LUMBERTON, Miss.—A once-neglected building on Main Avenue is being rebuilt into what its owners hope will become both a supply hub and a spark for downtown Lumberton’s revival.
Thorn and Thistle is expected to open Feb. 23, with an official grand opening planned for March. The store will sell leatherworking materials, host free and paid classes, and serve as what city leaders describe as another step toward rebuilding Main Avenue.
Owners Jennifer Raven and Brant West say the shop is designed to fill a supply gap for craftspeople across Mississippi while creating opportunities for residents to learn hands-on skills and turn creative hobbies into income.
Filling a Statewide Gap
Raven said one of the biggest challenges she faced when building her leather business was access to materials.
“You run out of rivets, or you run out of a piece of leather (and say,) ‘Oh, man. I need to get some dye. I’ve run out of purple dye,’ and you can’t just run to the store and get these things,” she said. “For us, we have to have (those) things mailed to us from Iowa or Ohio.”
That delay can stall production for days or even weeks. Opening a storefront that stocks dyes, rivets, tools and leather allows her to solve that problem locally—not just for herself, but for others.
“I will be the only leather supply store in the entire state of Mississippi,” Raven said. “People will come off that highway and come to me.”
Raven and West believe that traffic could extend beyond their doors.
“They can enjoy a day here,” she said. “They could pick up the leather. They could go shop … get a burger … get some groceries.”
Teaching Skills, Not Just Selling Products
Beyond retail, Thorn and Thistle is structured around education.
“First we’re going to start with simple how-to leather classes,” Raven said. “Those classes we will offer for free.”
Beginner workshops will focus on basic skills such as stamping, dyeing and cutting leather. More advanced classes will allow participants to build items like wallets, purses or holsters using prepared kits.
“We want to encourage art,” Raven said. “There’s no reason that people can’t do art for a living.”
Future plans include blacksmithing classes led by West and workshops in other creative disciplines, including resin and fiber arts.
For West, the expansion into classes builds on a lifetime of hands-on craftsmanship.
“(My father) was a blacksmith who taught me how to swing a hammer by the time I was 3,” he said. “I’ve been beating on steel and making leather stuff most of my life.”
He said teaching others is a way to pass on skills that can create both fulfillment and income.
“The best advice is to take a class,” West said. “Find somebody who’s figured it out and let them teach you.”
Investing in Main Avenue
The building itself is part of the story.
Raven said the structure, built in 1950, required major work, including electrical, plumbing and structural repairs.
“We’ve been putting a lot of love into it,” she said. “We’re loving it back into existence.”
Rather than rushing to open, she said they chose to rebuild carefully over several years.
“I’m not slapping it together,” Raven said. “I’m taking it apart and dismantling this wall, and I’m putting it back together with so much strength and love.”
West said the decision to open in Lumberton was intentional.
“Small towns like this—they can either grow, if the local community invests in the town, or if everybody just goes somewhere else to buy everything, then it’s going to die and become a ghost town,” he said. “We really have a shot of rebuilding Lumberton into something amazing. We got the people. We got the space and opportunity. There’s nothing stopping us.”
John Maroney, executive director of the Lumberton Main Street Association, said businesses like Thorn and Thistle help restore momentum.
“There’s got to be some point where you start to change the way people think about Lumberton,” Maroney said. “Maybe somehow in a way try to start by restoring some spirit to a community that a lot of times feels very down on itself.”
Maroney said revitalization depends on participation.
“You have to invest in your community,” he said. “You have to take a chance.”
A Soft Opening, Then a Bigger Launch
Thorn and Thistle will begin with a soft opening, operating limited hours while owners gauge customer demand and adjust inventory accordingly. A full grand opening celebration is planned for March 23.
Raven said the goal is not simply to open another storefront, but to create a place where people feel welcome to learn, create and build something of their own.
“We are looking to make this a place that people want to come to,” she said. “You cannot play a game of baseball with four players. You have to have more than that.”
If successful, she and West hope the store will serve as both a destination and an invitation—proof that Main Avenue still has room to grow.
This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.