If you’re looking for a unique gift for a special friend or loved one, you might want to check out Train Town Treasures, a new business in De Soto that carries handmade items from 21 vendors.
Former Crystal City Elementary School teacher Katie Gallaway opened the business at 108 N. Main St. in De Soto, holding a grand opening on July 1.
Gallaway, 30, of De Soto said her shop carries a wide variety of products.
“We have crocheted items, T-shirts, tumblers, door hangers and signs, wax melts, coffee, pretty much you name it, we’ve got it,” she said.
Gallaway said 18 of her 21 vendors live within an hour of the shop, and many are from Festus, Hillsboro and De Soto.
Gallaway herself makes glitter tumblers, screen printed shirts and car air fresheners.
She previously taught first-grade at Crystal City Elementary, but got some news that led her to make a career change after the 2021-22 school year.
“I found out that I was pregnant and due the second week of school, so I knew that probably wasn’t the best timing for going back to teaching the next year,” she said.
Gallaway said she had been selling her homemade items twice a year at successful pop-up events with other local crafters. She also had seen some vendor-based businesses thriving in the area, so she discussed the idea of opening a permanent location with some of the other artists and crafters she knew.
“Almost half of my vendors were people who participated (at the pop-up events), and so before I opened, I kind of talked to all of them to see if they were looking for a permanent location,” she said.
Gallaway said she started looking for a location for her shop and after several potential spots fell through, she became discouraged and was skeptical at first when she heard about the De Soto Main Street location. When she checked it out, though, it was love at first sight.
“It’s kind of like buying a new car; you look at something and it’s obviously what you want,” she said.
The store, which used to house SBS Custom Window Treatments, required virtually no remodeling or repairs, just a new coat of paint, Gallaway said.
She said a lot of local crafters are interested in selling their wares from her shop.
“I could probably have doubled the vendors if I had the room,” she said. “People were messaging me and I was turning them away and I felt so bad.”
Gallaway said she is selective when bringing in new artists or crafters to make sure there isn’t competition between vendors within her store.
“I tried to take like one tumbler person, one for baby clothes. We’ve got enough competition just down the street,” she said. “I try to keep it to one of each kind of thing.”
The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Gallaway said she may expand her hours when it gets closer to the holidays.
