One block east of Old Townsite, the original site of Pearland, is a boutique that transports all who visit to a time when everything was handcrafted and locally sourced.
Rustique Custom Home Décor & General Store is a consignment shop packed with rustic country charm—from handmade custom soaps and wooden tables to a tractor-turned-kitchen bar. Owner Tawnya Crawford works with dozens of local artisans and craftsmen to source the handcrafted wares in her store, which draws talent from across Texas.
“Everything has a story,” Crawford said. “We have everything from lip gloss to barn doors.”
Crawford first turned to crafting as a creative outlet, making gifts for friends and family. She turned to her faith for purpose and decided to invest in her work.
“I found that getting out in my workshop and working was very therapeutic,” Crawford said. “Then it just branched out, and I was doing craft shows.”
She stumbled upon what would be the jackpot of a lifetime: free lumber from a 140-year-old house in East Texas. Old, reclaimed wood is a hot commodity in the do-it-yourself community for its strength, durability, functionality and aesthetic appeal. She spent 16-hour days for 11 weeks in 2015 stripping the old wooden house for its heartwood pine.
The money she made selling and repurposing wooden slabs from that old East Texas cabin laid the foundation for her new purpose in life—Rustique—which opened in 2016. Pieces of the house can still be found in her shop.
“For those long 16-hour hot days, I did a lot of praying. Not only was [the East Texas house] the inspiration behind the store, it financed it," Crawford said.
Rustique is more than just a business to Crawford; it is a gathering place for friends and family.
A local craftsman repurposed a trailer into a kitchen bar top.[/caption]
More than anything, Crawford said Rustique is a way to serve other people’s creative passions just as her friends and family helped fuel her own creativity.
“Doing what I do for me healed me. When you have a creative side, you can suffocate as a person if you don’t express yourself,” Crawford said. “That’s what this is: giving other people an outlet.”
Rustique Custom Décor & General Store 3528 E. Broadway St., Pearland 281-687-7476 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Sunday-Monday
