SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — A store in downtown San Angelo is celebrating 40 years of providing supplies, decor and more to local educators. Here's what the owner says is the secret to the business's decades of success.

The Teacher Store was opened on Jan. 2, 1985, by Manuel and Estela Santos to facilitate the duo's "aspirations to sell educational decor and supplies to San Angelo and surrounding area teachers," according to the business's website.

"They were both former school teachers and really didn't have any business experience," Dominic Santos, the current owner of the Teacher Store and son of Manuel and Estela Santos, said. "It's just an amazing testament to their labor of love that this store was."

The store has evolved over the years, diversifying its stock to include items such as games, toys and T-shirts while also providing lamination services. Even though the business has changed substantially since 1985, the Teacher Store has never left its original location of 310 N. Chadbourne St.

"Downtown has actually changed around us," Dominic Santos said. "We've gone from very little traffic downtown to a very much revitalized downtown, and we're happy to be a part of that."

The business's decades of life didn't come without their fair share of troubles, however. Dominic Santos stated that there have been multiple times over the years when the future of the Teacher Store was in question.

"The industry itself is changing and constantly evolving," Dominic Santos said. "It's one of those things where we have been fortunate to be able to adapt."

Despite this, the business has continued to operate in San Angelo. Dominic Santos believes that the Teacher Store's longevity is owed to the customer base it has developed over the decades, as well as a strong sense of perseverance and a willingness to change.

"There's been some lean years, there's been some good years, there's up and down in all businesses," Dominic Santos said. "I think it's just a matter of being able to survive the dips in business."

With four decades of operation in San Angelo, Dominic Santos hopes to continue honoring the dream of supplying educators that led to his parents founding the Teacher Store back in 1985.

"They devoted all their effort into keeping this store going, and I'm just trying to carry on that tradition for them," Dominic Santos said.

News Source : https://www.conchovalleyhomepage.com/news/local-news/teacher-store-celebrates-40-years/