BUSINESS FEATURE Willis Hometown Mercantile Boutique of vendors supports community W illis natives Channah Newton and Charla Hatha- way said they dreamed business. Both sisters have children— who range from ages 7-12—who sell items at the store. BY PEYTON MACKENZIE
of opening a boutique for years, and in August 2021, the sisters’ dreams became a reality with the opening of Willis Hometown Mercantile. The eclectic gift shop o ers a range of items such as clothes, antiques, resin art, soap and candles from 27 di erent small-business vendors from around the Willis area. According to Newton, no two vendors sell similar items to allow everyone the opportunity to succeed without competition. “I can come in on Tuesday, and by Friday everything has changed,” Manager Terri Clark said. “People come in here just to see what’s new, what’s moved and what’s di erent.” Previously, the sisters owned and doors and pursued traveling to vendor shows to sell their vintage-inspired Junkin T-shirt line for eight years. “I wanted the store so incredibly bad, I would just sit and dream of it,” Hathaway said. Newton said she became a stay-at- home mom after traveling. She said she told her sister she was ready to open a storefront as co-owners. Newton said their families showed overwhelming support for their new operated Old Town Gifts in Willis, but Newton said due to personal reasons they closed the
“This was always a dream of ours to have, so we just made it happen,” Newton said. The sisters said their love for the town plus their former business roots inspired them to open Willis Hometown Mercantile in Willis. Newton said the location was important to them because they wanted somewhere with history. This resulted in them choosing a building within the oldest strip center in Willis, she said. The sisters said future goals include potentially knocking down a wall within the building to pro- vide more space and more vendor opportunities. Hathaway said their goal for the
Terri Clark (left) works as store manager for Channah Newton (middle) and Charla Hathaway (right). (Photos by Peyton MacKenzie/Community Impact Newspaper)
There are 27 vendors in the store selling di erent items such as mugs and shirts.
The store provides an eclectic variety of items for customers to browse.
store is for custom- ers to walk in and care more about the community by the time they leave. Newton said in 2021 she and Hatha- way—after meeting
“THIS STORE WAS ALWAYS A DREAM OF OURS TO HAVE, SO WE JUST MADE IT HAPPEN.” CHANNAH NEWTON, CO OWNER OF WILLIS HOMETOWN MERCANTILE
Willis Hometown Mercantile features 27small-business vendors from around the Willis area, and no two vendors o er the same thing. Vendors specialize in items typically not found in an average store, such as: SHOPPING LOCAL
School spirit shirts
Resin art
Dog treats
Soap
Wreaths
a customer in the store and learning about the family’s struggles—sponsored a Thanksgiving meal for the customer’s family. The same Christmas, the sisters networked with others to provide Christmas for the family and bicycles for their children. “I love to bless people, so anytime we can do that, that’s my goal for this store,” Newton said.
Willis Hometown Mercantile 115 N. Danville St., Willis 936-720-0212 www.facebook.com/ willishometownmercantile Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sun.
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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION • SEPTEMBER 2022
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