Western wear store is full of small-town charm during the holidays

by Sierra Angell, posted Dec. 9, 2011

It's the Christmas shopping season at Angell's Western Wear in Centralia, Mo. Storeowner, Luther Angell, enjoys this time of year. The entire western store is decorated for Christmas and things are starting to get busy inside.

On a Sunday afternoon, you'll find Luther sitting in his favorite chair while working at the store. He is surrounded by several granddaughters who serve as the holiday help. The young women buzz around him wrapping gifts, filling out tickets and occasionally asking a question or two. For the most part, Luther remains sitting in his chair, barking orders at his cheerful granddaughters.

"My grandma was slow," he yells to them. "But she was 98!"

Being used to this type of "heckling," the girls are not affected at all by their grandfather's comments. They roll their eyes at him and go on with their work.

Angell's has been in business in Centralia since 1969. Located on main street, the large western store takes up four storefronts.

"Just outside of the Kansas City Stockyards was Shipley's western store," Luther said. "My dad used to go down to the stockyards and buy cattle. One summer he noticed that the business at Shipley's was going downhill. This happened partly on account of the Kansas City flood. That was the beginning of the end for both the Stockyards and Shipley's western store. Anyway, Pawee noticed that Shipley's wasn't doing as much business as before. So, he asked Mr. Shipley if he'd be interested in selling the rest of his inventory and getting out of the business. Mr. Shipley agreed to the deal. Rather than loading everything up in a car and making several trips, Pawee just used what he had, a stock trailer."

Everything from Levi's to Stetson hats was hauled from Kansas City to Centralia in the back of L.W. Angell's stock trailer. Yet, the western store didn't open up on its main street location right way. First, the store was managed out of L.W.'s home outside of Centralia.

"After awhile people got to knocking on the door at all hours of the day wanting to shop," Luther said. "This was driving my mother crazy, so my dad bought the building up town."

At first the small western store was only located in the old drug store building, but eventually L.W. found that they needed more space for their clothing.

"Then, L.W. bought the bank, which was next door," Luther said. "A few years later, Smitty's shoe shop and finally the old jewelry store. Each time there was a new building, they would knock a hole in the wall, fill the next room up with clothes and keep going."

Over the years, Luther has had more than 15 high school students work at the store with him on Saturdays. Many of the young women recall their time working at the western store fondly.

"One time, I was working on a weekday," said Kayla England, former employee. "Luther sent us upstairs with a bottle of Pine-Sol and a bucket. He told us to 'scrub the whole place.'"

Not realizing that it was supposed to be diluted, England and her coworkers scrubbed three large rooms with full-strength cleanser.

"The smell was so strong that the women working downstairs would smell the lemon coming through the walls," she said.

England also recalled the fun she and her friends had dressing the manikins and setting up the display windows.

"One time we had an old western style wedding dress, so we set up a wedding scene at the front of the store," England said.

These days, Luther's granddaughters, Emily, Rebecca and Selestia Angell are the most frequent helpers on Saturdays.

"I work every Saturday with my Grandpa, but a lot of times I don't take home any money," Selestia Angell said. "Its okay though, I have cute clothes and cowboy boots."

One customer from Jefferson City visits every year at Christmas time, just because the Angell's granddaughters wrap every one of his gifts for no charge. It's just part of the small town service that Angell's Western Wear likes to offer their customers.

"Last year, we wrapped over 50 gifts for him," Luther said. "I think one of my granddaughters even baked cookies for him, too."

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