Two sisters open Ren & Co. home decor boutique on north side of North Platte
Tacey Sargent, left, and Ashlee Beckmann stand in front of the counter of their new store Ren & Co. located at 111 Rodeo Road.
Caitlyn Thomas
Two sisters, each with a passion for creating, took a leap of faith and combined their businesses to open the new home decor boutique Ren & Co. at 111 Rodeo Road.
Co-owners Ashlee Beckmann and Tacey Sargent, both former stay-at-home-moms, spent their days operating their own craft business before Ren & Co. opened on Nov. 25.
Beckmann ran AB Cookies, Crafts & More, making delicious, custom sugar cookies, handmade signs and other decorations.
Sargent was the one to come up with the name Ren & Co., based on her daughter Renley, Ren for short.
Before Ren & Co. became the store front it is today, it was Sargent’s own business she started in 2023. Like her sister, she sold handmade signs and other crafts, but also did custom T-shirt printing.
Sargent said their whole family is “super close” and the two sisters are “best friends,” who always bounced ideas off each other.
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“We’ve always been close. If I was gonna open a business it would have to be with her,” Beckmann said.
So the idea for a joint venture took off.
“We both kind of decided to come together and open something up,” Beckmann said. “We loved staying home with our kids, but we wanted to get out and do something and have that normalcy of having a job and having a routine.”
Beckmann said they “pondered it for a while” debating whether it would be a success or not.
“And then we were like, let’s just go for it, it’s either gonna work or it’s not gonna work,” she said.
Having flexible hours allows the two moms to spend time with their kids while operating the business.
“We wanted it to be family oriented,” Beckmann said.
Upon walking into the cozy store, the tables are stacked with a mix of modern and rustic Christmas decor, earrings, stocking stuffers and framed signs.
“Just kind of something for everybody, really,” Beckmann said.
Ren & Co. also gets new merchandise regularly with plans to cater towards every holiday and even local celebrations.
“We’re going to work towards Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and we’re even going to do something for graduation and NebraskaLand Days,” Beckmann said.
The sisters wanted to do a few things to set them apart from other stores, which is why one service they offer is a “create your own t-shirt bar,” Beckmann said.
Customers can pick from a variety of sizes, colors and styles, pick out a design and have it pressed in-store in seconds.
“We’ll press it for you and you take it right with you when you leave so you’re not waiting,” she said.
The designs can be either ones Ren & Co. has in store, or Beckmann said, customers can bring in their own designs that can be printed off and pressed onto the shirts
With Christmas right around the corner, the free gift wrapping Ren & Co. offers is perfect for holiday shoppers.
“You can come in, grab your gift, we’ll wrap it for you and you walk out the door,” Beckmann said. “You don’t have to go buy all the gift wrapping things.”
The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. everyday but Fridays when they are open till 6 p.m.
They will be closed Dec. 20-21 and 24-25 but will be open Dec. 23 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for last minute Christmas shopping.
Staying true to both their original businesses, Ren & Co. accepts custom orders that can be placed either in store, over the phone or via their Facebook page at facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094588321878.
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