch for what is appealing, as far as the decorative facet of Silks Unlimited, the opportunities to apply the horse theme are limitless."
Silks Unlimited is the official silks maker for the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and also makes Keeneland's saddlecloths. Andre Pater, the noted artist, who has done many wonderful painting of jockeys, always uses silks made by Patricia on his models. And if you go to the Hilton Hotel or the Lexington Club you will be able to see lovely framed sets of jockey silks made by Silks Unlimited.
Despite all of the acknowledgments and praise, the task of constructing these items can be daunting.
"People don't really appreciate how difficult it is to create a custom set of silks; the biggest challenge is consistently matching the owner's colors from dye lot to dye lot of fabric," Patricia said. But with much pride in her product, Patricia added, "We identify our silks by our trademark white snaps."
Not only does Silks Unlimited create silks for jockeys, but they also make saddle towels, pillows, flags, and banners. These additional items may have spurred Patricia into venturing into what could very well be another successful business-that of decorating for parties and events.
One of my favorite stories is that of Patricia's visit to an attorney with the intent of getting "rump pillows" patented. The attorney fee was way out of her price range, so off she went to Kennedy Bookstore to purchase the appropriate information, and for $50, she got her patent. This anecdote demonstrates the drive and innovation that Patricia Headley Green displays in her business as well as her everyday life. It's no wonder she's a success, right here in Lexington! Thanks to Patricia, Lexington is home to a "cottage industry" whose reach is worldwide.