Sunday, April 24 – HAPPY EASTER! We hope you have a Blessed Easter day.
Saturday, April 23 - On Thursday, Marsha took a mystery trip with our friends Fran and Wayne. Fran only told her that they were going to a mercantile right outside town, and that Marsha will love it. Well, Fran was not wrong! They went to Thomas Mercantile on Old Hwy 35 N in Livingston.
Terry, owner, is out front. To your left is Debbie, employee, and Mr. Thomas, Terry’s dad. More on him later in the blog.
All these times we have been in Livingston, months on end, and we never new this place existed. Fran arranged for Terry, the owner, to take Marsha on a tour of the house and give her a history lesson. WOW…Marsha LOVED this place.
The house was built in 1913 by Terry’s grandparents. When they passed away in the 60’s, Terry’s parents just locked the door and walked away. Last April when Terry was visiting her Aunt that lives next door, she parked in front of the house and had a sudden need to look inside. Six months later she opened the Thomas Mercantile. What a treasure. For privacy reasons, Marsha didn’t take any pictures of the living area, but said it is awesome. Everything is exactly as it was in the original house. All the beds, even the one her dad was born in, claw bathtub, lights, etc. were all there.
Terry is very proud of her father. He is WWII Veteran. Now this is an amazing fact, he was M.I.A and a POW. He served in Normandy when he became M.I.A. He was then found to be in a concentration camp where he was forced to work on the railroads for the Germans. At last, he was rescued by General Patton! It is a fascinating story with a very happy ending.
Thomas Mercantile carries only Texas made items or small number of other U.S.A. products. You won’t find any foreign stuff in this store. It is packed with wonderful items.
Cat fan
The counters are filled with food products, special beauty items, cups, etc.
Terry carries some very unusual gifts. One item is handbags made from feedsacks. The handle are discarded seat belts. They are so darling…Marsha’s words NOT Paul’s!
Thomas Mercantile carries their own line of hand cream, soap and body spray. You guessed it…Marsha brought some hand cream home with a bunch of other stuff she couldn’t live without. I will say that it does smell pretty good.
Marsha says, “If you are in Livingston, be sure to stop in and see Terry and this lovely store.”
Side note: When the train goes by, give the conductor the blow your horn sign. If he does, you get 20% off your purchase.
After their visit to Thomas Mercantile, Fran and Wayne took Marsha to a Mexican Restaurant where they treated her to lunch.
Fran recommended the Chicken DiBlanco. Marsha could only eat one of the four pieces of chicken wrapped with bacon. So Paul got to eat lunch at home..YUMMY! The portions were large and prices very reasonable. We will eat here the next time we are in town. Wayne picked up the bill…Thank You Wayne! Fran and Wayne were just full of surprises today.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all later. Have a great day!
