MANSFIELD — Rocky Fork Primitives officially opened up their new store front Friday by cutting the ceremonial ribbon.
Owners and sisters Rebecca Myers and Jackie Shaffer had gratitude-filled hearts as family members, friends and city officials gathered to offer support. The sisters have been in business together since July 2015.
“We were just bored housewives who decided to open up a store,” Myers said with a laugh. She and her sister, she explained, decided to move to downtown Mansfield from their store on Lucas Road earlier this year because of the larger space available.
“It’s a much bigger location with more customers,” she said, adding that their next door neighbors, Squirrel’s Den, are awesome.
“They send their customers right over, we love it.”
Shaffer said the sisters have grown to love refurnishing pieces of furniture together. It started as a hobby when Shaffer’s husband, Michael, was deployed overseas in 2012.
“We refurnished (furniture) for a while and now we’ve started actually making custom pieces,” Shaffer said.
The store, Rocky Fork Primitives, is filled with antique-style furniture pieces and American relics like wooden shutters and iron-laden sewing tables. Some of the pieces have been refurnished by the sisters. For information on custom-designed furniture, visit their Facebook page.
Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker thanked the sisters for moving their business to the downtown area.
“This is a nice building, congratulations. These types of businesses, here in the downtown, are the fabric of our business economy,” Theaker said as he addressed the beaming owners.
President of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce Jodie Perry also thanked Shaffer and Myers, reminding the crowd that Rocky Fork Primitives is now part of the downtown shopping community.
“In fact, we’re open till eight tonight because of downtown Mansfield’s First Friday Shop Hop,” Perry said.
First Friday Shop Hops, organized by Downtown Mansfield Incorporated,keeps shops in the downtown area to stay open until a later time, 8 p.m. Friday initiated the first of the 2016 season.
Every other business day, Tuesday through Friday, Rocky Fork Primitives is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and close Sundays and Mondays.
