CEDAR HILL, Texas—“Stop,” Richard Leonard said to his partner, Greg Ferguson, as the couple drove past a one-car garage space down Main Street in Cedar Hill.

Leonard was selling refinished furniture online. He had no plans to open a store. But when he saw the for-rent sign on the garage space, he knew he had to check it out.

Leonard immediately worked to get the shop started. While getting his tax ID to open the store, he was stumped when asked for the name of his new business.

He stayed up all night to figure out the name that began his next adventure.

“All of a sudden it just hit me like a lightning bolt, and I came up with the Decor on the Hill,” Leonard said.

With Ferguson’s help, Leonard brought their new merchandise into the 800 square foot building.

Hidden behind a barber shop sat the bright green building, made to stand out behind the trees.

Leonard used an inheritance left by his late parents totaling $17,000 to open up the shop.

A year later, in 2017, the business was growing out of the garage. That’s when Ferguson spied the for-lease sign on Frances Reed’s bridal boutique.

“I was thinking of the future and then all of a sudden this miracle happened, and I didn’t have to worry about it,” he said.

Decor on the Hill works with small businesses from far and near selling jewelry from Cancun, hand-made lamps from his neighbor and customers turned soap makers. Leonard can recollect every story from each business he sells as he walks around the store.

“We like to represent our state,” he said, “I think people are interested in buying from local artisans. That’s a big deal to them.”

 Duncanville resident John Thompson, 59, knocked on the door amid a power outage to purchase chocolate for his 36-year anniversary.

“My wife and I come here all the time, really just a couple times a year because we live in Duncanville, so it’s not like a touristy thing,” Thompson said. “This is a big draw for me.”

The best sellers have drawn Leonard in himself. Before getting rid of the fridge, he housed the handmade Sweet Shop USA chocolates in his house.

“I always say the only thing they do is make you want more,” Leonard said.

Five years after Leonard opened Decor on the Hill, the owner of Houston Street Outfitters was closing the curtains.  The closure in January 2020 coincided with Ferguson’s decision to quit his job as regional manager for a jewelry company. He decided to open his own shop, The Market, which specializes in gourmet food and gifts.

Opening a shop in 2020 amid COVID changed initial plans for the shop.

The pandemic canceled the Fancy Food Show, an event highlighting various food companies for distribution. But, as in-person events came to a close, online shopping began to boom, he said.

As they reopened Decor on the Hill, they were able to gauge how customers would return.

“All of a sudden it’s like I’ve never even heard about these online marketplaces, and they were just huge,” Ferguson said.

This created a platform to showcase smaller mom-and-pop vendors that he wouldn’t have seen at the show. This shifted the business into a niche of unique goods no other retailer may have, he said.

“They’re real brands, they’re real businesses,” he said. “They’re just smaller, which makes them a little more special, I think.”

Leonard and Ferguson have built a connection to each brand he brings into the store.

The owner of Providence Reserve, a jam company, was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where Ferguson’s parents currently live, creating a bond between the two.

Ferguson likes to educate his customers. He shares the stories of each company alongside their products.

“The great thing is now, at least for our existing customers, they know that that’s what they’re getting,” he said.

The couple decided that hosting classes would be a unique way to serve the community and shine a spotlight on small businesses.  They started with a class on the goat milk soaps sold at Decor on the Hill, which turned out to be a hit with customers.

The shops began to invite charcuterie businesses, cooking classes, stained glass crafting and more to draw in customers.

The success of Decor on the Hill and The Market has given the entrepreneurs a platform to continue to grow over time, Leonard said.

Leonard and Ferguson said the success of the stores has been a team effort.

Using his experience and skills, Ferguson built all the counters, planned the merchandise layouts and designed the completed look of both stores, Leonard said.

“I can’t even imagine just being on my own,” Ferguson said. “It was different when it was just Richard because I was still there, but I can’t imagine one of us doing it on our own.”

After working 17 years at Kroger and Michaels, Leonard focused on his refurbished furniture business. Moving away from a regimented office, he enjoyed making his own decisions.

“We’re at a point in our lives now where we enjoy what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re having fun with it.”

Prior to the opening of The Market, Ferguson was a regional manager for Pandora jewelry.

Getting on a plane every week was getting to be too much for him, he said.

Ferguson worked in retail his whole life, including stints with Pier One Imports. His experience at Pandora gave him a look into gift stores all over the country. His expertise in independent retail shaped the future of their businesses.

“Being in the community and being able to interact and know that community really well is what really differentiates us,” he said.

Customers enjoy the dynamic as Leonard and Ferguson always make sure to send customers to each other’s stores.

“They’re still discovering these stores, even though they may have been going to Sam’s [Pizza] for the past 10 years,” Leonard said, referring to a nearby restaurant.

In addition to the two owners, another regular face has made an impact. Their older rescue dog, Dixie, has become known as the shop dog. Regulars check in on her as she sits next to the counter.

“I don’t know how much time I have left with her, to be honest, so I just like to bring her up here,” Ferguson said.

The pair moved to Cedar Hill from Dallas, and what initially felt like just another suburb began to feel like a community, Ferguson said. Just like their customers, people are looking for that community identity in Cedar Hill.

“It’s a really special area that we’ve been able to cultivate,” he said.

From their neighbors to local vendors, they receive help all around, while simultaneously working six days a week.

“I think there’s a lot to be said for having people that you trust because we pride ourselves on attention and service,” Ferguson said.

There is value in the interactions they have with their customers which accounts for their success, he said.

“I wanted them to feel special,” Ferguson said. “We want everybody to feel special when they come here.”

While through the years there have been financial pressures and challenges, Leonard sees there’s always room to grow.

While The Market changes customers’ vision of what a market should be, Ferguson said he hopes to introduce Texas-based wine and shift to more specialty items, including food items, as development in the area continues.

Developers from the Bishop Arts District in Dallas bought the lumberyard right next door to develop restaurants, shops and apartments.

“That’s when I think Cedar Hill will become a destination,” Ferguson said.

While there was no plan for opening the initial shop, Leonard has done his best to create a positive experience, he said.

“It just kind of came about, you know,” Leonard said. “Me and my dad would just believe things are meant to be.”

Leonard remembers how his dad would take his mother out to eat every Saturday and stop by to pick out a gift in the shops nearby. As a kid, the tradition continued, and now Leonard dedicates the shop to them.

“I’m down here with this little gift shop, and we’re giving families the same experience that we enjoyed,” Leonard said.