2025 Catalog

Welcome Back!

Twenty-six years! Holy buckets! Where has the time gone?! I remember coming in to buy supplies when this place was still Tandy. I waited for the gal at the register to finish with the customers meandering to the counter. When she finally turned to me, she threw up her hands and declared, “It was a dang blasted MAD HOUSE in here!” There had been maybe five customers in the whole store, and this poor woman was in full-blown panic mode! I chuckled to myself as I made my way up. As I unloaded my mandala rings, rabbit skins, feathers, suede lace, slotted conchos, pony beads, and a bottle of leathercraft cement onto the counter, I noticed she was staring right through me… like into my soul. It was kinda scary! Then I realized—she had to HAND-WRITE EVERY SINGLE TRANSACTION! (The register was basically an antique—just a glorified cash box.) On top of that, she had to calculate sales tax manually! No wonder she was stressed. After all that, I figured, why not ask for an application? She whipped one out dramatically, then had to disappear into the back to make a copy—because, of course, that was the only one they had. When she reappeared, she handed it to me with such a flourish, you’d think I was signing the Declaration of Independence! So, I filled it out right there while she chatted away like she’d known me forever. Then Kevin came out, talked to me for a few minutes, and asked if I had any experience. “Nope, unless you count making decorative mandala wall hangings,” I said. He mentioned they didn’t do much business through the storefront, but their mail-order side (both civilian and institutional) kept him in bonuses! Ha! The next day, I got a phone call—and the rest is history. Literally. Because three years later, Kevin bought the place, and he hasn’t slowed down since! Back then, Kevin ran things with nothing but a checkbook in his back pocket. He’d even give us a $5/day bonus if we hit $3,000 in mail-order sales. That was great while it lasted—because in 26 years, those “amazing” $3,000 days turned into a multi-million-dollar, second-generation, family-owned business. Gone are the days of hand-writing sales tickets, freaking out over five customers at the register, counting out 400 snap parts to make a 100-pack, and picking dried grass out of hardware because Kevin and Becky’s trailer tipped over, spilling everything onto the roadside. Gone are the days of crawling under shelves to find inventory, relying on memory alone to know where things were. Now? It’s not unusual to see 20–25 people in the store at once, especially on Saturdays. We process hundreds of transactions a day, and at any given moment, there are 7 to 10 phones ringing. We have an awesome website with Live Chat, and we’re doing Live YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, TikTok, and Discord sales and tutorials—and so much more. I’ve had the privilege of working with our amazing civilian customers in person, on the phone, and through mail orders, as well as our equally awesome institutional customers (who have been my focus since the beginning). I’ve worked with Kevin and Becky, Lindsey (who I’ve literally watched grow up—now our CFO), and all the folks who have come and gone. Rusty is now our President, and I have to admit… he’s doing a darn good job! Like Lindsey, I’ve watched Rusty grow into a strong, remarkable leader. I’m so proud to have been part of this journey and to work with a company that upholds the core values of Humility, Mutual Respect, Honesty, and Integrity—things you don’t see enough of these days. Thank you all for 26 years of friendship, for helping us grow, and for your loyalty—even when we screw up. Because we do. And we will. But we’re grateful for you, every step of the way. Darcie Grisham – The Gated Community

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