Rodger and Jackie Chieffalo
Most folks know Rodger Chieffalo for his work in real estate, one of his most recent projects being the revamp of the old Roy Pope grocery store on the West Side. But the owner of Chieffalo Realty has also maintained a consistent side hustle refurbishing old hats, belt buckles, and cuff links — a project he calls Chieffalo Americana.
Now, after seeing sales of his items shoot up exponentially just through Instagram, he's decided to turn his hobby into a full-fledged store, located not too far from Roy Pope at 4698 Camp Bowie Blvd. The soft opening is scheduled for Nov. 1.
"In the era of e-commerce and Amazon-purchased items, there is a growing number of customers out there that want something that's unique, one of a kind," Chieffalo says. "Certainly there's a demand for American-made products. There's certainly a demand for good vintage. I think we're in the perfect time to open up a store like this."
The 1,300-square-foot shop, which Chieffalo will be running with wife Jackie, will carry close to 100 hats, along with belt buckles, cuff links, and a revolving selection of local artwork.
Chieffalo Americana will share the building with Reads Jewelers, another Western-minded brand moving from Crockett Street to Camp Bowie.
The building is owned by Mark Harris, Chieffalo's business partner in multiple projects including Roy Pope. Built in 1931, the building was once Stop 15 on the interurban rail line. Chieffalo says he's working to brand the building as "Stop 15."
"[The building] represents a lot of what we do — renovating an old something, whether it's a building or it's a hat or belt buckle," Chieffalo says. "The idea of renovating some old classic piece that has a history — that's really the essence of what we do."
Chieffalo, who serves on the board of nonprofit Camp Bowie District Inc., says he sees his shop as part of an overall initiative to enhance the area. He says the public should keep an eye on the district as it looks to attract more shops and restaurants while also renovating existing properties.
"We've made a commitment to the community to really improve the retail and restaurant experiences on Camp Bowie," he says. "What that means is we're out hunting for good little restaurants to go on the street, more retailers to go on the street, better-designed retail shops, and modern marketing of retail shops. Me opening up this store is that commitment."