It’s the week before Christmas and all through the house at 431 Crockett Street creatures have been stirring – paint, that is- and climbing ladders and painting. Boy, have they been painting.
431 Crockett Street, before.
“Yesterday I spent 16 hours painting,” said a weary-looking Chris Rhodes, one of the owners of the soon-to-open Crockett Street Trading Company. “We (wife Katy and Chris) are going to take a little time off for Christmas, but then we will be back at it.” Rhodes knows time is a precious commodity.
Rhodes’ current retail space at 616 Texas Street will be closing there for good at 6 pm Saturday, Dec. 23, and the big move will begin, lock, stock and big embroidery machines.
Their Appli-Ks Embroidery and More shop has been a mainstay in Downtown Shreveport since 2015- first at a space in the Red River District, then to the Lofts at 624 Texas and more recently, to the storefront at 616 Texas St.
In making the move, their branding will change. Appli-K’s and their embroidery business and other unique vendors will operate at their new storefront as Crockett Street Trading Company.
431 Crockett Street
The plan is to have all the vendors in and the doors open by Saturday, January 6. Crockett Street Trading Company’s initial schedule will be Monday through Saturday, 8 am- 6 pm.
Lots of wall to paint.
The Rhodes want to make the trading company feel like a nicely-curated old time general mercantile with vendors ranging from Hummer and Son honey products to vintage clothing by What the Funk to freeze-dried candy items by Bliss Bites and Jessica’s Freeze Dried Sweets.
Katy and Chris
“There won’t be individual vendor spaces,” says Katy. “The vendor goods will be set up around the entire shop, really creating a seamless feel of a wide mix of products, like stores used to be.”
The Rhodes are the first to admit that two business moves in five months is both exhausting and not ideal. The decision was forced upon them when the owner of the 616 Texas space decided to move Refine Design back to her home in Texas. While the Rhodes could have entered into a lease for the entirety of 616 Texas, it was 431 Crockett that caught their eye.
431 Crockett, empty.
In moving to 431 Crockett Street, they will make a little downtown history as the first business there since major rehab. They will make the first mark and create a space that they want. “It’s a clean canvas,” says Chris, “and Katy has some big plans.” Those reasons, plus the ease of customers getting in and out and the Glass Hat nearby, helped seal the deal.
Refine Design will close, Appli-Ks will move, 431 Crockett Street will see new life and 616 Texas Street will be available for the next chapter in its long story.
Story from Aug. 5, 2020
Downtown’s favorite little custom embroidery shop- Appli-Ks Embroidery and Gifts– has moved from the Red River District to the Lofts at 624 at 624 Texas Street and owner Katy Rhodes couldn’t be happier. See a video showing the store and all the items they carry.
Rhodes is thrilled to be carrying a line called ‘Happy Everything’ which was a popular seller at the former Kings Hardware. She is the only seller in the area of a line which can be changed almost daily with new attachments like the spooky house below. These pieces are held on with velcro and can be changed according to season, holiday, color and more. A single platter, for example, could serve multiple holidays and purposes. As the wreath below shows, Appli-K’s can also customize each piece with a name, date or event.
The Appli-K’s space is off the lobby just behind Rhino Coffee downtown, so the next time you are grabbing a java, pop in. Appli-K’s light-filled nook offers all sorts of gifts that can be bought as-is or personalized, embroidery services, home decor and Louisiana-themed gifts.
Appli-K’s started in a small space in the Red River District after winning a Pop Up Business Award from the Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation. In the years since, Katy, her mom, dad and husband created a thriving storefront filled with all things embroidered- from aprons and tea towels to pillows and book bags. “This is a perfect location for Katy’s store,” says DDA director Liz Swaine. Every apartment tenant in the building will want at least one of the items that Katy will have for sale. Additionally, all the customers coming into Rhino and Season’s Salon on the ground floor and to the businesses on the mezzanine will have a wonderful retail space to explore.”
