On the strip of downtown Martin sits a coffee and gift shop with a welcoming aroma of rich coffee beans and walls covered with art, books and stylish knick-knacks.
This shop, The Looking Glass, named after the classic Alice in Wonderland, is a local-owned business that was opened in 2010 by Kim Longacre, wife of UTM English professor Jeffery Longacre. For Longacre, running a business was something she had always wanted to do, and Martin was the perfect place to implement her business sense and artistic style.
“I’ve always wanted to own a business, since I was in college; I wanted to have a little gift shop. I used to go to Fredricksburg, Texas, and they had all these antique shops, and I always thought it would be so fun to do that, but we weren’t really ever in a place until now that that would work. But, you know, in Martin, [a place like The Looking Glass] definitely works. There wasn’t a coffee shop, so it was in high demand, and as for the gift shop, I just wanted to have something fun and different. I was an Art minor, so artistic, strange stuff has always appealed to me,” Longacre said.
One of the things that gives The Looking Glass a warm atmosphere is the personal connections among customers. Longacre said that this is one of her favorite parts of her job.
“I love when the same people come in over and over every single day. You know like, I get to know them, and that’s been a really fun part of getting to know Martin. We’ve only lived here three years, but you know, the fact that I have regulars that
come in every single day and tell me what’s going on is fun,” Longacre said.
Not only does the coffee and good conversation draw customers in, but also so does the gift shop, with both homemade and bought jewelry, handbags, notebooks and more. While Longacre picks out much of the inventory herself, many locals also submit homemade items.
“We get local photography, jewelry, aprons—right now we’ve got handmade laundry detergent and soap, scarves, and tons of other stuff. People just come in, and it’s really cool to see how Martin is so creative. It shocks me every time someone comes in and brings me something new. You know, it’s so different than any place you see, so I love to find stuff like that. And the rest of the stuff in the store, I pick out,” Longacre said.
It not only gives locals a place to sell their crafts, but it also gives UTM students, and even professors, a place to hang out and study.
“I know there’s not a whole lot of options [of places to hang out in Martin]. I mean, here, we have free Wi-Fi, so people come down here and do their homework or meet their professors. That’s very common; we have several professors who hold their office hours here,” Longacre said.
The success of The Looking Glass excites Longacre, and she hopes that more local businesses spring up in the Martin area, encouraging artistic expression and more of a sense of community.
“I love seeing people’s reactions when they come in, and it’s like, ‘This is like something in Nashville.’ You know, I wanted to bring that to Martin, so it’s exactly what I wanted. So when people say that, it just makes me excited. … I hope that Martin just keeps on growing and we keep having unique local places people can shop,” Longacre said.
