Bee Cave City Council approves plans for gallery's expansion

Revival Square, the brainchild of couple David and Tara Camp, is a comprehensive expansion of the shop they already own and operate on Hwy. 71 called Revival.

"Our ultimate goal is we want to be an attraction for destination shoppers," David Camp said. "We want to be something people will get into their cars and drive two hours to come see and experience, but also we want to service and take care of the local community."

The Camps already see shoppers coming from cities such as Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, but Revival Square will also be a daily stop-and-shop destination for locals.

As it is now, Revival is a gallery that sells a little bit of everything, from local handmade gifts, trinkets and jewelry to authentic pieces of furniture, ornate doors and elaborate handmade chandeliers from Holland. Some of the products are new. Others are repurposed from older materials. Revival also provides services such as upholstery, custom carpentry, welding and do-it-yourself painting classes.

"We're ready to file for a zoning change," Camp said to council members at a recent Bee Cave City Council meeting. "Our dream and vision has culminated into Revival Square."

The dream includes markets, live events, entertainment, food, drinks, festivals and more on nearly 2 1/2 acres of land. The idea is to have a retail marketplace on a first floor and office space with more retail on a second floor, Camp said.

"There's this church we're looking at bringing in which will be nestled between some oak trees," Camp said, referring to the Original First Baptist Church of Ohio formed in the early 1800s.

The Camps plan to have the vacant church dismantled in Middletown, Ohio—workers will remove church stones by hand—and the pieces will be shipped to Bee Cave where the church will be reassembled.

"It's definitely more expensive than what it would cost to just build in the same space," Camp said. "But it's the authenticity of it and the fact that we're preserving such a major part of history, even though it's not from this location. Conceptually, it fits perfectly with who we are. We're Revival. We always wanted to operate out of a church."

Council members were welcoming of Revival Square.

"I've been shopping in your store, and I'm very impressed by your creativity," Councilwoman Zelda Auslander said. "You've got a very out-of-the-box plan yet you are exactly what a lot of people out here want."

A one-time doubter, Councilman Bill Goodwin now appears to be a believer in Revival Square.

"When you showed me pictures of that church years ago, I thought, 'What a dreamer. What a pie-in-the-sky plan.' Congratulations [on your expansion]."

The Camps said they are building a legacy for their family, so neighbors should not worry about a big concept such as this fizzling out.

"We're not another developer in a sport coat saying, 'Help us figure out how to maximize our profit,'" Camp said. "We're local. We live here. We have three daughters who go to school here. This is our home. We're not doing this to build and flip and try to make money. We plan on being here and operating this hopefully for multiple generations."

Revival University

Revival offers do-it-yourself workshops for small project home design solutions as part of Revival University. Artist Catherine Jackson leads courses including painting, muraling, pet art and wax finishing. There are typically eight spots available per class. Course costs average $125 including materials. For more information about classes or to register, visit www.revivaltx.com/revival-u.