And as many vintage collectors know, the hunt is half the fun.
“ The store was mostly décor, not necessarily antiques and vintage, because you couldn’ t sell a piece of vintage glass or a nut chopper or whatever, you know, back then. Then all of a sudden, this younger generation comes in, and they love it. They like needlework. They like the old glassware, the old dishes, the old whatever, you know, rusty, crusty stuff. They love it.”
Being a shop owner means shifting with the times to offer what is in demand.
“ That was right up my alley, because I’ ve always had that kind of stuff.”
Spending 30 years as an art teacher in the Comanche Public School District, McGowen never planned to be a shop owner. Friends, Bob and Janet Coffer, originally opened Mud Creek Creations across the street from its current location.
McGowen was the only vendor at the time. The building where it now is located was the Doug Strange Furniture store. After his death, McGowen handled the liquidation estate sale for the family.
That’ s when she convinced Bob to buy the store. She bought the original Mud Creek building to use as a rental property. Watching Coffer transform the furniture store into Mud Creek Creations was amazing.
“ He is a master carpenter for sure. He did the whole remodeling from top to bottom. All I did was paint, but he designed all of this, his imagination.”
She pointed to everything from the ceiling to signs and the checkout countertop. Custom