Running their business out of a dream location

Gabriel Ginn and Andria Flowers own Wahl Street Mercantile in Crosby.

“I have been selling my all-natural products on Etsy for about eight years now. A couple of years ago Gabriel and I made the decision to open a storefront here in Crosby, but I didn’t want just any place. I wanted this building. Things finally lined up right. One day out of the blue Gabriel called me and said, ‘Come to 311 Wahl St. I need you to sign papers on a building I just rented.’ And so our journey began. We celebrated our first year in the store in May. Just one of many to come, we hope.”

“Our being here was meant to be. Eight years ago when Andria was taking classes at Lee College, she had an assignment that required her to take photos of the town she lived in. The one photo that spoke to us most was a shot of an old open-front barn. We printed that photo, and to this day it hangs in our home. Well, that old barn is part of this property. In fact, the ceiling in the main gallery is tin from that old barn.

Luther Brady’s original lumber yard

“It has taken many hours of hard work to get us to this point, and since it is an old building we always have work going on. It was originally built in the early ‘50s by Luther Brady. It was a lumber yard for many, many years.”

Vendors who rent shelf space in the store sell only handmade, all-natural products that are locally produced. In addition, a farmers market is held every Tuesday, 3-7 p.m. in the long days of spring and summer, and 2-6 p.m. in the shortest days of winter. There also is a craft show on the second Saturday of the month.

— Gabriel Ginn and Andria Flowers