Feed and house the birds!

We're having a special sale this week at Cow Palace.  All of our handmade birdhouses and feeders are $5.00 off!  These houses and feeders are handcrafted from fallen trees, old tin, barbed wire and many other cast-off items their creator finds of interest to add to his creations.  I have one in my backyard beside our outdoor room and I can attest to the fact that birds love making their homes in these houses!  Besides being functional, the houses and feeders are a delight to simply look at.  Although the feeders are pretty much the same design, each house is totally unique.  Here are just a few examples of the bird houses and feeders we have at Cow Palace...

Next up...Rita McKay

A resident of Pflugerville, Texas, Rita McKay is the sister of Bob Ragan, one of Florence's local stone artists and co-owner of Texas Carved Stone.  The Ragans must have received more than their fair share of talent, as Rita is as creative as Bob, although her chosen medium is fiber and textiles, rather than stone.  She is a skilled seamstress, knitter and crocheter, creating beautiful items for market, as well as for family and friends.  Using a method known as felting, Rita first crochets and knits hats, purses, totes and accessories for the home, then puts them through a hot water treatment that shrinks the wool to an extremely tight weave.

We have several of Rita's creations in the shop, and we invite you to stop by and see the skill and beauty she weaves into each piece.

The Weekender

Felted forest green bag with button closure.

Felted red wool cross-body bag with leather shoulder strap and  and silver button closure.

Red and turquoise felted trivets or hot pads and coaster sets.

Felted ivory cloche with button embellishment.

I failed to capture a picture of Rita's wine cozies, which are as beautiful and colorful as they are functional.  Drop by and see ALL her creations at Cow Palace today!

Next up...Kathy Combs

Kathy Combs may call The Woodlands home, but she has some pretty strong ties to Florence, Texas.  Her cousin, Cindi Lumpkin Clanton, lives here, plus she's a longtime friend of mine from our college days.

Kathy is one talented lady.  She can do just about anything she sets her mind to, and does it all well--crocheting, knitting, painting, writing.  She's even tried her hand at a potter's wheel!  At the moment, her favorite means of expressing her many talents is through jewelry design.  Featured on several occasions in Belle Armoire Jewelry, a publication of Stampington & Company, Kathy's most recent article focuses on creating patina through experimentation.  While designing, she works with a plethora of tools and materials to create her jewelry--wire, beads, paper, paint, fire, seashells gathered from the Texas coast and even spent shotgun shells, which seem to be a favorite of Cow Palace customers.  A bit of a traveler--okay, she's a confessed globe trotter--Kathy has traipsed across the USA and several foreign countries with her husband, Kim, and sons Kyle and Kendall.

Now let's take a look at what a lady with a penchant for fire and metal can create!

Special thanks to Kathy for sharing the pics I've used!  Drop by the Cow Palace and see Kathy's jewelry on display.  You can also see more of her work on her website.

Next up...Stefanie Brooks, aka Phishstuff

Stefanie Brooks plays with fire.  Literally.  Using a method known as lampworking, Stef creates beads from glass to use in many of her designs.  A midwestern gal, she now lives in Florence, where she continues to craft beautiful things from a deeply rooted desire to express her creativity.  She continually expands her use of color, material, inspiration, and skill in glass bead making, metal craftsmanship, and construction to integrate new techniques and looks.

I first met Stef when she visited Cow Palace's previous location and immediately sensed I'd made a new friend.  She displayed her jewelry, beads, letter openers and push pins at our very first Ladies' Night Out, then returned for another event to demonstrate the art of lampworking.  Besides her jewelry designs, I happen to know she is also an avid crocheter and I'm trying to convince her to bring some of her rugs to Cow Palace, as I know there are a lot of folks who would enjoy owning one of her textile creations.

Here's a sample of some of Stef's work.  If you notice the quality of the photography is better than my usual attempts, it's because I stole the pics from her website.  Sorry, Stef!






To see more of her work, stop by Cow Palace, or you can also visit her website www.phishstuff.com

Artists, Artisans and Craftsmen

From the beginning, it was my goal to represent as many artists, artisans and craftsmen from the Florence area as possible.  The bonus for me was that the merchandise in my shop would be unique and, in many cases, only found within the walls of Cow Palace Emporium.  I'm happy to say that my goal is quickly coming to fruition!

Over the next few weeks, I want to introduce you to a few of the artists, artisans and craftsmen whose work I display.

BB Barrick...A native of the High Plains, Bill Barrick was raised on the family farm near Abernathy, but recently moved to Florence where he is remodeling a building he moved onto his property for use as his art studio.  Known around Texas and the nation as a leading chronicler of life in the developing Southwest, his ability to capture on canvas the spirit of rural America with its stark beauty, hardship, and simple joys is the driving force and appeal of his art.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bill about three years ago, while organizing the Florence Community Art Show.  Not only was Bill willing to display his work at our Art Show, he offered to set up his own rolling art display boards on which to display many of the other artists' work.  He went a step further and insisted upon hanging the other artists' work.  A very generous and helpful man, indeed!

Since our initial introduction, I've gotten to know even more about Bill.  He is an active member of his church and volunteers for many of the programs benefiting the Florence community, including helping with litter pickup through our Adopt A Street Program, and the distribution of food and gifts for the less fortunate during the holiday season.

I'm very fortunate to own a BB Barrick original, which hangs above the fireplace in my home.  Here are a few of his prints that are on display in Cow Palace.

I invite you to drop by the shop and see Bill's work in person, as my photography skills fall short of capturing the beauty of his work.  All his prints are professionally framed, as well as signed by the artist.  I think you will agree that Bill not only possesses an outstanding talent, he is a skilled chronicler of America's past, and a heck of a nice guy, to boot.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is quickly approaching.  Sunday, May 14th, to be exact.  Have you done your shopping yet?  If not, Cow Palace has an excellent selection for you to choose from! 

One of our newest lines since our big moo-ve to 211 E. Main is Southern Blessed.  We have candles and wax melts in a variety of scents.  One step inside Cow Palace and you're greeted with the most heavenly fragrance, the result of Southern Blessed wax melts in burners scattered around the shop.

The new rage is silicone stemless wine glasses.  Have you seen them yet?  We have two colors on hand and are anxiously awaiting more colors scheduled to arrive soon.  These are literally flying out the door!  If you want one, you better hurry!

Another new item at Cow Palace are cards created by Wayne Ford, an artist from Houston.  Wayne and I had never met prior to this past weekend, yet we have known each other for years.  What??  Yep, it's true.  Wayne is a friend of my sister Debbie, and when I was searching for just the right 'look' for the cover of my first romance novel, Debbie suggested Wayne.  The rest, as they say, is history.  I thoroughly enjoyed giving him a tour of my new shop, as well as, Florence's Main Street.  His card collection is entitled "Truth and Light" and features photographs he's taken over the years of religious signs he found on fence posts, trees and other places while driving country roads.  To quote Wayne, "Light is the medium of the photographer, but it is also the direction to which these images point.  Truth & Light is about accepting the invitation, listening for the truth, and getting back to the soul of the written word."

The boxed set contains twelve note cards printed in two colors on 100 lb. Cougar Opaque Super Smoothe cover, with matching A-6 envelopes.  They are black on the inside.  Here's a peek at some of his cards... 

Have you seen something just right for your Mother's Day gift shopping needs?  If not, we have lots more to choose from!  We are stocked and ready to help you make just the right selection for your Mother's Day shopping.  

Stages...

As in life, remodeling and renovations happen in stages.  In order to best show you the stages the back lot has undergone, let's go back in time to the purchase of the property in December 2016.  This first pic is taken from near the back door of 211 Main and reveals a view of the back lot of 209 Main next door.

To point out a few elements.... Notice the chain link fence with the Concertina wire along the top edge, the piles of debris, the tangly vines, the tree.

This photo was taken from the back of the lot and reveals the lot directly behind 211 Main.  Again, there is a lot to look at.  Odd pieces of machinery, equipment, another view of the chain link fence and lots and lots of weeds.

Now we are going to fast forward a a couple of months.  

This shot is taken from the back of the lot and toward the back of 209 Main.  The building in the forefront is the rear of the Florence Public Library.  There is still quite a bit of stuff lying around, but a ton of debris has been removed.  The wall of the library is awesome!  It looks like it is constructed of concrete, but that's just a guess.  We have plans for that wall, and we will be working with the Library to bring those plans to fruition.

Fast forward again...

Oh, my.  Things are definitely shaping up.  All the debris is gone, although the last load is piled into the dump trailer you see parked there.  I can't even begin to tell you how many hours went into scooping, loading, pitching and raking to get to this point.  We found a couple of surprises along the way.  First up was layers and layers of carpet.  Yep.  Carpet.  Each layer of carpet was covered with a layer of dirt, so it took awhile and some heavy equipment to remove all the carpet.

This view is of the back of both buildings, 211 and 209 Main.  Once the carpet was removed, we found a couple of more surprises.  One was an underground propane tank.  A very old propane tank.  It was disconnected long ago, but the layers of carpet and debris concealed its existence.  

Brett Adams and his crew are responsible for the most recent heavy work going on in the back lot.      At one time a 50' x 30' metal and wood barn stood on the back lot near College Street.  At one time, the barn was used to store coffins.  When the previous owners purchased the property in the late 1990's, the barn was in disrepair, so they chose to push it over and covered it up with road base.  We had hoped the barn would be exposed during the back lot's leveling process, but only bits and pieces surfaced.  Melanie and I have enjoyed walking through the freshly turned earth and finding all kinds of treasures.  Broken bits of vintage glass of every color, old tiles, bits and pieces of iron, railroad spikes, old horseshoes...and trash.  Lots and lots of plain old trash.

Above is the most recent picture of the view of the back lot from the rear door of 211 Main Street.  I took it this morning just as those clouds you see in the background opened up and it started raining.  Quite a difference, isn't it?  Melanie and I have big plans for this back lot.  Think secret garden.  Lots and lots of fabulous color, with some pavers and pathways where needed.  I love birds, so there will be birdhouses and bird feeders.  Since water is a problem, we plan to install a rain barrel and capture water that comes off the roof and use it to water the plants.

Melanie is planning to offer the largest portion of the property out back for additional parking for folks visiting Main Street.  This is quite a gift to the folks of Florence, as well as visitors to our community, as this property wasn't free, and the cost to turn it into a safe and secure environment is quite costly.  

Are you getting excited?  We are!  We can't wait to get all the construction behind us and throw open the doors of 211 and 209 Main and welcome you inside.

Sneak Peek of the Renovated Interior

You're going to flip when you see the finished interior of 211 Main!  Here's a sneak peek of some of the projects we've been busy working on.  Take a gander at this floor...

Is that not the most awesome floor you've ever seen?!  And it's not even finished yet.  Once all the construction work is complete, we will paint another coat of color to each square, then TWO coats of sealer.  This design was Melanie's idea and it is pure genius.  The floor is linoleum squares that are probably over twenty-five years old.  They were pretty blah, but in surprisingly good condition.  The problem was the blah factor.  Melanie decided to paint the floor and came up with this design.  If you've seen me around Main Street in the last year, you might have seen me in an apron that is made of a similarly colored linen fabric.

Another new addition is the logo we had made to place on the front door.

I love the new logo and Melanie thought the double-lined border around the door's glass would really add to the vintage look we were going for.  As usual, she was right.  You'll find the double-lined border on the picture window, as well.

Have you ever watched a photo shoot?  Most people haven't.  My oldest daughter, Paige Morse, is a photo stylist, so I'm one of the lucky ones who has seen this particular magic in action.  Paige was home for a visit a couple of weekends ago, and once she saw the interior of 211 Main, she had to create a quick shoot of some of the items she sells through her Instagram account, paige_morse_home.

Looking at this photo, you'd never know that this building is still under construction.  I'll share a little secret with you about photo shoots.  What you see through the eye of the camera is perfection.  What is out of the camera's view is usually chaos.  Seriously.  What you can't see is ladders, equipment, tools and, well, chaos!  But you gotta love that peek of one of our walls and that glimpse of floor...

What do you do when you have a building with arches?

You build more, that's what!  Remember the beautiful arched windows on the front of the building?

Melanie decided to add another arch to mimic those on the front.  This arch is constructed of brick and close to where the temporary wall we took down, which once served as the pharmacy.  Here are a couple of pics of it during the construction phase.

Stay tuned for the final result.  This arch is awesome!

Yes, we're definitely fancy now!

 I love flowers, curb appeal, first impressions and beautifying Main Street...not necessarily in that order.  As I mentioned previously, there is a four foot space that separates the two buildings that Melanie purchased.  The space isn't obvious to the casual observer, as it is walled up with concrete blocks.  At some point in the future, Melanie plans to remove that wall and create a walkway from the rear parking lot to Main Street.  Until that happens, that expanse needed some dressing up.

First up was a coat of paint to blend it into the building front of 211 Main.  Although the color improved its appearance, it was still blah.  The solution...flowers!  Melanie took on the hanging task and drilled holes for screws.

 Next up, iron baskets filled with geraniums and vines with white flowers.  And, yes, Melanie is saying, "Are you really taking my picture?"

 The finished product.  Two iron baskets filled with colorful flowers.  These are new plants so they should grow and bloom profusely in the weeks ahead!

Isn't it amazing what a fresh coat of paint and a few flowers can do to improve the appearance of an odd space?  I love it!

Things are buzzing over at 211 Main!

Sometimes the surprises we find during demolition and clean-up aren't very fun.  The next two pics are a perfect example of an un-fun find!

 Look closely in the opening between the boards.

Bees!!!  And the biggest beehive we've ever seen!  This hive isn't in the wall of 211 Main.  It's in the wall of 209 Main.  But the effect is the same.  That opening and the hive are located right at the entrance to the pathway that runs between the two buildings.  Believe me, when we take a walk down that pathway, we look first and see if the bees are active.  And we try to work VERY quietly, so we won't disturb them!  At some point, the bees and beehive will have to be dealt with.  But that job will wait until after we're done with 211 Main.  

Not making that February 1st goal to reopen!

I'm an optimist.  I honestly thought it was possible to have Cow Palace moved and open for business by January 20th.  At the latest, February 1st.  Well, I missed that first deadline and there's no way we're going to make that February 1st date.  Most people would have realized the impossibility of meeting either of those dates.  Not me.  Like I said, I'm an optimist.

I'm not even going to project a guess for a more realistic opening.  I don't want to be wrong again.  The good news is that the building is undergoing a much more expansive restoration than I first anticipated. And the finished product is going to be well worth waiting on!  

Until we're ready to throw open the door to 211 Main for business, I'll continue to entertain you with photos of the restoration process and more of the history the building is revealing.

In this next picture, is a small glimpse of the crude hallway the previous owners created between the buildings.  One wall of the plywood structure has been removed, in order to allow the masons access to rebuild the crude doorway jackhammered into the wall.  There is approximately four feet between the two buildings and this structure is close to the cement block wall erected on the front sidewalk to keep people from walking between the buildings.  Melanie's hope is to knock out the cement block wall and open up the walkway so people can access Main Street from the back lot without having to walk to one end of the block or the other to gain entry.  

Obvious, too, in this picture is the multitude of vines that grow on the side of the building.  Although Melanie and I both enjoy the look of vines growing on the walls, we know that these vines are going to have to be removed.  The are invasive, thorny and are creating problems for both buildings as the vines find the smallest openings to slip inside, which means they've actually grown INTO the building in a several places.  

With this temporary structure and the cement blocks blocking the walkway, the only way to enter the walkway is from the back lot.  The walkway, too, was filled with piles of debris.  While attempting to clear a path for the stone masons to repair the crude doorway cut through the side of the building, we discovered the oddity pictured below--iron bars or grate, just about at ground level.

 We were perplexed because, although the building was once pier and beam, a concrete slab was poured at some point over the last hundred-plus years of the building's history.  To add to the mystery, there is a concrete landing at the opening of the walkway that drops to what appears to be at least one step down, plus we discovered several iron spikes/nails on the face of the wall that appeared to once support a handrail.  All of this made us wonder if there was once a staircase to a basement in the building.  It's always fun when other business owner's on Main Street become as curious as we are by our findings and jump into the fray to help resolve the mysteries.  Allen Lewis, chef and owner of Chunky Cow Cafe & Creamery, and Melanie are pictured below, digging away at rubble to examine the grate more closely.

 A long rod was pushed between the grate's iron posts and about four feet into the loose dirt behind it without hitting anything solid to block it.

No satisfactory explanations for the grate were discovered, so the mystery surrounding it will continue to haunt us until we find someone who can explain it's original purpose.

Next up...renovations continue.

Putting on the fancy...

Demo has in no way ended, but amongst the dust and rubble some things are looking fancy.  Take the front of the building, for example.  The first pic is a before.

And this is a 'during' photo.

Another 'during' but from a different angle.  Please take note of the beautiful moldings and corbels  at the top of the roofline.  They are beautiful.  A closer inspection and a light rap of the knuckles proved that they are made of tin.  They were painted a rusty red prior to the facelift the building's currently receiving, but are now black.  The brick facade in the pic below is painted with a white primer.

One other thing to notice is the awning is down.  It's coming back, but with fresh paint and a new look. Another thing to notice is the new color scheme.  Gray, black and white.  Left alone, I probably would never have made this selection. Melanie chose the colors and I have to agree that she chose well.  The building looks fabulous!   The brick facade is now painted gray, and the window trim, as well as the front door are painted white and black.

We hauled the tin awning panels to the ranch and worked about three days power-washing away about fifty years worth of dirt, bird doo and I lost count of how many layers of paint.  We wanted a fresh base for the new color scheme.  And, no, I won't reveal Melanie's choice until the day the awning is rehung!  

Lots and lots of work is going on inside and in the lot behind the building.  First up is this glorious tin ceiling that is now fully exposed.  

Not all the tiles match, but that's okay.  There are three different designs, but the one that is obviously the original has a floral design.  So, so pretty.

And look at that center medallion!  It is awesome.

I don't think I took a pic of the lot behind the building prior to beginning work on it.  This is a pic after a couple of days work.  

It was a mess.  We filled a dump trailer, a dumpster and at least three trash cans with rubble.  And there's still more to haul away.

Next up...more fancy and a few more interesting historical discoveries the building revealed to us.