special ADVERTISING FEATURE pRESENTED BY
WORDS Dwain Hebda and Catherine Frederick some interviews have been edited for length and clarity
Do South® Magazine is proud to recognize local shops in our community committed to providing the very best in home décor, apparel and unique gift items!
Looking for that one-of-a-kind item for a gift or to treat yourself? Look no further than Black Bison Company and Market by the Park, unique shops offering merchandise to suit every occasion or taste.
Black Bison Company boasts an eclectic mix of kitchenware, home décor, luxury soaps and lotions, table wear, handbags, seasonal items, candles, and a curated selection of men’s gifts.
“One of the newer things at the Black Bison gift shop is bridal registry and baby registry,” says Carey Thompson, co-owner. “That’s brand-new for us with the expansion of many additional items for home décor and in the kitchen.”
Black Bison’s inventory can best be described as casually elegant, delivering a warm Southern-chic look without being overly fussy. Combined with the offerings at its sister store – the new Market by the Park – the company offers everything the modern home can want in things of good taste and that taste good.
“The Market now carries all our specialty foods, including our signature Black Bison coffee,” Carey says. “You’ll also find specialty gourmet food from local artisans as well as Arkansasmade food items.”
Market by the Park, which shares a building with longtime favorite Sweet Bay Coffee Company, offers a line of gourmet food items that are sure to please every foodie in the family.
“One of the things that has been very popular is our line of gourmet take-and-bake meals,” Carey says. “The oils and vinegars that we have started carrying from Olivelle are another popular item. We also feature an oil and vinegar tasting room onsite, which is very cool.”
Both businesses will soon ramp up for the holiday shopping season, Carey says.
“We’ll start getting our holiday items in the next four weeks,” she says. “There’s always something special in that, so we invite everyone to come by and check us out.”
Meredith Marney started her career as a television reporter, but she always had a passion for decorating. Growing up, her parents owned a retail store which planted the seed for entrepreneurship in the back of her mind. A few years ago, she launched Meregold Home & Décor in a modest booth space at a local flea market.
“I thought it would be a fun business,” Meredith says of the shop. “I remember one weekend I went home and presented my parents a business proposal. I wrote it up and everything. I was like, this is what I’m going to do. They were on board and have really supported me ever since.”
In four years, Meregold Home & Décor grew to be the market’s largest booth and a little more than a year ago it moved into its first brick-and-mortar location.
“It started as a little side hustle, just something that I really, truly enjoyed,” Meredith says. “Since then, we’ve branched out a lot. When we first started, we just did home décor and that’s been the
primary focus still today. But over time, we’ve had a little fun with it and got into some clothing and accessory items.”
The merchandise is as varied as it is charming. Casual clothing, tabletop and home décor share space with items for the garden, game day and even the man cave. “We try to offer a little bit of everything for everybody,” Meredith said. “My mother works with me in the business, and we have so much fun together and we continue to learn from each other every day.”
Some of the store’s big sellers include an Arkansas-made line of candles and a collection of broad-brimmed women’s hats boasting collegiate spirit by Patina Rose Hattery. Seasonal items are also huge for Meregold Home & Décor, which stocks everything one needs to welcome the changing of the calendar and holidays in style.
“Our inventory blends the old with the new; combining old antiques with up-to-date décor,” Meredith says. “That’s what our customers look for and that’s what we’re proud to bring them.”
Ever since Sheila Bailey opened her charming boutique The PolkaDotted Zebra, parents and grandparents alike have flocked to her store to shop an adorable collection of children’s clothes, shoes and accessories. And now with its new location, a 2,620-squarefoot showplace in Fort Smith’s bustling Chaffee Crossing district, the store enters a new chapter serving families throughout the River Valley.
“We’re in an outstanding area, The Village at Heritage,” Sheila said. “This is an up-and-coming, very nice area and a neighborhood with lots of families. We’re definitely very excited to be here and serve our wonderful customers.”
The address may be new, but the merchandise features the same quality name brands for which the store has always been known. Pink Chicken, Me & Henry, Properly Tied, Magnetic Me, Millie Jay, Mabel+Honey, SouthBound, Natives, SunSan and Baby Bling are just a few of the favorites to be found here.
Sheila curates the unique inventory of items personally, shopping the famed Dallas market twice a year with the goal of bringing the most unique, trendy, and special pieces and gifts to customers for every season and holiday.
“The companies that I buy from mostly don’t sell to big department stores,” Sheila said. “Most of them are catering to boutique sales outlets such as ours. These aren’t items you can generally find. It’s more of the unique items and that’s what we’ve built our business on.”
In addition to a thriving clientele of new parents and parents of young children, The Polka-Dotted Zebra has created an equally large and enthusiastic customer base among grandparents.
“Actually, if I had to guess, I’d say grandparents are probably my largest customer segment,” she said. “Parents, a lot of times, are concerned with covering the necessities, while grandparents are in a position to spend a little extra on the fun things, the cute things. I’ve got a lot of parents that are excellent customers as well, but grandparents are definitely a big part of the business.”