With a nod to the town’s history and distinct Hill Country character, the owners of Circle H Signs and Banners is whipping up a colorful, selfie-ready at The Corner Cartel.
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Story by Pamela Price
When a new mural caught our eye on social media, we knew our readers would want the inside scoop on how it came to be. So we rang up Nancy Holekamp, co-owner of The Corner Cartel at the intersection of James and Main streets, for details.
The Boerne 10 foot x 15 foot postcard-style mural is being painted on one of The Corner Cartel’s exterior brick walls.
“You may have seen the painted blue square on the side of the building. It’s been there about a year,” said Nancy, referencing the prep work required for the new mural. “We’ve been working on it for a couple of years. We wanted to have it up for when people are in town for spring break and Dickens on Main, and we thought it would make a fun backdrop for Facebook and other social media.”
The design—an original one drawing inspiration from those old-fashioned postcards travelers used to pick up to send home—befits The Corner Cartel’s purpose: selling distinctive gift and home items to locals and visitors.
“Our store is a co-op, and we’ve been here for about 29 years. We’ve got 7,000 square feet of space with several vendors, antiques, home decor, candles. It changes all the times because vendors come and go, but some of our vendors have been here 20 years or more,” Nancy said. “For the design we looked at 20 to 30 postcards from New York to Los Angeles to Atlanta, but our design references historic Boerne architecture in the letters spelling out the town’s name. We also have the gazebo and bluebonnets, too.”
Nancy’s husband and business partner, Paul Holekamp, owns Boerne’s Circle H Signs & Banners. The Circle H team was responsible for crafting the final design and is in the midst of painting the mural.
“Mike Vanderburg and his brother, Brian, have been with Paul for years. They’ve both been working on it, but Mike—we call him ‘Boerne’s Michelangelo’—has been doing the most work on it,” said Nancy.
“We’ve already got people making photographs of it, and it’s not even finished,” Paul said.
“They were out here painting the other day and a small crowd gathered,” said Nancy. “People seem really excited about it.”
Paul’s own roots go back to the town’s founding. One historic home to be included in the final painting (the Beseler-Harz home) had ties to his family. It’s a thoughtful nod to the past that long-time residents may appreciate as much as, if not more than, the tourists.
Other area merchants are reportedly looking to add Instagram-ready murals to other buildings in town. Nancy said that she’s excited with changes she’s seen in recent years, specifically the arrival of higher quality goods at some of the newer stores.
“The breweries and restaurants here now also encourage stores to be open later and most days of the week. It’s nice to see people out on the sidewalk shopping in the early evening and on weeknights. Many shops used to roll up the carpet around 4:30 p.m. so everyone could head home for the night, but now things are different. It’s good to see the change.”
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