Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
MY FAVORITE THINGS
Goal of Marrs Mercantile manyfold: restore historic building, feature local goods, foster community
Dave and Jenny Marrs have done a lot of things — they host HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous and have hosted Rock the Block, they’re raising five children and are the proud owners of the berry farm in Bentonville. But until recently, they had never owned a storefront.
That changed on April 1 this year when they tore the craft paper off the windows and swung open the doors of the Marrs Mercantile at 289 N. Main St. in Centerton. The location was the focus of Fixer to Fabulous season four’s finale and was originally opened in 1905 as the Bank of Centerton. Inside, shoppers can take in the newly restored exposed brick walls and newly laid penny tile floors while perusing locally sourced goods and Dave and Jenny’s personal brand favorites.
They spoke with us by phone for this week’s My Favorite Things.
How did the idea for the Mercantile begin?
Jenny Marrs: We essentially owned this building for 10 years. We bought it inexpensively a long time ago, so it’s been there and we knew we wanted to do something, we just had to land the right timing.
We had renters who moved out, the business (that was in it) moved to a new location, so we could do something with it. We wanted to do a store of some kind. It made sense for that space and we work with lots of local artisans all the time, so it’s been amazing to feature them in the space and the store.
We had to figure out the best way to use the space. We had considered a restaurant, but it’s a hard business. It made a lot of sense to do the mercantile … (to show off products we) love and the people we work with all the time.
Both of our families, our parents had owned small businesses, we are small business owners too and we love that and support small business. Dave builds a lot and I would consider him an artisan himself, so we respect and value the craftsmanship of something made by hand and putting that in a place that highlighted doing that type of work. We want to support them because we know how hard it is to sell your product.
Dave Marrs: You can go back and forth 50 times and make different alterations to your plan and (ultimately it’s about) being flexible and adapting to change. As the idea grew, we made it into the Mercantile.
What was the concept? Has it evolved from that first idea that you imagined?
Both: We always wanted it to feel like you’re stepping into someone’s home, a comfortable space that’s not too crowded.
Dave: Jenny designed the inside. My intent was more focused on the building and really, there had been so much added: vinyl siding, block windows that block the light so it doesn’t get in. We stripped the building back to what it was in 1905. So that was my intention, to expose the beams and brick and old woodwork that speaks to another time. That’s what I was focused on, I cared about stuff like that.
Jenny: I had the inside. Like he said, though it really was the idea that we didn’t want it to be a sterile store like any other. We wanted it to feel different, curated and like a little bit of a treasure hunt.
I love antique shopping, I’d like it to feel like that. When you find a unique thing, it’s just fun. Every time you come into the store, there’s new stuff there, it has that feel.
How do you go about selecting items to include? What appeals to you about them?
Jenny: We featured items from the people we work with all the time and they are products we really do love. Turkish rugs and pillows, those are something we use all the time, and a girl I work with locally, I wanted Meredith in the store, with Turkish Trunk. At Charleston’s Rock the Block a couple years ago, I got acquainted with a company who one of the women was importing rugs from Turkey, so they go several times a year and bring back Turkish rugs and olive jars and I love all their products, I order them all the time and use in homes here and her sister has amazing towels and blankets. So really, it’s just ‘Who are my favorite companies to work with?’
Really just looking at, ‘Who do we work with?’ and narrowing it down from there and then, ‘What things are missing?’ To know that if people come to buy a gift, there’s enough gift items. It’s a long (deciding) process for products and we want it to make sense for people. We are still looking at what’s selling
and what’s not. But it began with identifying our favorite products, like the tool belt and the apron.
Dave: It’s a man apron and I wear it all the time, no question about it. The company is a veteran-owned company out of Missouri and the American flags are made by a company in Charleston. Also I love coffee, I drink it all the time and with Airship in downtown Bentonville, they made a special blend that we like for the Mercantile. It really is, it only gave us a tiny corner, but it really is a collection of things we love. Love the (Mercantile) shirts and hats too.
Jenny: From our community, our shirts are made by our friend Amanda, a mom who started a shirt business 10 years ago, we worked with her for the berry farm. She’s about an hour away and makes (our Mercantile) shirts. The hats are a family business, which even their kids are helping make the hats. So we fostered community by working with them.
The artists I work with, who we have their work in the store and have sold, include Bethany’s paintings. It’s very personal. Ben, our son makes cutting boards, so we get to say “Ben, you sold another! Which is very fun. It’s a cool community.
We were curating what products (to place) with ‘What do I put in every single home?’ There’s not a lot of room for furniture and I didn’t want it to be a furniture store, but changes you could make to your home, like swapping out art or pillows to refresh. Art is vital to a home, it gives it so much life. When finishing a space, it’s not done until the art is up. We work with certain artists and feature their work. It’s often overlooked and people don’t (always) want to pay for art. We want to give them options for original art and prints, different (levels of making it) accessible to everyone.
What’s been the customer response so far or what do people say about your collection?
Dave: It’s been great. People we’ve talked to are from pretty much every state in the U.S. and Canada. There are a lot of people traveling here and they’re able to experience Centerton now and Bentonville, Rogers and others, so (the Mercantile is) doing that.
The biggest feedback is that they’d like to see more stuff along Main Street. Centerton is still catching up with downtown and we would love to make that downtown more of a destination. It’s constructive criticism, to have more attractions but some (products) do outstanding, while others we switch out. It’s a learning curve every time, every year and season is a new side of retail that we weren’t previously in with home building.
Do you have any items that are definite best sellers or crowd favorites? Has there been anything that hasn’t been fully appreciated just yet?
Jenny: The Mercantile shirt is always a top seller, it’s an easy thing to buy. Our candles are made here locally by a candle company in Rogers (The Little Candle of NWA) and we love our candles, they get the scents just right. The logo of “House + Love = Home” has been our motto a long time and it’s my book title. It’s fun to have the candles do well, the mugs and cutting boards and hats.
We have lots of vintage pieces, one of a kind, those do really well — that’s the fun treasure hunt side of it. My personal favorites? Probably candles are my second. Also Candle Damsel, she hand pours into vintage vessels and every one of them are unique, in different vessels.
Dave: I’m a hat guy, I love different hats. On the show I wear blue jeans and a black tee every day. So the hat is something different. I’m always going to look and buy different hats or create a new hat (since) we want to try and wear new hats all the time. It’s fun and something (to change it up).
What’s been the most meaningful part of this new venture for you?
Dave: The people who come to town and say we’ve been watching the show for five years. We’re excited to have a place to highlight people we see on the show, then when people spend their anniversary or birthday by coming to the Mercantile is humbling. I love it. That’s the best.
Jenny: Locally it’s been interesting because some locals haven’t been, thinking it will be too busy, but it’s really not. The first day, yes, but on a normal day, it’s peaceful. It feels good. I love the peaceful feeling, I love being there in the morning before anyone else is there. It really is the peaceful place we wanted it to be. The feedback we get is that it’s really warm and welcome here. That was our intention.