Two months ago, I found myself navigating retail spaces and strip malls in search of a new home for Samantha Rose. We were about to turn 4 years old as Dallas’s favorite online pearl jeweler, but were finding ourselves in need of turning that proverbial corner to land our first brick-and-mortar store.
And so I searched for an entire month, at least 3 times a week, viewing at least 3 locations per day. No joy. One afternoon, on impulse, I made a right turn on Beltline just past I35 to look into an area of the City of Carrollton that I have heard of once before but never had a chance to visit. I was told that Historic Downtown Carrollton Square was charming and that it has long been a popular community hangout. I found exactly that … plus! Its vintage, eclectic architecture is not just a façade and more like remnants of days past. Its history and evolving culture unfolding like a colorful piece of quilted Americana.
I walked around the sidewalks of red brick buildings and diminutive shops with names like “The Old Craft Store”, or even “Silver Star Mercantile”. I looked at the famous gazebo that was once the location of a water source that a century ago drew horses and carriages. I stood in awe as sleek DART trains breezed from way above ground while the old cargo trains chugged loudly below it; the contrast of design and function being all too evident. There was development, for sure, but also profound respect for the past.
I decided that this is where Samantha Rose ought to be. HOME.
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