Posted 10:30 pm Sunday, December 02, 2012
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Small businesses find home in Tyler shopping center
BY CASEY MURPHY
cmurphy@tylerpaper.com
During a trip to Germany, Patti Mehling fell in love with the sites of Rothenburg, a small town from which she drew inspiration to design Tyler's newest shopping center.
Construction of The Market, off Old Jacksonville Highway, started in August 2010. Seven locally owned businesses have opened or are preparing to open there, while four spaces remain available for future tenants.
Mrs. Mehling, 52, owned The Cleaning Co. and bought the property four years ago for a dry cleaners. But she sold the business two years ago so she and her husband could focus on growing their other business, At Home Health Care.
Mrs. Mehling grew up in Tatum and has lived in Tyler for 12 years. She has owned several businesses, including an interior design store in Athens; five restaurants from Longview to Kerrville; Color Time TV & Video stores in Texas and Louisiana and The Cleaning Co. Mrs. Mehling and Doug Mehling have been married for nine years and have five children, ranging in age from 18 to 30.
Since they already owned the property by FRESH by Brookshire's, they built the shopping center to honor their commitment to the previous owner. When visiting Rothenburg, Germany, about three years ago, Mrs. Mehling fell in love with the town. “It was all of the things that I love to do,” she said. So when designing The Market, they used replicas of the watch tower, windows and store fronts they found there. They also added Santa Fe, N.M., themes, such as art, music and family.
cmurphy@tylerpaper.com
During a trip to Germany, Patti Mehling fell in love with the sites of Rothenburg, a small town from which she drew inspiration to design Tyler's newest shopping center.
Construction of The Market, off Old Jacksonville Highway, started in August 2010. Seven locally owned businesses have opened or are preparing to open there, while four spaces remain available for future tenants.
Mrs. Mehling, 52, owned The Cleaning Co. and bought the property four years ago for a dry cleaners. But she sold the business two years ago so she and her husband could focus on growing their other business, At Home Health Care.
Mrs. Mehling grew up in Tatum and has lived in Tyler for 12 years. She has owned several businesses, including an interior design store in Athens; five restaurants from Longview to Kerrville; Color Time TV & Video stores in Texas and Louisiana and The Cleaning Co. Mrs. Mehling and Doug Mehling have been married for nine years and have five children, ranging in age from 18 to 30.
Since they already owned the property by FRESH by Brookshire's, they built the shopping center to honor their commitment to the previous owner. When visiting Rothenburg, Germany, about three years ago, Mrs. Mehling fell in love with the town. “It was all of the things that I love to do,” she said. So when designing The Market, they used replicas of the watch tower, windows and store fronts they found there. They also added Santa Fe, N.M., themes, such as art, music and family.
Mrs. Mehling said their goal is to have “artists, musicians and activities the young and not so young can enjoy together” for free. As for the tenants, “We wanted unique family owned stores, preferably owner operated,” Mrs. Mehling said. “Family owned stores are just about a lost art.”
Fickle Baby, Identity Med Spa & Salon, 20 TWO 10, and Sweet Hope Café & Cake Shop are open. Moss is opening Tuesday, while Just Imagine and Steve's Jewelry will open later this month.
Mrs. Mehling's daughter, Claire Cozad, 30, worked with her mom at The Cleaning Co. and will do the event coordinating for the center and work with the tenants.
Mrs. Mehling said The Market is a family business. Her 18-year-old son Dan does all of the maintenance; 23-year-old Carlyle decorated the shops for Christmas; and her 24-year-old daughter Alex will participate in many of the events held there.
The Market will hold a grand opening celebration from 5-7 p.m. on Dec. 13 and part of the proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer's Alliance of Smith County. There will be horse drawn carriage rides, face painting, cookie decorating and Robert E. Lee High School's fiddlers and jazz band will perform.
Fickle Baby, Identity Med Spa & Salon, 20 TWO 10, and Sweet Hope Café & Cake Shop are open. Moss is opening Tuesday, while Just Imagine and Steve's Jewelry will open later this month.
Mrs. Mehling's daughter, Claire Cozad, 30, worked with her mom at The Cleaning Co. and will do the event coordinating for the center and work with the tenants.
Mrs. Mehling said The Market is a family business. Her 18-year-old son Dan does all of the maintenance; 23-year-old Carlyle decorated the shops for Christmas; and her 24-year-old daughter Alex will participate in many of the events held there.
The Market will hold a grand opening celebration from 5-7 p.m. on Dec. 13 and part of the proceeds will benefit the Alzheimer's Alliance of Smith County. There will be horse drawn carriage rides, face painting, cookie decorating and Robert E. Lee High School's fiddlers and jazz band will perform.
JUST IMAGINE
Judy Nolley sees her store, Just Imagine, as a new start for her and her daughter.
Ms. Nolley, 50, is a single mother to Alicia, 11, and in the last few years has lost a daughter and her husband. “Through that I can't say enough about how people supported us and helped us,” she said. “Our faith in God got us through this.”
Ms. Nolley had a booth at First Monday Trade Days in Canton for eight years before deciding to open a store at The Market.
Just Imagine offers specialty toys and gifts for children, as well as unique, hand-painted, locally made children's furniture.
Ms. Nolley plans to open Just Imagine in mid-December, and decided on The Market because when she met Mrs. Mehling, “it seemed like a perfect fit.” Just Imagine, in Suite 145, will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Ms. Nolley, 50, is a single mother to Alicia, 11, and in the last few years has lost a daughter and her husband. “Through that I can't say enough about how people supported us and helped us,” she said. “Our faith in God got us through this.”
Ms. Nolley had a booth at First Monday Trade Days in Canton for eight years before deciding to open a store at The Market.
Just Imagine offers specialty toys and gifts for children, as well as unique, hand-painted, locally made children's furniture.
Ms. Nolley plans to open Just Imagine in mid-December, and decided on The Market because when she met Mrs. Mehling, “it seemed like a perfect fit.” Just Imagine, in Suite 145, will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
SWEET HOPE
Amanda Lockman, 29, moved to Tyler from Wisconsin in June and opened Sweet Hope Café and Cake Shop on Nov. 13. Mrs. Lockman taught herself how to bake by watching YouTube videos. After baking a cake for her oldest son's first birthday, her friends started asking her to make cakes for their children.
She was a stay-at-home mom and began learning about social injustices and knew there was more she could be doing, she said. Mrs. Lockman started selling cakes and donating 100 percent of the proceeds to different charities. She uses fair trade ingredients in her new shop and sells custom cakes for weddings, baby showers and other events, as well as scones, cookies, quiche, paninis and salads, a full coffee bar and some gluten- free items.
Mrs. Lockman and her husband of seven years, Eric, were planning to move to Arizona from Wisconsin when their friends, Patrick and Meagan Lissner, talked them into looking at Tyler. The Lissners are opening a florist shop in The Market. Mrs. Lockman said when they visited Tyler, she knew this is where her family was meant to be. She runs the bakery and her husband now stays home with their three sons.
Sweet Hope Café and Cake Shop, in Suite 140, is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and can be reached at 903-787-8074.
She was a stay-at-home mom and began learning about social injustices and knew there was more she could be doing, she said. Mrs. Lockman started selling cakes and donating 100 percent of the proceeds to different charities. She uses fair trade ingredients in her new shop and sells custom cakes for weddings, baby showers and other events, as well as scones, cookies, quiche, paninis and salads, a full coffee bar and some gluten- free items.
Mrs. Lockman and her husband of seven years, Eric, were planning to move to Arizona from Wisconsin when their friends, Patrick and Meagan Lissner, talked them into looking at Tyler. The Lissners are opening a florist shop in The Market. Mrs. Lockman said when they visited Tyler, she knew this is where her family was meant to be. She runs the bakery and her husband now stays home with their three sons.
Sweet Hope Café and Cake Shop, in Suite 140, is open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and can be reached at 903-787-8074.
MOSS
Paige McGuffey and her daughter, Meagan Lissner, are opening Moss, a floral shop that focuses on fair trade flower products, in The Market on Tuesday.
Mrs. McGuffey, 50, studied interior design and owns East Texas Business Printing. She has always had a love for flowers and enjoys gardening, while her daughter is a fresh flower designer. Mrs. Lissner, 28, worked for Garden Style for about six years. The pair designed wedding arrangements for family and friends, which “evolved into a dream that we would have a flower shop together,” Mrs. McGuffey said.
Her daughter moved to Wisconsin for a few years before returning to Tyler. Mrs. Lissner began learning about fair trade business efforts and wanted to do something. About the same time, Mrs. Mehling, a friend of Mrs. McGuffey's, told her they should open a flower shop in The Market. “Everything fell into place, and here we are,” she said. Moss is a full-service florist offering fresh-made flowers, custom orders for delivery and arrangements for events, such as weddings and funerals. The shop also offers vintage and antique items for sale, as well as new gift items. She said everything they sell will be certified fair trade or recycled and reused merchandise.
“She's my best friend. It's a dream come true,” Mrs. McGuffey said of opening a business with her daughter. She said her son and younger daughter also have been involved with the business. Moss, in Suite 160, will be open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
Mrs. McGuffey, 50, studied interior design and owns East Texas Business Printing. She has always had a love for flowers and enjoys gardening, while her daughter is a fresh flower designer. Mrs. Lissner, 28, worked for Garden Style for about six years. The pair designed wedding arrangements for family and friends, which “evolved into a dream that we would have a flower shop together,” Mrs. McGuffey said.
Her daughter moved to Wisconsin for a few years before returning to Tyler. Mrs. Lissner began learning about fair trade business efforts and wanted to do something. About the same time, Mrs. Mehling, a friend of Mrs. McGuffey's, told her they should open a flower shop in The Market. “Everything fell into place, and here we are,” she said. Moss is a full-service florist offering fresh-made flowers, custom orders for delivery and arrangements for events, such as weddings and funerals. The shop also offers vintage and antique items for sale, as well as new gift items. She said everything they sell will be certified fair trade or recycled and reused merchandise.
“She's my best friend. It's a dream come true,” Mrs. McGuffey said of opening a business with her daughter. She said her son and younger daughter also have been involved with the business. Moss, in Suite 160, will be open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
20 TWO 10
Whitney Parrish and Melissa Charba recently opened the 20 TWO 10 Boutique in The Market.
Ms. Parrish grew up in Lawton, Okla., but moved to Tyler with her parents 10 years ago, while Ms. Charba is from Lindale. Ms. Parrish met Ms. Charba when she worked for her at The Tanning Zone. Ms. Parrish also dates Ms. Charba's son, and they decided to partner in a boutique.
Ms. Parrish said they got the idea for the store from Kelley Cortese, a designer from Corpus Christi, whom she met at a cystic fibrosis fundraising event. Ms. Parrish last year was chairwoman of the cystic fibrosis walk and the foundation is the main nonprofit organization they give to because her 10-year-old sister, Maci Drewry, has cystic fibrosis.
They carry Henry & Belle jeans, and 10 percent of the proceeds go to charities. The main clothes line they offer is Abi Ferrin, a Dallas designer. 20 TWO 10 offers luggage, dresses, tops, jeans, pajamas, candles, jewelry and other accessories.
Ms. Parrish said they loved The Market and felt all of the tenants were like a big family. “We all work together and we all have the same goal … we want it to be family friendly,” she said of the center. 20 TWO 10 is in Suite 110 and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Holiday hours are 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays in December The business can be reached at 903-787-8807.
Ms. Parrish grew up in Lawton, Okla., but moved to Tyler with her parents 10 years ago, while Ms. Charba is from Lindale. Ms. Parrish met Ms. Charba when she worked for her at The Tanning Zone. Ms. Parrish also dates Ms. Charba's son, and they decided to partner in a boutique.
Ms. Parrish said they got the idea for the store from Kelley Cortese, a designer from Corpus Christi, whom she met at a cystic fibrosis fundraising event. Ms. Parrish last year was chairwoman of the cystic fibrosis walk and the foundation is the main nonprofit organization they give to because her 10-year-old sister, Maci Drewry, has cystic fibrosis.
They carry Henry & Belle jeans, and 10 percent of the proceeds go to charities. The main clothes line they offer is Abi Ferrin, a Dallas designer. 20 TWO 10 offers luggage, dresses, tops, jeans, pajamas, candles, jewelry and other accessories.
Ms. Parrish said they loved The Market and felt all of the tenants were like a big family. “We all work together and we all have the same goal … we want it to be family friendly,” she said of the center. 20 TWO 10 is in Suite 110 and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Holiday hours are 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays in December The business can be reached at 903-787-8807.
STEVE'S JEWELRY
Steve Cash, 60, is relocating his Steve's Jewelry business from downtown Tyler into The Market, and hopes to open Saturday. Construction wasn't complete on Tuesday and Cash said it would most likely be a “mad, hectic rush” to the end.
Cash grew up in Colorado Springs and moved to Tyler 35 years ago. He has been in the jewelry industry for 40 years and has operated Steve's Jewelry out of the Tyler Square Antiques downtown for 14 years. He deals in estate, good-quality diamonds and one-of-a-kind pieces. Cash believes the craftsmanship and quality of estate and antique jewelry is much better than new jewelry. Cash also can repair jewelry.
He said when looking to move his shop from the antique mall, which will soon close, he decided he should go “where everybody else is going” off of Old Jacksonville Highway. “I think that the business will be excellent down there.”
Steve's Jewelry will be in Suite 128, will be open Tuesday through Saturday and can be reached at 903-526-7565. “I just hope to see everyone there,” he said.
Cash grew up in Colorado Springs and moved to Tyler 35 years ago. He has been in the jewelry industry for 40 years and has operated Steve's Jewelry out of the Tyler Square Antiques downtown for 14 years. He deals in estate, good-quality diamonds and one-of-a-kind pieces. Cash believes the craftsmanship and quality of estate and antique jewelry is much better than new jewelry. Cash also can repair jewelry.
He said when looking to move his shop from the antique mall, which will soon close, he decided he should go “where everybody else is going” off of Old Jacksonville Highway. “I think that the business will be excellent down there.”
Steve's Jewelry will be in Suite 128, will be open Tuesday through Saturday and can be reached at 903-526-7565. “I just hope to see everyone there,” he said.
FICKLE BABY
Kimberly Kennedy and Lindsey Ferris opened Fickle Baby in September to represent “mom-based” children clothing lines that give back to those in need. Their store supports lines that donate part of their profits to charitable organizations and carries merchandise made by companies that use recycled materials. They also are partnering with Stacie Walker, who paints and repurposes antique furniture.
Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Ferris met two years ago through their children, who are best friends and attend Kids Kaleidoscope at Pollard United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Ferris, 30, grew up in Tyler and is a stay-at-home mother to her two daughters. She and her husband, Jeff, have been married for five years.
Mrs. Kennedy, 33, grew up in Shreveport, La., and has one daughter. After she and her husband of seven years, Brandon, married, they moved to Tyler from Houston.
Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Ferris met two years ago through their children, who are best friends and attend Kids Kaleidoscope at Pollard United Methodist Church.
Mrs. Ferris, 30, grew up in Tyler and is a stay-at-home mother to her two daughters. She and her husband, Jeff, have been married for five years.
Mrs. Kennedy, 33, grew up in Shreveport, La., and has one daughter. After she and her husband of seven years, Brandon, married, they moved to Tyler from Houston.
IDENTITY MED SPA
Kim Pearson-Wahl, 54, took a traditional spa — Identity Med Spa and Salon — and combined the therapeutic services with more medical, clinic services, she said. She bought Identity Med Spa and Salon in Lindale about a year ago, and on Sept. 10, opened a second location in The Market.
Mrs. Pearson-Wahl worked as a nurse for 25 years and managed the emergency trauma system at East Texas Medical Center before becoming corporate vice president there 12 years ago. Her husband of 25 years, Tony Wahl, is chief executive officer for Texas Spine & Joint Hospital. The spa offers a hair salon; pedicure and manicure stations; private rooms for facials and deep peels; Botox and Juvederm; a Dermafrac machine; and massage rooms. They also offer weight-loss services, laser hair removal, teeth whitening, professional make-up and eye lash extensions. The spa is in Suite 100, has varying hours and can be reached at 903-581-1500.
Mrs. Pearson-Wahl worked as a nurse for 25 years and managed the emergency trauma system at East Texas Medical Center before becoming corporate vice president there 12 years ago. Her husband of 25 years, Tony Wahl, is chief executive officer for Texas Spine & Joint Hospital. The spa offers a hair salon; pedicure and manicure stations; private rooms for facials and deep peels; Botox and Juvederm; a Dermafrac machine; and massage rooms. They also offer weight-loss services, laser hair removal, teeth whitening, professional make-up and eye lash extensions. The spa is in Suite 100, has varying hours and can be reached at 903-581-1500.
