Heart Mercantile | Photo by Jessalyn Pugh Photography
Brittany Smith and Carly Short originally opened Heart Mercantile; the idea sprang from their antique booth at Antique Village in Centerville. When the space for Heart Mercantile opened, originally located where Beck and Call is now, Short and Smith grabbed it and began filling it with antiques.
Heart in the community
After Dayton’s summer, Heart Mercantile raised over $38,000 selling t-shirts and small gifts in support of the Dayton Foundation.
“If we have the power and the followers to give back, it’s an easy way to do something. Sometimes people don’t know what they can do and buying a t-shirt is a fast way to do something,” said Amanda Hensler, one of four owners.
Wright State grads booming businesses
Smith, Short, Hensler and Kait Gilcher all contribute to the storefront. Hensler, Gilcher, and Smith graduated from Wright State University.
The four owners split their time between the sister stores Beck and Call, and Luna Gifts and Botanicals but the support is always there.
“We all help each other out, sharing each other’s posts and pushing followers to help advertise. We’re always intertwined and working together,” said Hensler. “If it’s something that’s really gotten out of hand online, we do talk about it as a group. We don’t want to upset people but if that person feels so strongly about us but has never even been in the store, we’re going to defend ourselves. If you haven’t been here, come on in and then judge. Our brand doesn’t fit everybody and we understand that.”
Heart Mercantile originally sold a small amount of women’s clothing and plants, before Luna Gifts and Botanicals, and Beck and Call were opened.
‘This has morphed into its own monster’
“This has morphed into its own monster,” said Hensler. “You just keep adding things and coming up with ideas until you don’t have room for them, so then you have to spread out. If you’re passionate about it and it’s working, that’s where it goes. No one expected to end up with three stores.”
Businesses continue to pop up in the area not only on 5th street, but Wayne Avenue, such as Reza’s and Boujee Bee Boutique.
“It’s really encouraging to see people investing in the downtown area,” said Hensler. “Being all the new girls, people were skeptical. We started repotting plants in the streets just to make it look nicer. Then people started realizing we were coming in to make things better.”
The majority of the shops in the area are female-owned. They have much love and support for each other.
“When our windows were broken out twice, the guys from Ned Peppers had it boarded up at 2 a.m. while we weren’t even here. We all support each other,” said Hensler.
Where to find Heart
Heart Mercantile is located at 438 E 5th St. in Dayton. The shop has been open since 2015; it recently celebrated its four-year anniversary.
“It’s great because I remember coming here when I was younger and there weren’t retail shops. Nothing like this,” said Hensler. “To keep these older businesses going and to add fresh blood, it’s great. It’s expanding even outside our little strip here.”
