Cosmic Soup has finally nestled itself among the many brick street businesses in Downtown Pampa, adding a splash of color and uniqueness (both inside and out), with all of its vibrant, purple glory.
First opening up around the corner from H&R block on Kentucky, then moving to The Pampa Mall, Cosmic Soup validates the old saying ‘third time is a charm’ by moving into their third, and most likely, final location at 118 N. Cuyler.
The building is far more spacious, allowing the eccentric business to expand its inventory and even house local vendors and business owners, such as The Haven Bookstore and The Cozy Bobbin.
Brandy Joiner, the owner of Cosmic Soup, is excited about the new building and expansion, and hopes the folks of Pampa who do their shopping downtown decide to give in to their curiosity and walk through the door.
“Coming to Pampa from Colorado was really nice because no where else do you get this kind of community feel where the town seems to come together and do events like this (referring to the recent Burnin’ the Bricks event). That’s not something I’ve ever been used to, so I’ve always wanted to do something to be involved in the community. In Colorado, we couldn’t really do stuff like that. Cosmic Soup was already established online and it just meant that we got to open what I already wanted to open. We knew it was going to be hard. I’m a little bit weird-it’s like that little thing inside you that you don’t want to show anyone because you’re afraid they will think you’re a little too awkward. But that’s what I want people to let shine, that’s what this store is about.”
“This is our 6th week to be in this location and I will tell you right now this is the best place to be in Pampa. Since I’ve gone to three different places, I think I have a little bit of experience to be able to say that you get more visibility here and that helps. A lot of first impressions are, ‘oh, she’s too out there, she IS witchy,’ and while that’s not the case, it seems to be everyone’s first impression, but that’s understandable! We are weird, and weird is different and I get it. But we have a lot of people who come in here and say, ‘oh, this wasn’t actually what I was expecting!’ We have books, which is half our store, we also have Christian stuff in here and if someone came to me and said, ‘hey, I would love to get this,’ I would do it. A lot of our stuff is custom, so we can make anything you want. I try to cater to everybody, especially for the people who tend to be on the spectrum, so we carry things that are fidgets, bright colors and textures because that’s who I am.”
Cosmic Soup now houses The Haven Bookstore, which used to be located in a small space within the Combs-Worley Building, giving the bookstore’s faithful customers and book club members a cozier and more spacious area to sit with one of many books the store has to offer.
“I think Pampa really needs a book store,” Brandy said. “I was here right at the cusp when Hastings ended and I knew how much everyone really loved that store. We really wanted to bring back that vibe. I would love to carry DVDs one day, maybe do something like a rental and we do have a some records. I just want to bring back the nostalgia.
They also carry apparel created by The Cozy Bobbin, specializing in creating custom hand-sewn clothing and even turning that old shirt or pair of pants you can’t bear to part with into something beautiful and brand new.
Cosmic Soup is always looking for local, crafty, and creative vendors who want a special space to house and sell their handmade items.
“We do consignment and it’s $10 a square foot, and I try to do as much as we can here. We have Katie here with The Cozy Bobbin, we have a girl here who is a graphic designer and she does great, we have someone in town who is trying to get into more of creative bay and she does 3D printing and customized pens. So we really try to be a custom store and we really like people to come in and say, ‘this is what I want, how can I get it’ and we make it.”
So if you’re looking for that next unique gift or want to come cozy up with a good book, head over to Cosmic Soup, located at 118 N. Cuyler Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM.
