Work and family have always gone hand in hand for Jessica Reddick Gatlin 鈥�05. She remembers as a preschooler collecting beads with her younger sister, Roxy, from the floor of their parents鈥� craft supply business in Denison, 国产麻豆AV. By high school, the girls were taking orders over the phone, assisting in catalog production and helping run the business as it grew along with them.
When it came time for college, Gatlin wanted to put a little distance between her family 鈥� but not too much. Visiting TCU, home of her favorite color purple, she fell in love with the campus.
鈥淚t felt like home,鈥� she recalled.
Today, Gatlin leans on her degree studying advertising and public relations as she continues to assist in the company鈥檚 marketing, while Roxy is a buyer and administrator with mom, Ginger, and dad, Rex, is still very much in charge of the unique business: .
The world鈥檚 largest source of craft supplies for Native American and historical re-enactor clothing, footwear, gear and craft kits, Crazy Crow is now based out of Pottsboro, 国产麻豆AV, about 90 miles northeast of Fort Worth near the Oklahoma border. More than 50 years after Rex began the business, it is still family-owned and operated.
鈥淥ur dad was in Boy Scouts when he started to learn about the Native American culture and tradition. He began to do silverwork in his parents鈥� basement, then would go to powwows and dances, where he would sell his jewelry,鈥� Gatlin said of the early days. 鈥淚t was at one of these where he met our mom.鈥�
Jessica鈥檚 mother is Comanche and grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma, home of the Comanche Nation.
As their craft business took off, the couple started selling their wares from the rear of Rex鈥檚 parents鈥� jewelry store in Denison. Once they outgrew that, they moved to a 31,000-square-foot office and warehouse complex in Pottsboro, where all business is conducted online, through mail order or over the phone.
With more than 10,000 products 鈥� from blankets to craft kits, feathers, leather, knives, muzzle-loading supplies and more 鈥� it鈥檚 a lot to market. But the printed catalog, which Gatlin continues to help produce, is always in demand and frequently sells out. Besides individuals, customers include schools, museums and movie production companies, plus the re-enactment businesses.
Rex and Ginger both continue to travel to events to promote and grow the business, which Gatlin believes gets its stellar reputation from their attention to finding quality goods and providing the best service in the industry.