LINCOLN — In the past, the small town general Store was a gathering place for members of the community to drop by, shop, drink a cup of coffee and visit with friends.
A new business in Lincoln wants to bring that old “general store” experience to Lincoln Square.
Travis Biswell, a Lincoln native and retired U.S. Navy veteran, and his wife, Renee Biswell, a U.S. Army veteran, have moved to Lincoln to live with their two children and five animals.
The name of their business, 9 Hearts Ranch General Store, reflects their family and Lincoln home, Renee said.
There are nine hearts in their family, four people and five animals.
Ranch is actually a play on words, she said.
The couple is living in Travis’ grandmother’s old house on 10 acres. Travis jokes that they now have their own “ranch,” Renee said.
They want their new store to be a place for community, Travis said.
“We want it to be a place that is social and interactive. The key word is interactive,” he added.
The couple started 9 Hearts as an online business out of their home. Travis said their home business was “busting out of storage” and he began looking for a place to open a bricks and mortar store.
He saw the space on Lincoln Square and was taking photos of it when the owner, Kendra Moore of Lincoln, stopped by and talked to him. Moore has purchased and renovated commercial space on Lincoln Square.
Renee said she knew immediately she wanted them to lease it for their business. She has experience in public relations and marketing and worked for morgage companies after leaving the Army.
“I knew it, this was the one,” Renee said.
Travis added, “It’s always been a dream of ours to have our own business.”
They decided on the building but didn’t have enough of their own merchandise to fill up a store.
The couple wondered how they could use their new storefront to make it a catalyst to help revitalize Lincoln Square. They decided to open up the space for vendors who are Northwest Arkansas artisans. Travis said they advertised through social media and received interest from many vendors.
The store opened Dec. 1 with 23 vendors and a ribbon cutting ceremony sponsored by Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. It now has 27 vendors and the Biswells are talking to others who are interested in selling their items at the store.
Travis said they want the inside of the business to look like one store, not like a flea market with many different vendor booths.
“We made it so the store flows with vignettes,” he said, adding, “To us, we feel like the crux of the matter is making the store have an appeal to local vendors and making this store a place for the community.”
Items in the store include candles, bath and body products, coffee, jewelry, leather, books, dog treats, local apparel, cowboy boots and hats, handmade cards and seasonal decorations.
One unique feature, Travis said, is that the store has food products from around the world, and these are possible because of their world travels with the military. The store is also possible, he said, because of the support they’ve received from around the world.
To help encourage people to drop by and visit, 9 Hearts will have a coffee club called “The Spit and Whittle Club.”
Patrons can join the coffee club for a $50 annual fee and this gives them unlimited coffee, tea or hot chocolate. A table and chairs are set up in the general store for the coffee club. Tools and materials will be available for people to whittle while drinking a cup of coffee, or maybe work on a puzzle or another activity at the table.
The Biswells also want to help with community outreach. For Christmas, they have a box set up called 9 Hearts 9 Families, and patrons to their store are invited to donate items to provide a Christmas meal for nine families.
The store also will be a drop-off location for donations for Hazel’s Hands, another organization in Lincoln that helps provide meals to families.
Other promotions will be discounts for Lincoln students, military and civil service and senior adults, 65 years and older. The store has a loyalty program. After eight $25 purchases or a total purchase of $200, a customer will receive 25% off their next purchase.
Travis graduated from Lincoln High School in 1995 and worked as a store manager with Dillons (now Harps) in Prairie Grove in 1993-96. He became a registered nurse, decided that career was not right from him and joined the Navy, serving for 20 years and retiring as a master chief petty officer.
Renee served with the Army for 11 years.
The couple met through militarysingles.com when Travis was stationed in San Diego, Calif., and Renee was in Georgia. She left the Army and moved to San Diego with her daughter to be with Travis. They have been married 17 years.

Print Headline: Gathering At The General Store
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