Spring residents looking to support veteran entrepreneurs before Veterans Day have three locally rooted options right in town.
Community Impact Newspaper first reported on veteran-owned businesses across the Spring-Klein area on Nov. 4, profiling five establishments ahead of Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Three of those businesses sit squarely in Spring.
Community 1st Car Care
Anthony Wheeler, a veteran with more than 26 years in the automotive industry, opened Community 1st Car Care on Aug. 3 at 6640 Louetta Road. The shop handles maintenance, repair, diagnostics and Texas state inspections, according to Community Impact.
Wheeler set out to build a shop where the customer experience matters as much as the repair work, according to a separate Community Impact report on the opening. Customers can request services directly through the business website.
BlackHouse Cigars
Bradley Morrow, a veteran and longtime IT executive, owns and operates BlackHouse Cigars at 318 Gentry St. The shop sells hand-rolled premium aged organic cigars and pipe tobacco, with products made fresh weekly, according to Community Impact.
Morrow is also a published author and songwriter. His career has spanned technology, business, publishing and entrepreneurship.
Paris Peddler
Paris Peddler is a family-owned gift shop in Old Town Spring run by husband-and-wife team Cheris and Vince Garcia. The shop describes itself as "woman, veteran owned" on its Facebook page.
The store carries gifts, jewelry, home décor, vintage finds, kitchen items, handcrafted skincare and gourmet Texas olive oils, according to the shop's website. Inside, the Garcias also run The Tallow Tree, a small-batch brand. Cheris Garcia makes tallow skincare products and artisan sourdough bread baked in a cottage bakery. The inventory rotates weekly.
What's next
Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Community Impact's full list includes two additional veteran-owned businesses in the broader Spring-Klein area beyond Spring proper.
