When you enter the space occupied by Merchant House, you see art hanging on the walls, furniture and fixtures in various styles, and rocks. Yes, rocks. But they all put out a vibe, of someone who has an eye to set up an interior space and make it look pleasing. But if you ask the people who run this new business, interior decorating is far from the only thing they do.
"I got my start in the game with my first business, Studio 230, a design-and-build landscaping company," said Bryan Calloway, co-owner of Merchant House with Kimberlin Meador. "With that business, we learned how to completely build and rebuild buildings from the ground up, interior and exterior."
Those skills were put to work when preparing the space Merchant House now occupies.
"When we first got here, this space was previously occupied by a cleaning business, I believe," Calloway said. "But when we first got there, it was in bad shape, with a collapsing roof and other serious issues. So we had a lot of work to do to get it ready. However, when we walked in and checked it out, the roominess, like a warehouse space, felt perfect. So we did the work and now we have Merchant House."
Although there are works of art on display throughout the space, Calloway made it clear that Merchant House is not a gallery, though that impression is understandable. But with the wide-open space professionally decorated, artists started showing up to ask if their work could be displayed.
"We held auditions, let artists, many of them local, show us their work. Those we accepted are now on sale in the Merchant House," he said.
The Merchant House itself serves as a showcase for the skills of the crew.
"As I said, this space needed lots of work when we came here," Calloway said. "It needed lots of love. We are the ones who did all the work for it. And that's what we do. You want spaces decorated, we can do that for you. Need an exterior of a building worked, including landscape? We can do that. You need a new home or business built from the ground up? We do that, too. When it comes to your home or place of business, we do it all."
Merchant House is located at 3202 Texas Blvd. Their hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call them at 903-949-6594.