Big business in Bartlett

 “From ghost [town] to boom [town] I’ve seen it all,” - Bebbie Wendeler, owner of Unique Celebrations Floral and Gift Shop

When driving north on State Highway 95, travelers eager to reach their destination can sometimes pass through the small towns along the highway without noticing. The City of Bartlett is one of these towns and serves as a bridge between Williamson and Bell counties. 

If a traveler decides to stop and inspect the downtown strip on Clark Street, the eye outlines the tops of the red and tan colored brick buildings and stops at the “Williamson County Line” sign at the end of the strip before the train tracks. Upon closer inspection, many of the doors to the buildings have lock boxes with “For Lease” signs hanging in the windows. Art pieces are displayed in the rooms to help envision the potential of an art gallery in the vacant spaces.  

Despite the current state of some of the buildings, some local businesses remain, and an effort to revitalize the area is underway. 

Unique Celebrations Floral and Gift Shop is one of the family-owned businesses that is planted in Bartlett. The shop has been operated by Bebbie Wendeler for over 30 years and she said she’s seen the ups and downs of the city. 

“From ghost [town] to boom [town] I’ve seen it all,” she said with a wave of her hand, “A ton of stores turn over. But there are new people [stopping through] because of Samsung and Tesla.”

For investor Robert Zalkin, the Bartlett Strip is an opportunity. He recalls taking a road trip through Central Texas in 2018. When he came across Bartlett, he saw its potential. He created www.downtownbartlett.com to bring businesses to the city. 

“I just thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is incredible,’ ’’ he told the Sun. “It brought me this nostalgic Old-West feeling. After seeing its potential, I wanted to revitalize it.”   

Mr. Zalkin is a real estate investor and developer based in Austin. After purchasing most of the Bartlett Strip, he began reconstructing the dilapidated buildings. About 10 months into the project, Covid-19 hit, causing the project to stall, but efforts have ramped back up over the past year. 

“Really the mission is to bring back the town by working with the community to revitalize Bartlett,” he said. 

Tenants old and new

Mr. Zalkin said the project is in its beginning stages, but tenants like Don’t_Tripp have moved in and are starting to take root. Don’t_Tripp Vintage is an independent clothing store that specializes in 1980s and 1990s vintage clothing. 

Owned by trio Jay Revord, Jesse Greatting and Keefer the store sports rows of unique graphic t-shirts, denim and several vintage Nike sneakers and vans. Before the partnership, Mr. Revord said he was in “friendly competition” with Mr. Greeting.  

“I would see him at a Goodwill picking out good finds and I thought to myself, ‘Man I got to beat him,’” he said, while giving Mr. Greeting a side glance and a chuckle. 

After striking up the partnership, Keefer joined the duo. He suggested the name of “Tripp” because it means trio in Italian. Since then, the group secured a storefront in October 2022 and became a vendor at the 2023 Thrift Con in Atlanta.  

“It’s crazy to think how far we’ve come,”  Mr. Revord said. “When we started, we were attending Thrift Con, and now we were a vendor a year later. It’s incredible.” 

The business partners renovated the shop themselves, adding necessities like a changing room and bathroom as well as some decorative pieces like arcade game consoles and thrifted coffee tables.

Before the physical store, most of the items were sold on the online application Whatnot. On the app, Don’t_Tripp makes around $45,000 selling the clothes. The app also helps build the store’s online community. 

The trio is still in the process of officially opening the storefront, but they still go live weekly on Whatnot to sell their thrifted finds. In the future, Mr. Revord said the group would like to do a vintage trivia night and winners can get $100 - $200 in-store credit.

In the meantime, Don’t_Tripp continues to sell its inventory on Whatnot. Shoppers can explore the physical store off of Clark Street in Bartlett by appointment. Appointments can be made on the store’s website. 

The vintage store hopes it can have long-term success, like the success seen at Unique Celebrations Floral and Gift Shop for decades. 

Before becoming the shop’s owner, Ms. Wendeler said she was a school teacher. She started making wedding cakes and helped out the previous owner, who was 80 at the time. After the owner retired, she took over the shop.

“I love the floral industry,” she said with a smile. “I love what I do. It’s not work for me.” 

The scent of freshly cut flowers greets customers when they first walk into the shop. When looking around at the various holiday decorations and gifts, one can spot candy cane ornaments hanging on Christmas trees, toys for newborn babies tucked away in the front of the gift shop side of the store and even a meat locker to keep the floral arrangements cool.

She sets up the displays by herself and travels to Dallas twice a year to get the shop’s holiday supplies. Ms. Wendeler said has loyal customers in Taylor, Granger and Jarrell who give her business.    

“It’s all about making people feel welcomed,” she said. “I try to please the customer, and they are always right. I’m old-fashioned like that.”

Future looks bright 

Bobby Wilson, owner of Bartlett Made — a merchandise shop that makes stickers, t-shirts and hats for brands and companies — said some form of live music and a deli shop would be perfect for business in Bartlett. 

“I would be really cool with a full-time coffee shop because then I would go hang out there, have a cup of coffee probably every day, get on my computer before I start my day and just chill, you know?” he said. 

As for Mr. Zalkin, he said he is looking for potential tenants. He said a spot for local artists and a potential bar would work for the Bartlett Strip. 

For the future of the town, he plans on having Bartlett host a potential music or barbeque festival to bring more activity to the city. 

“This is a big project,” he said. “We are looking at many years to complete. We’re still in the beginning stages, but it’s really exciting.”