Handcrafts Unlimited Receives Preservation Georgetown Historic Marker

A historic building on the Downtown Georgetown Square is sporting a new historic plaque on the front, thanks to the work of Preservation Georgetown.

Handcrafts Unlimited is the latest organization in Georgetown to receive a historic marker from Preservation Georgetown. The marker officially designates the building where the shop is housed as the Allen & Landrum building.

“We are rather excited to know the history of the building because we feel that our 40 years here adds to the history on the square,” Kate Challingsworth, Shop Director, told Hello Georgetown.

The original building was built out of wood in the late 1800’s, before John Allen and B.W. Landrum, bought the building, tore it down and rebuilt it using stone from the original chapel at Southwestern University.

“They took all the rock from that chapel, it was a limestone chapel, and they built this building,” Hank Tovar, Marketing Guru for Handcrafts Unlimited, told Hello Georgetown. “It was a beautiful limestone building, next to a drugstore and to save money, they used the same wall as the drug store, instead of building another wall next to it, and it was a two story building with the staircase in the middle.”

Over the next several decades, the shop would be home to many types of businesses and individuals, from a dentist office, to a grocery store, to a harness shop. The second floor also acted as an apartment for many years. Throughout several of these iterations, one thing that remained consistent was the tin ceilings.

“There’s a local tinner who made most of the ceilings for buildings out here, but Allen & Landrum didn’t use them,” Tovar said. “WF Norman Company in St. Louis is where they got the tin from, and so they made the ceiling and they also made this really cool parapet on the front of the building…it looks like a Roman balus trade on the very, very top.”

Eventually, Handcrafts Unlimited moved into one side of the building and set up shop in 1983. Three years later when Joan’s Hallmark Stop closed, Handcrafts Unlimited expanded into the other half of the building. As the latest tenants of the historic building, Handcrafts Unlimited has kept much of the historic elements of the buildings.

“We love the tin ceiling and the wooden floors are everyone’s favorite,” Challingsworth said. “Little kids come in and the floors squeak and they want to find the squeakiest spot, or people come in and say, ‘Oh, this reminds me of my grandma’s house. Her floors sounded like this,’ and it’s just nice to be part of it. Not everything is original, but a lot of it is. It’s just great.”

The shop is now a beautiful blend of something old and something new, as the historic building houses the oldest continuously operating business on the Georgetown Square.

“Handcrafts Unlimited is a nonprofit organization that was started in 1983 to keep seniors active and engaged in the community as we age,” Challingsworth said. “It provides a retail outlet for crafters over the age of 50 who live locally in Williamson or one of the physically adjacent counties.”

Approximately 250 artisans bring in products of all kinds for the public to purchase in a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

“It’s all handmade little goods here and it’s different every time,” Tovar said. “If you see something, you should buy it then because once it’s gone, it’s gone. They’re not going make another one, more than likely.”

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Customers can learn more about the shop’s history during their visit as well as see the historic marker.

“We are thrilled to have Handcrafts Unlimited now have a marker on it,” Mickie Ross, President of Preservation Georgetown, told Hello Georgetown. “It is such an iconic part of Georgetown, [it’s] been here for so many years, and it allows a different segment of the population to be engaged downtown. So, we hope that’ll encourage more business owners or more people to go to our website, https://www.preservationgeorgetown.org, and see how to do that for yourself.”

Both Tovar and Challingsworth are excited to have a new part of the Handcrafts Unlimited story to tell as well and encourage both new and old customers alike to stop by and learn more.

“We’re really excited in making this the Allen & Landrum [building]” Tovar said. “It’s a sense of pride for the community and for Handcrafts Unlimited to be in this building. Now it has a name.”

Learn more about Handcrafts Unlimited on their Facebook page and website.

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