After her youngest child went off to college, owner Melissa Scott said she followed her passion to open Burlap Ranch Mercantile—then known as Burlap Ranch—in June 2013 on Commerce Street in Tomball. She said she opened a second store in 2016 on Elm Street, separating home goods and apparel. The two locations were open for almost a year before Burlap Ranch Mercantile moved to Elm Street after customers suggested the business offer its entire inventory in one storefront, Scott said. “We had a lot of customers that would come in the door and say, ‘Hi Melissa, I only have 10 minutes, and I need x, y and z.’ Some of it would be over [at Commerce Street], and some of it would be here,” Scott said. “We just really felt it was better to regroup.” Scott said she grew up in Tomball and always knew she wanted to open a store in a community like Tomball rather than a shopping center or mall. “Tomball is just a great little community. Every weekend, there’s usually something going on that brings people to our town,” Scott said. Burlap Ranch Mercantile offers women’s apparel, shoes, baby items, books, artisan jewelry, handmade soap, home furnishings and other artisan-made items. Scott said she wanted the boutique to have a little bit of everything but to be unique with a rustic flare. “I’m a pretty eclectic shopper in general, so I wanted to provide goods that weren’t in every store. I really sought out things that I felt people would want but not everyone could attain daily,” Scott said. “We have many items in the store that are artisan-based.” With the internet making shopping easier for customers, Scott said she and her staff have worked hard to build a client base and welcome customers. “You have to try to give people an experience when they’re shopping and make them feel that your store is worthy of shopping at versus going to the mall,” Scott said. “We have some really great items that are different from anywhere else.” Burlap Ranch Mercantile 106 N. Elm St., Tomball 832-409-9645 www.burlapranch.com Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.,Sun. noon-4 p.m.