Expanding into Success

Leah McHorse runs Darling Décor & More and A Darling Thrift Store

Story and photos by Janna Zepp

What does the woman who has everything do? She expands her business, and that is exactly what Leah McHorse did and might well do again.

Four years ago, McHorse moved her business, Darling Décor & More, from a little house on West Adams in Temple to 100 North Main Street – a building in the heart of downtown with about 4,000 square feet of space. She’s looking to expand again.

“I’m full. I didn’t think I could fill this building, but I have, and I’m already thinking about how to expand again,” McHorse says, gesturing to her inventory of vintage furniture, curios and hard-to-find hardware. “I am constantly shopping for things I know people will enjoy. The trick is finding what my demographic really wants.”

When she started in the estate sales business years ago, she never really thought it would get this big. Now, in addition to her estate sale business, she has Darling Décor & More as well as A Darling Thrift Store at 608 South First St. in Temple.

“I really am in the business of recycling. It is hard to watch someone throw a great piece of furniture away that could be repurposed or updated,” says McHorse. “Some things just need a coat of paint or a rebuild into something else, like a twin bed headboard and footboard into a bench. Almost anything can have new life breathed into it.”

When McHorse handled her grandmother’s estate sale (her first), she says she made about a thousand mistakes. She has since learned a whole lot more about antiques over the last 30 years and credits the Internet for making her continuing education much easier than when she first started.

“Before the Internet, I had to look through books to find out whether or not a piece I had was a true antique. Now, I can upload a photo of the item and do an online search. It’s much faster and easier now,” she says.

McHorse has a painter, carpenter and florist on hand to help her out with displays and reworking furniture items that need updating or a complete overhaul. She also rents booth space at the main shop on Main Street to independent vendors. Some of her original vendors are still with her.

But the acquisition of inventory for both stores remains the most intense part of her job and she says it is interesting every day. Doing estate sales offers McHorse the opportunity to see different houses and how they have been decorated, what styles were or are still popular, and ideas to help her customers figure out the endless possibilities reclaimed merchandise might hold.

“It’s like Christmas morning every Monday when I come back from a sale. It’s always a surprise,” she says.

McHorse doubles as her own delivery person for those who have purchased from her and need their treasures brought to their doorsteps. She is in and out of the store more now as a result, and hoping to find someone soon to take on the task.

Of the curious things Darling Décor & More carries, Swanky Swigs are McHorse’s favorite collectible item. More than 80 years ago, Kraft Foods began offering their processed cheese spreads in reusable glass containers they dubbed “Swanky Swigs.” It was a marketing strategy to entice people to purchase Kraft’s products during the Great Depression. Once the jars were empty, they could be washed out and used as beverage glasses. The glass jars were produced by Hazel Atlas Glass Co. The first Swanky Swigs were hand painted with different designs including flowers, fruit, stars, animals and solid stripes. The popularity of Swanky Swigs led other food companies to produce their own version of a decorated reusable glass container, but among glass collectors, the term “Swanky Swig” belongs solely to the little glasses made by Kraft.

“I really do my homework on what something is worth before I put a price tag on it because my biggest fear is seeing something I found and sold for $20 end up on the PBS Antiques Roadshow being worth about a thousand times that amount,” McHorse laughs. “It really is the thrill of the hunt that keeps me doing what I do. I absolutely love it.”

IF YOU GO
Darling Décor & More
100 N. Main St., Temple
www.darlingdecorandmore.com
Estate sale information: www.darlingdecorandmore.com/estate-sales

A Darling Thrift Store
608 S. First St., Temple
www.facebook.com/adarlingthriftstore
Call 817-726-9612 for both businesses.