Shaw’s Marketplace, home to 20 local vendors, held its grand opening Saturday at 508 N. Center Avenue. In October 2020, the McCrane family purchased the building, which was built in 1890 and became home of the former Shaw’s Laundry in 1920.
As of 12:30 p.m. Saturday, more than 3,000 customers had perused the newest addition to a bustling downtown Brownwood business scene.
“It’s been about a year in the making and I’m excited for the community of Brownwood,” said Shaw’s Marketplace Co-Owner Matthew McCrane. “To have something like this for everybody is a good thing. If it wasn’t for the vendors to come in here and build their spaces and tell us their ideas and visions for their booths, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting Saturday at Shaw’s and Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes and Brown County Judge Paul Lilly were among those on hand.
“This is something a lot of folks have wanted for a long time and to see Brownwood come alive again downtown and to see this number of people out for the grand opening is just really wonderful,” Haynes said.
Lilly added, “To take an old building a lot of people would have just written off and to made this kind of capital investment in it and our community is most impressive.”
Corn hole and food trucks filled part of the parking lot outside Shaw’s Marketplace during Saturday’s grand opening.
“Since we opened the doors at 9 this morning it’s been non-stop at the check out so I’m really excited for all our businesses in there,” McCrane said. “This is what they wanted and the community of Brownwood wanted was a place where small businesses can start and grow, so I’m excited for our vendors and the turnout that we’ve had.”
McCrane further described Shaw’s Marketplace, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
“There’s 20 small businesses inside Shaw’s from men’s to women’s, outdoor gear, a coffee shop, a candy store for the kiddos, we’re getting cleaned out today,” McCrane said. “We told them to overstock today but we didn’t realize it would be as big as it is.”
Shaw’s Marketplace Manager Torri Choate provided an overview each of the vendors on the July 20 episode of KOXE’s Talk-O-2sday:
Adventure Mule – “This is a guy’s paradise basically. This has all the camping equipment you’ll ever want. It has a little bit of everything for outdoor adventures,”
Alamo Pecan – “They’re out of San Saba and you pretty much know everything about their coffee, the pecans, the chocolate covered pecans and all that yummy stuff.”
Blzr Apparel – “They do T-shirts, caps, motivation apparel. His T-shirts are super comfy with a lot of cool designs.”
Dirty Paintbrush – “The ladies from the Dirty Paintbrush are very talented. They can take anything you can think of, a piece of furniture or a piece of wood, and turn it into a work of art.”
Golden Hour Coffee – “It’s going to have coffee and bagels. We’re excited for that and it’s going to be a great addition for those early morning shoppers.”
It’s Lit – “Their candles are unique and amazing because they have movie titles as their scents, and they have movie quotes on them.”
JBC Woodworking – “They do cutting boards, skateboards, pedestal for cakes, laser engraving, all sorts of cool kitchen essentials.”
Joe and May – “It’s a different look with a great variety. There’s home décor, women’s clothing, linens, cookbooks, all sorts of fun stuff for gift giving.”
L.E. Shaw’s – Named for the founder of Shaw’s Laundry. “They carry Shaffer Outfitter western wear out of Fort Worth. They do all the clothing for Yellowstone, so we’ll carry those clothes. We have vintage finds, antiques, it’s kind of a man store.”
Life’s Delights – “They collaborate and take photos of Texas scenery, longhorns, bluebonnets, rodeos and have them made into cutting boards, mugs, postcards. And you can buy prints you can frame yourself or they have some already framed.”
Lilly B’s – “Her booth has a little bit of everything, sheets for your beds, clothes, shoes, jewelry, bath items, tanning stuff.”
Luna Maya – “She has a baby boutique and is working on getting her own brick and mortar and she decided that she wanted to start with us. We’re so thankful and she has the greatest stuff. If you want baby fever, go to Luna Maya and you will get it.”
Mukewater Outfitters – “They do graphic T’s, men’s accessories and apparel, fishing gear. They have a line of T-shirts called the 325 collection that’s all about Brownwood.”
Pickery – “The Pickery is fresh flowers, ready to go bouquets or you can make your own.”
Say It With Style – “This is another awesome boutique with clothes and shoes, all that good stuff.”
Saylor Reign – “If you’re looking for a cute outfit ladies, she’s got all the cute stuff. All the cute shorts and tops, a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”
ShugaPops -”It’s a breath of sunshine with all these fun colors and then every type of candy you could ever imagine.”
Vintage Girl Next Door – “She’s a cool chick that’s an old soul. I’ve got vintage finds, I’ve got Christian T-shirts and candles that I don’t pour. If you’re looking for a unique décor item or a place to put it in your home, I can help you with that because I’ll be around during the day.”
With Love – “It’s in the back corner. There’s vintage finds, apparel, home décor, cool vintage clothes. It’s a very cool vibe.”
Woven Roots – “It’s our largest booth and you walk in and it catches your eye immediately. She’s got clothes for women, accessories, baby clothes, home décor, dried florals, every little thing you can think of.”
