Forty years is a long time to sustain any endeavor, much less evolve into a meaningful community anchor. Such is the story of the Senior Citizen’s Craft Shop.
The nonprofit will celebrate its 40-year anniversary on June 25 at its iconic location at 116 Wimberley Square.
“Celebrating 40 years in business, in the same location, is a huge accomplishment, an honor and a testament to the people who have made it successful. Not just the 300-plus crafters who have been members of the shop over the years, but to the shoppers who return time after time, saying, ‘this is my favorite shop,’” writes Board Vice-president Madonna Kimball.
The shop is hosting a Chamber of Commerce mixer, open house and mural dedication from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to mark the occasion, with nearby shops staying open late to celebrate with them. Refreshments, music by the Treblemakers and door prizes are part of the festivities.
The shop will officially dedicate its new mural recently completed by artist Theresa Vincent, who also created the exterior mural at the Wimberley Institute of Cultures and Museum in 2024.
“Theresa’s vision and talent were exactly what we were looking for to represent our shop and to commemorate 40 years,” writes Kimball.
Vincent’s references to the crafts championed by the nonprofit are skillfully incorporated in her mural that covers the entire west wall of the building.
According to Kimball, the shop was made possible by Clyde and Stella Rocco in 1986. They donated a building and moved it to its present location for as long as the shop remained a craft shop for older citizens. Currently, everything in the shop is hand-made or hand-embellished by one of its 30 members who range in age from 55 to 90 years.
