Conroe native and Free Spirit Gift Shop owner Tom Isbell said his decision to leave his high-salary chemical engineering job in April 1978 for a long career of ministry jobs was not his decision at all.
“At the time, it was the only way I could go,” Isbell said. “The Lord put his hand on me and was moving me in that direction.”
Today Isbell runs the gift shop full time with the help of his associate Tina Wohlgemuth. The business started as a pop-up kiosk in The Woodlands Mall in 2013, and it was not long before Isbell and Wohlgemuth realized a Christian novelty store would be a successful business. Isbell opened the permanent Free Spirit location in Conroe in April 2013.
The shop offers a plethora of Christian gifts, such as prayer stones, wall crosses and special occasion cards. Additionally, the shop offers various sport items, lanyards, colorful bags, coffee in bulk, wall adornments, jewelry and picture frames.
“The name Free Spirit comes from the scripture, 2 Corinthians 3:17 which says, ‘Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,’” Wohlgemuth said. “It has also left us an opening to sell other things, whether it is tie-dye or sporting goods, but at least half of the store is Christian product.”
Part of the experience is a prayer room that features dim lighting, a small couch, a chair, a prayer book and Bible verses on the walls. Isbell also offers complementary coffee, water, and sodas.
Before opening the gift shop, Isbell said he created Christian Enterprises in Conroe with friends in 1977. Isbell said he did not have money for the business, but his high school sweetheart and wife, Wanda, encouraged him to pursue the business venture.
When Wanda died of cancer in 1985, Isbell said it felt like he “lost his world,” so he sold Christian Enterprises and took a job with a Christian children’s book publishing company in Illinois.
Isbell returned to Conroe a year later to create a marketing company, Servant Marketing, and hired Wohlgemuth, who has been his manager for the last 20 years. Free Spirit Gift Shop is a side business to Servant Marketing, he said.
Isbell said Free Spirit is a destination store, especially during the Christmas season. Conroe is Isbell’s hometown, so he is committed to offering an experience at Free Spirit that the community may be unable to get elsewhere.
806 W. Dallas St., Conroe 936-756-1283 www.freespiritgiftstore.com Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m-5 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., closed Sundays
