The Heart Of The Arbors
|
|
Time to read 4 min
For 28 years, Curtis Ann has welcomed strangers, celebrated makers, and helped define a corner of Round Top.
There are easier ways to build a business than loading up antiques, taking a chance on a tiny Texas town, and convincing people to believe in a vision that only exists in your head.
But then again, Round Top has never really been about doing things the easy way.
For Curtis Ann Davis, the story of The Arbors didn’t begin with white tents, hundreds of dealers, or thousands of visitors. It began with a love of antiques, a sister who was an artist, and a desire to create something meaningful during a difficult season of life.
For nearly three decades, Curtis Ann has been doing things her own way, building not just a shopping destination, but a place where people gather, stories are shared, and strangers become friends.
A Sister, a Shop, and a Dream
For Curtis Ann, the story of The Arbors didn’t begin with hundreds of dealers or acres of shopping fields.
It began with family.
“My sister had cancer,” Curtis Ann recalls. “I was trying to find something to keep her busy.”
Her sister was an artist. Curtis Ann loved antiques. Together, they opened a small shop and began creating something meaningful during a difficult season of life.
At the time, Curtis Ann was already making trips to Round Top as a shopper. She loved the hunt, the stories, and the people she met along the way. What she didn’t know was that those visits would eventually lead to one of Round Top’s most beloved destinations.
Sometimes the biggest stories begin with the smallest ideas.
The Night Everything Changed
According to Curtis Ann, the idea for The Arbors arrived after what she laughingly describes as “too much homemade wine.”
One evening, she announced that she wanted to promote a show.
Not just any show.
A show in Round Top, Texas.
The idea sounded a little crazy at the time.
And depending on who you asked, it probably was.
When Curtis Ann first started what would become The Arbors, she had just twelve vendors in a single hall. They were all antique dealers. Out front sat a simple 40-by-40 tent.
That was it.
No sprawling field.
No hundreds of vendors.
Just a belief that something special could happen here.
Looking back now, it’s hard to imagine The Arbors beginning any other way.
More Than An Antiques Show
Today, visitors know The Arbors as one of Round Top’s largest venues with over 175 vendors in a new home on highway 237.
But what makes The Arbors unique isn’t simply what’s sold there.
It’s the way Curtis Ann imagined it from the beginning.
“We’re a little bit of everything,” she says.
That philosophy still guides the experience today. Visitors can discover everything from antiques to original art to furniture to fashion to rugs all under the same roof.
Curtis Ann created a place where creativity, collecting, and community could exist side by side.
The Woman Behind the White Tents
Perhaps nowhere is that vision more visible than in the iconic white tents that have become synonymous with The Arbors.
When Curtis Ann first arrived in Round Top, she remembers seeing a sea of colorful tents stretching across the fields.
She envisioned something different.
She sought out a local party company and made an unusual request.
White tents.
Long before branding became a buzzword, Curtis Ann understood the power of creating a feeling.
The result was timeless, elegant, and unmistakably The Arbors.
Today, those white tents are part of the visual identity many shoppers immediately associate with the venue, a detail so familiar now that it’s hard to imagine it any other way.
Built On Hospitality
Yet ask Curtis Ann what she’s most proud of after nearly three decades, and she doesn’t talk about growth, attendance numbers, or business milestones.
She talks about people.
She talks about vendors now with storefronts.
She talks about faith.
She talks about hospitality.
Over the years, The Arbors has become known for gathering places as much as shopping spaces. There is music. There are happy hours. There are conversations that begin between strangers and end as friends.
There is even an event called Prayer, Pie and Praise with Royers Pie Haven.
“I want it to be a destination,” she says. “Not just a shopping experience.”
That sentiment explains why so many visitors return year after year.
The Arbors offers beautiful things, but it also offers something harder to define, a sense of belonging.
The feeling that you are welcome here.
The feeling that someone is glad you came.
The feeling that, for a moment, you are part of something bigger than a transaction.
Photo by Kolton King
Built On Hospitality
Perhaps that’s why Curtis Ann still extends the same invitation she has offered for years.
Come visit.
Have a drink.
Stop by the office.
Stay awhile.
She would love to meet you.
Photo by Claudia Rivas
After nearly thirty years in Round Top, Curtis Ann remains remarkably humble about everything she has built.
“I feel mostly that it’s all from God,” she says. “Everything that has happened here, it’s been a God thing, not a me thing.”
And maybe that’s the real story of The Arbors.
Not the tents.
Not the vendors.
Not even the antiques.
The heart of The Arbors has always been the woman who believed a place could be beautiful, welcoming, and full of possibility—and then spent nearly three decades proving it.
Visit The Arbors in their new location
Instagram: @TheArborsRoundTop
Website: https://thearborsroundtop.com/
Round Top Finds Tip:
The Arbors moved locations, so if you haven't been in a while, make sure to double check your location and directions.
