Today we’d like to introduce you to Randy and Ronda Owens.
Randy and Ronda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We purchased a historic building in Old Town Lewisville that was formerly a Barbershop for over 80 years. We’re both Lewisville natives and high school sweethearts that love Lewisville and the Old town district. We also have an Antique Market in Old Town (“The Merc”) and decided to grow our ventures here. So, we added the Perc in order to bring some sense of “community” to the area while improving the local real estate at the same time.
Our family has had businesses in Lewisville for over 50 years and we wanted to continue that legacy while investing in something that the community could enjoy as well. We also have a property development company here and plan on restoring several other properties “downtown”. We want to bring a fresh new perspective to the area, while also keeping our great history alive. We love all things old and making them new again.
One of the projects we’re currently working on is the restoration of the building next door to the Perc. It will be a two-story building that will house the Merc on the first floor and a co-working/meeting space on the second. The Mercantile will expand its inventory to include some gift, food, and unique men’s items as well as keeping the antiques we’ve always loved. The Perc will continue to grow and utilize the upstairs areas of the new building in order to serve as a meeting/ special event space. We want the Perc and the Merc to be placed to come and visit and stay awhile.
Most everything you’ll see in the Perc has a story and the Merc has lots of new and unique vintage items. You’ll get a taste of the old with a flair for the new. We want everyone to feel welcome and loved. We feel very blessed to be able to have this opportunity and we hope the community will enjoy it. Come see us!
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been easy. Our original idea for the Perc was for it to be a ministry to help people in low-income countries by growing and producing coffee in their village. There’s a lot that has to happen for that to work and it has yet to come to fruition, but we are hopeful we can continue on that journey. In the meantime, we use the opportunities that we have here to help.
Another area that has been difficult has been just the buildings themselves. Considering most of these buildings are over 100 years old, there are lots of challenges. Also, just being patient in the development and growth of the area has been at times difficult. We see the vision and are anxious for it to happen.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
The Perc is a craft coffee shop that also serves pastries, snacks, and lunch items. We’re mostly known for our atmosphere that is unique and different. There’s industrial items, neon signs, collectibles and lots of vintage items that all have a story. The Perc is a museum of sorts with coffee as a bonus!
We’re also known for our great staff. We want to have a hometown feel and welcome everyone. A sort of Cheers cliche, ” a place where everybody knows your name”. The Merc is a vintage market that started in 2013 in a small house in Old Town. We’ve since grown to our current space and are projecting to move into our newly renovated space next to the Perc in summer of 2018. We’re so excited!!! We sell antiques, collectibles, home decor, clothing, gifts, and lots of cool stuff you won’t find anywhere else.
We feel like the Perc and the Merc are unique in style and offer great services to our community. We’ve always shared a love for antiques and used to shop for them together when we dated in high school. So, we’ve tried to find a way to make our hobby a business that we love. The Merc and the Perc are how we do that. We proud of our heritage here and of our people that make us great!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes! Old Town Lewisville is a great opportunity to start a new business in an upcoming growing, thriving community. We have a great location, north of Dallas, with close proximity to the airport as well as the local commuter rail line, DCTA. There are currently over 700 new homes being built in the area with more opportunities for residential growth in the future.
Old Town Lewisville has our heart and it’s soon to have lots of others! If the city can do anything to improve business growth it would be to be more communicative with business owners so we can work together and progress more quickly.
Contact Info:
- Address: 115 W. Main St. Mercantile
156 W. Main Lewisville TX 75057 - Website: www.perccoffeehouse.com www.mainstmerc.com
- Phone: Perc 214-222-1404 Merc 469-464-3564
- Email: kelly@percontheplaza.com hello@mainstmerc.com
- Instagram: Perc: www.instagram.com/theperccoffeehouse Merc: www.instagram.com/mainstmerc
- Facebook: Perc: www.facebook.com/theperccoffeehouse Merc: www.facebook.com/mainstmerc
- Twitter: Perc: @perccoffeehouse
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
