TEXARKANA, Texas -- When one enters Dreidel Home + Sundry, one sees a rather comfortable looking little establishment, with knickknacks, thingamabobs and doodads of various types. From the decorative to the utility, the merchandise seems both comforting and useful. Prominently displayed are various goods from Rowe Casa, which, to hear it from owner Kaydee Waren, fly off her shelves.
"We emphasize locally made goods here at Dreidel," Waren said. "Besides Rowe Casa's merchandise absolutely working as advertised, it is a well known local manufacturer. Our customers take great pride in supporting a local product."
Support is what Dreidel and Waren is all about. From Foreman, Arkansas, she started out as an elementary school teacher in Horatio, Arkansas. But after two years, it was clear to her that that was not her calling."
"I decided I wanted to take more charge of my affairs and also have more flexibility in my day-to-day activities," she said. "At that point, I learned from a friend who had run Dreidel for a year, and offered the store to me. I saw lots of potential in both the store and the location, so I took her up on it, taking on Dreidel as my own business. Dreidel is a purely local concern, not a franchise. And much of what we carry is locally made merchandise."
Dreidel has been in Waren's hands for two years. Last year was an unsettling one, but she, along with her neighboring businesses, most of which are local places as well, such as Taste and See and Fuji Kim's, banded together to help each other through it as best as they could.
"We support each other and recommend each other to our customers," she said. "For example, a customer from Taste and See will pick up a drink and often come over to Dreidel and have a look around. It is a big part of the draw, so many of us are locally owned in this shopping center."
Coming into the holiday season, Dreidel's staff has big plans
"We will have special holiday goods and events as we get into the season," she said.
(Dreidel Home + Sundry is located at 2838A Richmond Road. Find them on Facebook and Instagram.)