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POTTER’S WESTERN STORE - ICONIC BUSINESS
Potter’s Western Store
Local love story lives on through classic, mom-and-pop shop.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMILY HENDERSON
Having a long-lasting marriage is a big accomplishment in and of itself, but when your spouse is also your business partner, it makes success that much sweeter.
Although they won’t admit it, Henry and Pamela Potter are icons in Columbus, Texas. It’s easy to want to emulate this active, beautiful Christian couple and admire not only what they have done to help shape their community, but that they do it while holding on to a successful western store when many others may have given up and shut the doors. The old-school mom-and-pop shop, Potter’s Western Store, welcomes patrons into a bygone era of outstanding customer service and handwritten receipts. “We’re kind of a dinosaur,” said Henry with a grin. “I guess you could say, we’ve done it, we’ve enjoyed it, and we’re still hanging in there. My dad opened Potter’s Western Store in ‘65. Pam and I were teaching. We bought the store in January of ’74.”
Henry and Pam’s love story began years earlier while working a mutual summer job. The couple still retells their story today, with a spark of love in their eyes. “He had just finished at A&M,” shared Pam. “He was running the swimming pool for We’ve done it, we’ve enjoyed it, and we’re still hanging in there. “ the summer, just to pick up a little extra cash, because he already had a teaching job lined up. I was teaching swimming lessons for Red Cross and also doing private lessons on the side because I wanted to go to college.” “She applied for the manager job, but of course, she was a girl,” said Henry. “At that time, women didn’t usually sit on the lifeguard stand. They sold tickets and cleaned the dressing rooms. I was a man, so I got the job. I hired Pam as my assistant. And, about halfway through the summer, I did let her sit on the lifeguard stand. I started picking her up on the way to work and eventually asked her to get a drink and hamburger with me one evening after we closed the pool.”
“Eight years later he proposed to me,” laughed Pam. “Eight years! My roommate told me, ‘Give up girl, he’s not going to get married.’ But I loved him! Patience paid off ... on October 30 we will be married 50 years. I was 26 and he was 30 when we got married.”
And after all these years, Potter’s Western Store remains a source of pride and duty for the Potters each and every time they unlock the front doors. Although there is no magic secret to being successful in business or in marriage, they have oddly similar requirements. From the ability to respect and trust one another, to the need for passion and fervent communication — these fundamentals go a long way.
“We spend more time here sometimes than we spend at home,” said Henry. “I mean, last night, she didn’t come home from the store until 8:30 p.m. It’s not unusual for me to get here early in the morning and stay at work until 11 p.m. But that’s just our lives – we do what we have to do. The key is that she does things on that side of the desk, and I do things on this side. We have roles.”
“We do,” agreed Pam. “And as time has moved forward, my roles have changed. When we first took over the business from his mom and dad, we didn’t have children yet. Once we had our children, Charles, Brian and Amanda, I was blessed that I could be at home with them. “
Today, when you walk in Potter’s Western Store, you’ll usually find Henry and Pam working side-by-side with their staff. Henry still kneels down in front of a customer to make certain a boot fits just right or shapes a felt hat with steam until the crease is just the way it should be. Pam is busy helping a customer find the right size shirt or restocking ladies’ jeans and jewelry, right before the county fair weekend. Potter’s Western Store prides themselves on carrying brands and styles their customers want and need, at a fair price, and buying “Made in the USA” whenever they can. It’s pretty obvious that their customers are number one in their eyes.
“I am amazed,” said Pam. “Still very amazed really, that not a week goes by where at least three or four new customers come in here and say, ‘I just love this store. It’s so neat. It’s so unique, it’s so different. I love to shop in places like this.’ We see this store day after day, and it becomes somewhat just commonplace, and we sort of take it for granted - but other people see it through different eyes.
“I often say - this is not our business. This business belongs to the Lord, we are the stewards here. We’re actually the second generation of stewards, and there probably will be a third generation. We’re just thankful for everyone that He sends our way. Our job is to take care of our customer. The customer is our job - period. That’s our job. Yes, we have to order merchandise, we have to check in freight, we have to do bookwork - we have to do all of those things, but the customer is never an interruption to our work, the customer is our work.”
Potters Western Store is located at 2106 Business Highway 71 in Columbus.
