Category Archives: Non-Profits

A Houston Treasure: The Cottage Shop

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In 1971 The Women’s Home established a resale store in the Montrose neighborhood that now shines as one of Houston’s brightest lights.  The Cottage Shop is one of our community’s premier resale stores.  It also serves as a training center for residents of The Women’s Home as they conquer the crises in their lives that led them to the agency.

My wife, Natalie, and I were so impressed with The Cottage Shop that we commissioned paintings to be placed on the exterior front and rear of the store.  We wanted the artwork to be a symbol of The Cottage Shop’s vibrant programs and to help raise the visibility of the building.

We asked artist Homer Allen to create the paintings and he came through with works of art that perfectly illustrate the Shop’s impressive record of success.  The paintings feature monarch butterflies rising from orange chrysanthemums.  Homer used the butterfly to symbolize the evolving nature of The Women’s Home over the past half century.  The butterfly’s flight from the flower also symbolizes residents graduating from the Home’s programs.

Homer’s brilliant paintings are done with waterproof enamel on recycled billboards.  The works can be displayed indoors or outdoors and will remain a permanent part of The Cottage Shop’s exterior.

Natalie and I couldn’t be more pleased with the paintings.  The Cottage Shop generates 20% of The Women’s Home revenues.  We believe the paintings will draw more people into the Shop and perhaps help increase revenues to fund the Home’s programs for women in crisis.

As volunteers at The Women’s Home, Natalie and I invite you an exciting fundraiser with a best-selling author.  The Afternoon Tea with Barbara Taylor Bradford will be held April 8th.  You can learn more about the event and services offered by The Women’s Home at the agency’s website: http://www.thewomenshome.org/

The welcoming front door of the Cottage Shop, 811 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77006. Open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Donations accepted Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

The welcoming front door of the Cottage Shop, 811 Westheimer, Houston, TX 77006.
Open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Donations accepted Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Artist Homer Allen and Dr. Steven Curley pose with one of the photos donated by Dr. Curley to hang on the Cottage Shop exterior.

Artist Homer Allen and Dr. Steven Curley pose with one of the photos donated by Dr. Curley to hang on the Cottage Shop exterior.

One of the photos by Homer Allen donated by Dr. Steven Curley

One of the photos by Homer Allen donated by Dr. Steven Curley

Making a Difference

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As a cancer surgeon and research scientist, my life’s work is geared toward fighting the disease in the operating room and the laboratory.  My life in medicine has been a true blessing for me and my family.  It has introduced me to people and organizations making a remarkable difference in and out of the medical community.

For more than half a century, The Women’s Home has stood out as one of those amazing institutions, serving women in crisis in the Houston community.   The Home provides a wide range of services, including residential care, vocational training and spiritual development.  The Home’s staff also offers nurse practitioner care and treatment for chemical dependency and mental health issues.

The success of The Women’s Home has been recognized by The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  That organization has invited the Home to take part in a national workgroup that identifies the most effective methods of providing sober treatment and housing for homeless women.  The Home is one of 15 agencies in the United States to receive this recognition from SAMHSA and the only one in Texas.

The Women’s Home also operates one of Houston’s premier resale stores, The Cottage Shop.  Established in 1971, The Cottage Shop serves as a training center for residents and offers a wide selection of gently used clothing, accessories, furniture and household goods.

It’s been an honor for me and my wife, Natalie, to serve as volunteers with The Women’s Home.  We invite you to attend three upcoming events:  The Women’s Home Annual Crawfish Boil on March 28th, the Men & Women’s Invitational Golf Tournament April 6th, and the Afternoon Tea with best-selling author Barbara Taylor Bradford April 8th.  You can learn much more about these events and programs available at The Women’s Home by clicking on this link.

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