Photos Courtesy of MADISONVILLE CHRISTMAS COMPANY
A new must-see Christmas destination, Madisonville Christmas Company, opened its doors for its first season on Friday, Sept. 29. The North Pole equivalent Christmas boutique located in central Texas is described as an experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen, with nearly 30,000 square feet of designer decor to shop.
Camryn Earley, head marketing and PR coordinator for the Madisonville Christmas Company, says the vision all started years ago when the founder, Ashley Rentz, was searching for a specific Christmas ribbon that she wanted.
“When Ashley couldn’t find this particular ribbon roll, she mentioned the idea of opening up a store that’s unique for designers to her husband,” Camryn says. “Ashley’s husband does not do anything small, so what started out as an idea for a smaller store snowballed into what it is now.”
Since then, Ashley and co-founders Lindsey Allen, Connie Clack, and Cathy Stroud, have been working nonstop to bring their vision into reality over the past few years and make it a unique experience unlike any other Christmas store.
The boutique has four curated rooms with different unique themes as well as a ribbon room, design center, indoor Christmas tree farm and plenty of photo opportunities. There is a poinsettia covered photo wall, a 150+ year old sleigh with reindeer for Santa pictures, a 25- foot tree inside and so much more! Two eatery options are also on site: Café Twelve 25 and The Mantel sports bar and restaurant. The Mantel is surrounded by a turf lawn for families to enjoy their meals and let children run around. Starting on the first weekend of November, Santa and Mrs. Clause will be making an appearance every weekend until Christmas.
“Every kid that comes in, you can just see their eyes get wider and wider as they take in this magical wonderland,” Camryn says. “And it’s not just the kids, you can tell that the adults are pretty blown away, too. Whole families are walking around like a kid in a candy shop.”
Nothing is set in stone yet, but Madisonville Christmas Company has talked about hosting concerts at their outside pavilion, premiering Christmas movies with popcorn and s’mores for the whole family to enjoy, having cookies with Mrs. Claus, story time with Santa and possibly teaching ribbon-making classes in the future. The store will also be quickly expanding, with their Yuletide RV Park and 28 October 2023 Christmas Casita’s you can rent out, which is set to launch in Spring of 2024.
“We want this to be a destination spot where families can come in and enjoy the day and make us one of your new Christmas traditions,” Camryn says. “Ultimately, it’s a place where you come in and you feel like you are in this magical universe where the Christmas spirit is just surrounding you.”
In order to keep the spirit alive each year, Camyrn says the retail side of the store will close down for a few months after Christmas to prepare for an entirely new season with an all-new design.
“The four curated rooms will be completely different next year,” Camryn says. “There will be different themes, different colors and different products. There are moveable walls within the store so the entire layout will be new. It’s going to be an entirely new experience for guests each year.”
Ultimately, while the store is a “designer’s dream,” it’s truly a place for people to enjoy the spirit of Christmas.
“The inspiration that we wanted to incorporate into the store was that we wanted every person to truly feel the magic of Christmas when they stepped foot on the property — we want to make Christmas feel like Christmas.”
The Madisonville Christmas Company is located at 3475 TX-21 in Madisonville, TX. The store is open Mondays through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.. For more information, visit their website at madisonvillechristmas.com.
