Why Turtle Creek?

Why Turtle Creek? And where is Turtle Creek?

We have heard these questions quite often during our first year of business. This is the path we took in the naming adventure when deciding to name our little venture.

Turtle Creek meanders through Grandpa’s farm just a couple of miles from St. Ansgar. Katie, who sells her pottery in the store, had already named her pottery business Turtle Creek Pottery. These seemed like the perfect words to hoist up on the front of our new store.

Turtles plod slowly but tenaciously through life; the many connotations to this ungainly, unique creature in Native American philosophy include hope and courage. Some original peoples even used the thirteen spaces on the turtle’s back as a calendar.

Our kids don’t recall seeing turtles in the creek: mostly tadpoles were visible. The state of Iowa began stocking the stream with trout sometime during their childhood years, so they spent sunshiny childhood hours trying to coax them to bite. Later, long, sweaty summer days passed by with all the cousins haying with Grandpa, or driving fence posts into the ground. A family joke has always been the “post graduate” work Grandpa gave his sons after they graduated from college.

White-faced Herefords now form a pretty herd against green hills under an Iowa blue sky; these were Grandpa’s hobby, nurtured after he retired from military life in 1978. Feeding the cattle with him, petting a calf, or using a bottle to provide milk for calves whose mothers couldn’t or wouldn’t let them drink always topped the list of joys for the grandkids.

In short, Turtle Creek signifies growth and creativity, warmth and the love that surrounds us. In the space our store provides, people can experiment with their imaginative ideas in many art forms, from paint your own pottery to scrap booking to writing. Our classes are both instructive and fun for individual or group outings. Gifts from the heart can be made with your own hands, or found on our shelves.

So, why Turtle Creek? We believe Turtle Creek Trading Company, a place where people can find room to add a little art to their lives, is aptly named, and enjoy having folks stop in for a heartening cup of coffee, a fresh-daily homemade treat, and our friendship.

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