This winter, Lone Chimney plans to expand into the open storefront next door to create a location for workshops, pop-ups and small parties and a studio space for photographers.
“It’s going to be a multipurpose workspace for everyone to use,” Holland said.
Lone Chimney’s storefront is filled with Texas gifts, pop culture-related items, handmade crafts, pottery and T-shirts, all mixed in with displays of Holland’s landmark art from around Dallas and the state. In any given corner, customers can find anything from “Howdy” stickers to 500-piece dog puzzles to wood ornaments of characters from the television show “Schitt’s Creek.”
“I want people to come in here and laugh,” Holland said.
Holland got her start in landmark photography after she had her daughter. She wanted to spend more time with her child but still have an income, so she turned to her mother, who owns a landmark photography shop in Oklahoma.
“My mom put a camera in my hand, ... and I just started doing it,” Holland said. “I didn’t think it was going to hit it off. ... [But] within two months, I had a booth at the Richardson Mercantile, and [my photos] were flying out of there.”
From there, Holland opened a stall at the Dallas Farmers Market, where she now sells items similar to what can be found at the Lone Chimney Mercantile in Richardson. But in Richardson, she has more space and freedom to fill the store with what she wants, Holland said.
In Lone Chimney’s little more than a year on Main Street, Holland said she has seen plenty of foot traffic and has gained name recognition outside of people who have seen her stall at the farmers market. Holland also lives nearby, and her neighbors love to shop her items without having to go into Dallas, she said.
“[Richardson] has gotten to know us, ... and a lot of my neighbors know me, and they spread the word,” Holland said. “They don’t want it to leave. They’re like, ‘we want the gift shop here right by the house.’”
Support from the community helped Holland power through the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, she said. That, her newly created website and advertising packages for gift items at the shop have made all the difference in pulling the business through the crisis, she said.
“We busted our butt, ... but I think we’re going to be OK,” Holland said.
Lone Chimney Mercantile
205 W. Main Street, Richardson
214-734-8691
www.lonechimneymercantile.com
Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Mon.
