We had the good fortune of connecting with Tasha Rivers and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tasha, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
It was always my hope to one day open a store, but honestly, thought it was more of my retirement plan vs now.

At the time of starting Rivers’ Rustic Designs, I was in Leadership at a busy Pediatric Hospital in Plano and then a Leader for Nurses across the country for Pharmaceuticals. The long hours, commute & travel was really taking away from the focus of our family. I had dabbled in Vintage Market Days and local vendor fairs with quite a bit of success, and it was actually my husband Randy who asked me why not go for this now?

Our thought process was for me to have more flexibility, time with our girls and ultimately for me to not wait for my dream of owning a place for people to come shop, gather & enjoy.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our business is truly a family affair.

Our youngest daughter Landree (otherwise known as Lou Lou) does a lot of our social media at age 10 & our oldest Rylie is more behind the scenes helping me pick out inventory, doing model shoots and now working the store on Saturdays. I love that they are learning the essence of work ethic, relationships and that young girls and women can do big things.

Small towns are a big part of who we are and I think that creates a sense of family (or a tribe as we call it) for our customers. We have a lot of local customers from surrounding small towns who shop our store and we do a LOT of spirit wear for smaller schools who support really BIG! The pandemic forced us out of comfort and we created our website www.riversrusticdesigns.com and we now have an app for others to shop all over. This has really stretched our reach across almost 50 states for RRD customer purchases.

We hope as we continue to grow, we don’t lose sight of our why (of family), and that our customers feel that same comfort every time they shop either in person or online!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ponder, TX is a quaint little town that is growing!! If you are in to history, our Ponder Bank is said to have had an attempted robbery by Bonnie & Clyde. The bank has been preserved and is now next to our town hall. Ponder Steakhouse (now Ranchman’s) also has an array of famous visitors that line the walls, it’s neat to see who all has visited.

We have some hidden gems for food spots of which include in no order of preference, but with our FAV suggestions – Roadies Ponder is great spot for small town charm, hanging out, good food and live music. On the menu, we suggest the meatballs with dipping sauce and smoke cream cheese. Right next to Roadies is Martha’s Tacos; that is a must for their breakfast tacos with jalapeño salsa. Of course while in town, you need to shop our tiny shop that is located in the small hub of our town – the Valero shopping center. Yes, that is our only storefront opportunity currently and it is a hopping spot with our friends Bev delicious menu. If you stop in for lunch, grab a old style grilled cheeseburger or pork tacos, trust us!

Weekend hangouts is a new spot in the town next to us, 50West. They have weekly concerts, movies & food truck options.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
RRD wouldn’t be what it is without the support of my family and friends. Owning a business is hard, and now a days, even harder than I could imagine. My friends give me the push to keep going, pivot our approach and hold tight to relationships, because now more than ever that is the missing piece.

Specifically it has been my husband, our kiddos, my Village Mamas, my friends Melissa, Casey, Oleta & Amber; my friends from Texas True Threads & my hat chick (she knows who she is) who have been my voice of reason and true support! When you all mention support, mentorship, love & encouragement – each of them offer that for me in different ways and I am grateful!

Website: www.riversrusticdesigns.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riversrusticdesigns/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/188483438380125

Image Credits
Simply Life Photography (Stephanie Guyer – Ponder, TX)

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