Howe Enterprise.com
9
April 13, 2020
Learn about your antiques and collectibles with Georgia Caraway comfortable that another business would be welcomed. But I never dreamed that this small community would have such an open heart for newcomers. Georgia Caraway I have owned the three buildings at 107 -109 1/2 East Haning Street for five years, since April 20. I remember as if it were yesterday when I went to the title company with O.B. Powell in January 2015 to close on those dilapidated structures. I conducted a sale in March to clear out what Mr. Powell called “junk.” I met so many town folks during that clearance sale—some who were interested in the merchandise that was left behind in the building, others who were curious about what was to be done with the buildings, and yet others who just wanted to share their memories about Mrs. Stockton, Mr. and Mrs. Chisum, and downtown Howe in the early days. You know when you are a stranger in town, you never know how you will be received. Of course, I had met Monte Walker, Joe Shepherd, and Joy Stevens, and felt reasonably
I have seen many changes in the participation of Howe residents in upgrading buildings and improving awareness of downtown in the past five years. The formation and reformation of several nonprofit groups-Keep Howe Beautiful, the Howe Chamber of Commerce, the Save the Church Committee which evolved into the Summit Gardens Committee after the church building was restored, and then the creation of the Howe Development Foundation--has increased activity around town to a marked degree. KHB keeps the flower beds in town and the entrance to town looking “beautiful,” the STC committee has completed the restoration of the old church building and is now overseeing the rental of the venue, the Chamber is conducting Howe’s ever-growing festivals and celebrations, and the HDF was formed to support and expand a “living” downtown.
As soon as we can congregate again, the Cottonwood Pavilion behind Howe Mercantile will be available for rental, too. Abby’s and Gabriela’s Restaurants have been a mainstay on the south side of Haning, and now every building on the north side of Haning has undergone a transformation from derelict to habitable. Some (many) folks said that I was a little (a lot) crazy to open a brick-and-mortar antique shop in this day and age. I knew exactly what they were talking about since so many of our buying habits have turned to online spending (eBay and Amazon have totally changed the world of antique (ALL) shopping). But folks from the Howe area have supported us and this has been a joyous experience for me and
my dealers. We have made so many friends in this lovely small community and feel right at home. Thank you for shopping with us and helping us sustain this smalltown business. SHOP LOCAL is so important to the merchants and restaurants in downtown Howe. Georgia Caraway and her partners at Howe Mercantile hope you will come by 107-109 ½ East Haning to shop and visit WHEN IT IS SAFE FOR US TO OPEN THE DOORS. Three new dealers joined the Mercantile. SHOP LOCAL. WE CAN SHOW YOU HOWE.
"With a united effort we can make the place in which we live clean, wholesome, attractive. We can make the crowded city dweller homesick to come back to us and real living. We can bring new life, new business, new beauty, to the little towns." - Mame Roberts
