The eclectic gift shop offers a range of items such as clothes, antiques, resin art, soap and candles from 27 different small-business vendors from around the Willis area. According to Newton, no two vendors sell similar items to allow everyone the opportunity to succeed without competition.
“I can come in on Tuesday, and by Friday everything has changed,” Manager Terri Clark said. “People come in here just to see what’s new, what’s moved and what’s different.”
Previously, the sisters owned and operated Old Town Gifts in Willis, but Newton said due to personal reasons they closed the doors and pursued traveling to vendor shows to sell their vintage-inspired Junkin T-shirt line for eight years.
“I wanted the store so incredibly bad, I would just sit and dream of it,” Hathaway said.
Newton said she became a stay-at-home mom after traveling. She said she told her sister she was ready to open a storefront as co-owners.
Newton said their families showed overwhelming support for their new business. Both sisters have children—who range from ages 7-12—who sell items at the store.
“This was always a dream of ours to have, so we just made it happen,” Newton said.
The sisters said their love for the town plus their former business roots inspired them to open Willis Hometown Mercantile in Willis. Newton said the location was important to them because they wanted somewhere with history. This resulted in them choosing a building within the oldest strip center in Willis, she said.
The sisters said future goals include potentially knocking down a wall within the building to provide more space and more vendor opportunities.
Hathaway said their goal for the store is for customers to walk in and care more about the community by the time they leave. Newton said in 2021 she and Hathaway—after meeting a customer in the store and learning about the family’s struggles—sponsored a Thanksgiving meal for the customer’s family. The same Christmas, the sisters networked with others to provide Christmas for the family and bicycles for their children.
“I love to bless people, so anytime we can do that, that’s my goal for this store,” Newton said.
Willis Hometown Mercantile
115 N. Danville St., Willis
936-720-0212
www.facebook.com/willishometownmercantile
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sun.
