Your help is needed to save a 124-year-old staple in a small Central Texas town.
Elk, Texas is about 15 miles from Waco. The town's general store was once the heart and soul of the community. It has been closed for quite some time, but there is hope for it to be restored.
From robberies to talk about the farming season, and even small town gossip, Elk store was once the epicenter of Elk, Texas.
"It has been here for well over 100 years," Michael Dulock said. "After 1986 it was abandoned, but people still have good memories and they tell their kids and grandkids about the store."
Dulock’s father previously owned the Elk Store. Many people in Central Texas have fond memories there. At the store, there is a "No Trespassing" sign out front, an aging wagon wheel chair sitting on the porch and structure so bad it is unsafe to be around.
"I’ve always been able to see a diamond in the rough, and for me that is what this store is," Lance Haltom said.
Haltom is now the owner of the Elk store. He started a GoFundMe page seeking help from the community to restore it.
"For the past eight years I have funded and done all the labor required to keep the storefront standing for the community,” Haltom said. "At the moment, I’ve exceeded my financial abilities to do so."
Haltom says many people have reached out to him and would like for the store to be saved, at least enough of it for photo opportunities.
"People love the nostalgia of it. Its age, and what it represents as the community coming together," Robert Luthers, Captain of the Elk Volunteer Fire Department and longtime resident of Elk, said.
Holtam said a committee is being formed to manage funds and the reconstruction of the store. Both he and Dulock hopes this will help bring the historic beauty back to life.
"Just realize this was a part of history,” Dulock said. "Every little town at one time or the other had a general store or a cotton gin. This was probably one of the last stores around for such a small community."
If you would like to learn more about the historic Elk Store and if you would like to donate to help restore it, click on this link.
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