CELEBRATION BOUTIQUE EMERGES FROM SMITHVILLE RENOVATION

Owners navigate risks in restoration of 1895 structure

SMITHVILLE — A long-standing piece of Smithville history is beginning a new chapter after an extensive downtown restoration effort.

The 1895 structure at 110 Main St. was once home to Charlie’s BBQ and later the Smithville Playhouse. It has since been restored and reopened as Faire La Nouba, which owner Rachael Tolbert describes as a celebration store, bottle shop and gift boutique.

Tolbert and her husband Brian worked with local builder Turquoise Moon to maintain the building’s historic character, a process she said required both persistence and a willingness to embrace the unknowns of old structures.

“The hardest part was the courage it took to take some of those leaps not knowing what we were going to find,” Tolbert said. “You just don’t know what you’re going to get.”

After purchasing the building in February, the challenges shifted to restoration, which Tolbert said included structural concerns, contractor limitations and working within the boundaries of a historic downtown.

“All those things factor in and really limit the sort of contractor that you’re able to get … to be both brave and skilled,” Tolbert said.

Working within Smithville’s historic district also required coordination with the city’s histor ical commission, which oversees exterior changes. Tolbert said the process was straightforward and supportive.

“The idea is to restore it,” she said. “The city, frankly, was thrilled to have someone willing to do that work.”

The restoration follows a wave of Main Street programs pushing downtown maintenance in Bastrop County.

Officials said historic storefronts serve as both economic drivers and cultural monuments. In Smithville, that identity is tied closely to its preserved architecture and locally owned businesses.

“This has got energy that feels really good … it’s fun to shop in here,” Tolbert said. “It’s an extension of their living room and that was something I really wanted the space to be.”

According to Tolbert, Faire La Nouba is designed to be more than a retail space. She envisions it as a community hub where residents gather for events, social time and everyday celebrations.

“We’re going to celebrate everything from the mundane party of one on Tuesday to the 50th wedding anniversary,” she said, adding the preservation effort acknowledges the building’s layered history.

Tolbert said longtime residents have shared memories of the space, including its time as a barbecue restaurant known for domino games, a tradition she plans to bring back.

At the same time, the project does not ignore more difficult aspects of the past, including a segregated entrance once used at the site. Plans include incorporating a stained-glass feature in the future that sits where the entrance once was to symbolize unity and inclusivity.

“It’s all the colors now, and we’re not going back,” Tolbert said.

In a downtown built on history, a sense of shared experiences is what keeps spaces like 110 Main Street relevant, according to Tolbert.

“There’s still enough of us that know how special it is to come into a building like this,” she said.