Antique mall celebrates 13th anniversary

Over the years, Granny's Korner has built up a following of loyal customers who make patronizing the antique mall a weekly activity. The act of returning to the shop on a regular basis is known as "getting your Granny's fix."

"There's just something about being in this building for some people," said owner Mary Harvey. "We have people come in here who are down in the dumps—people who are going through hard times—and say it feels so good to come into this building."

Before opening Granny's Korner, Harvey worked in an antique co-op at the corner of Walnut and Commerce streets. When she opened Granny's in 1999, there were several challenges to overcome, she said.

"There were no other businesses by us at the time we first opened up," Harvey said. "Everything was still undeveloped. People told us we were going to die on a vine back here."

However, Granny's Korner caught on in the Tomball community and has experienced growth every year. Over time, as Market Street developed, the mall grew from 4,000 to 10,000 square feet. It now houses 35 vendors and is filled with antiques of all sorts.

Harvey attributes her shop's success to the emphasis placed on keeping things diverse.

"One of the biggest complaints we hear about other antique places is that they all have the same things," she said. "We all go our different ways here. If a vendor applies with us but they have a theme that's too similar to someone who is already here, we turn them away. We can't all sell candles."

Vendors at Granny's Korner cover nearly every aspect of antiquing. Offerings include furniture, home dcor items, primitive and architectural antiques, folk art, sewing and handcrafts. Although many vendors come and go, Harvey said 10 of her vendors have been there for at least seven years and another 10 for at least four years.

Judy Heard has been a vendor at Granny's Korner since it originally opened. She said the relationships she has built over the past 13 years, both with customers and fellow vendors, will make it difficult for her to ever leave.

"We just have too much fun here," she said. "We all live and breathe this job, and I'm going to be doing it for as long as I can."

Apart from providing the Tomball community with a distinctive shopping experience, Harvey said she thinks of her business as a community gathering place.

"Everything we do at Granny's Korner is done with the community in mind," Harvey said. "I may be the Granny behind the Korner, but I don't consider this my shop. It's everyone's shop."

Annual events

The Granny's Korner vendors participate in customer appreciation events throughout the year with invites extended to the more than 1,000 people in the customer database.

Mardi Gras Night—This event takes place in February and is accompanied by food and drink throughout the store, as well as sales and prizes.

Back to the '50s Night—Occurring each June, this themed event celebrates style from the 1950s with live entertainment.

Witches Night Out—The most recent event took place Oct. 11 and brought in between 200-300 attendees, the largest turnout for an event so far.

Granny's Korner, 201 Market St. , Tomball, 281-351-8978, www.grannyskorner.com