PRAIRIE GROVE -- Crescent Store, a name that has been in Prairie Grove for almost 100 years, is continuing its downtown presence but with new owners.
Damon and Audrey Wetzel, of Prairie Grove, are now the owners of Crescent and this is the first time they have taken on their own business.
"I've never done anything like this before," Audrey said. "It's just something I've always thought about doing. It became available and we jumped at it."
Prairie Grove Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony Feb. 11 for Crescent and the Wetzels. The store held its grand opening the same day.
Mayor David Faulk welcomed them to the "business family of Prairie Grove."
Faulk also presented the Wezels with a commemorative plaque, a new tradition the city plans to do with all new businesses going forward.
"Thank you for investing in us and choosing us," Faulk said standing on the sidewalk outside the front door of the department store. "You didn't have to choose Prairie Grove. You could have taken your money and resources and could have gone anywhere but you chose us. We greatly appreciate the dedication that you put in our city and we wish you many, many glorious years of prosperity here."
Crescent Department Store first opened in downtown Prairie Grove in 1924 as a dry goods store. According to the city's Centennial History (1888-1988), the store moved to its current location in 1928. Owners over the years have included Guy Shelton, Nathan Brooks, Bill Ramsey and Jim Reese. Travis and Shannon Stearman were the most recent owners of the store.
Audrey said she and her husband kept the name Crescent Store for their new business because the name is a staple of Prairie Grove.
"It wouldn't be the same without it being Crescent," Audrey said.
The couple is making some changes to what the store offers. There will be a prom consignment shop in the upstairs part of the store. The men's department located in the downstairs area is being expanded.
They are going to make customized t-shirts in-house for their customers, instead of t-shirts being sent out for this work.
In addition, the store will offer women's clothing and merchandise, gifts, jewelry, decorative items, custom school spirit attire, business shirts and baseball and softball shirts.
Audrey said she went to a market to select her merchandise for the store and wanted clothing that anyone would wear, not centered on one particular age group.
For more information, go to the store's Facebook page, which is called Shop the Crescent.
Lynn Kutter/Enterprise-Leader Crescent Store in downtown Prairie Grove is open Monday-Saturday for customers to shop for many items, including women's and men's apparel, gifts, decorative items and customized shirts.
Lynn Kutter/Enterprise-Leader Crescent Store in Prairie Grove is providing a consignment store for prom dresses in its upstairs area. The store opened with new owners at the first of February.