The Ladies of Lancaster are Taking Care of Business With The Historic Town Square

When I spotted Suzanne Maxwell’s necklace, I instantly knew the ladies of Lancaster were taking care of business. Maxwell has owned and operated the Lovin’ Oven bakery in the historic Lancaster town square for over 40 years. When we met last week, she was sporting a TCB necklace — the one with the lightning bolt. I thought our photographer Mimi Perez would faint.

Because, if you know, you know. And Mimi knew.

If you don’t know, that necklace is one of only 5,000 originals Elvis Presley had made for friends and family. The TCB initials stand for Taking Care of Business, the name of his band, and one of his favorite mottos. The lightning bolt symbolized that Elvis expected his people to take care of business— fast. Although the ladies of Lancaster move with a more measured pace, TCB could be their motto, and something tells me Elvis wouldn’t mind a bit.

Michaella Ramler

When Michaella Ramler contacted me a few months ago, her excitement and enthusiasm about historic downtown Lancaster were palpable. Ramler was raised here, and her love of this town runs deep. She’s not alone. The ladies of Lancaster have always been passionate about their town and its historic square.

Over a series of calls with Ramler, I learned that Lancaster is one of the oldest communities in North Texas, incorporated in 1853. The first settlement was made in 1844 by Roderick Rawlins, and in 1847 Mr. A. Bledsoe purchased a tract of land where the present town is located.

It also has historically had an impressive group of female leaders and entrepreneurs. Ramler sent me an extensive list of over 30 female movers and shakers and told me that two women owned 90 percent of the square.

Meeting The Ladies of Lancaster

So, Mimi and I piled into her car and drove south last week.

An integral stop for anyone wanting to learn about Lancaster‘s history has to be at Maxwell’s Lovin’ Oven, where the walls are plastered with photos of celebrities from Henry Winkler to Jennifer Coolidge. Yes, this tiny bakery in a corner of the town’s historic square is famous.

While grabbing a slice of double chocolate cake, you are bound to run into one or two of the many ladies of Lancaster, like Ellen Clark, owner of the historic former bank building and Town Square Realty, where she’s been a Realtor for over 45 years. Clark also serves on the Economic Development Board and is one of the two women who hold title to the majority of the square’s real estate. She is the absolute epitome of a self-made woman.

You’re also bound to see Suzy Rawlins Weaver who, until recently, was the other owner with a significant holding at Lancaster Town Square. Her family dates back seven generations and she and her husband own Rawlins Farm, the oldest house in Dallas County, still owned by the original family.

We met with the city manager, who is, of course, a woman. Opal Maudlin-Jones knows a thing or two about managing a city because she’s been employed there for 20 years and the city manager since 2011.

“Lancaster is all about community,” Maudlin-Jones said. “It always has been. If you go back to our founders, the Bledsoes and the Rawlins, even when women were not in charge, they were major players and have always brought everyone together.”

That connection between the ladies of Lancaster continues to grow, and the torch is being passed to a new generation — not lightly, but with great care and thought.

Investing in The Future While Saving The Past

That first call I received from Ramler was about her purchase of 17,000 square feet of the town square. Ramler has been involved in saving historic commercial buildings for years. In 2022 she helped rescue the 1921 City of Dallas Historic Landmark originally known as the Oak Cliff Assembly of God. In 2017 she was instrumental in saving the Struck House, a 133-year-old Victorian farmhouse in West Dallas.

Growing up in Lancaster, the town square was a large part of Ramler’s life. Her dad, Carlos Ruffino, had an office in the beautiful 1905 former White & Co Bank building that Ellen Clark owns, and her mom, Delinda, ran a toy store on the square. Ramler had a Hello Kitty kiosk inside her mom’s shop, so the entrepreneurship seed was planted early. She went to market with her mom and learned about profit margins by the time she was nine.

When the 1994 F4 tornado blew away a good portion of the historic town square, flattening one side and leaving only remnants behind like the tile floor of R.P Henry & Sons Bank, robbed by Clyde Barrow and fellow gang member Raymond Hamilton, the town pulled together, rebuilt what they could, and soldiered on. But things just weren’t the same, and total economic recovery seemed a long way off. In the past few years, the Lancaster City Council has been focused on reviving the historic town square.

It was slow going until Ramler stepped in.

“Michaella is the shot of B-12 we needed,” Maudlin-Jones said. “She’s a fantastic connector.”

Ramler knew she wanted to redevelop the historic town square, so she approached one of the principal landowners, Suzy Rawlins Weaver, with her vision for revitalizing the area. Fortunately, Weaver recognized in Ramler what most people do when they meet her, a passion and dedication for what she sees as a mission. Weaver sold her the eight sites she’d owned for generations, secure in knowing that her beloved history was in good hands.

“I love historic buildings,” Ramler said. “I’ve always loved the town square, but anytime I came home to visit, it was a little disappointing. The town was getting sleepier and sleepier. I’d been thinking about my hometown and what I could do with a small commercial real estate space. I wanted to bring mom-and-pop shop ownership into real estate and bring the community back to the square to enjoy it.”

That was when Ramler had an epiphany. Over the past dozen years, she realized she’d acquired the skills to give back to her hometown. She also wanted to do real estate differently with tenants as business partners, a novel concept that Ramler believes is the most ethical and effective way of doing business. As a natural-born motivator, her enthusiasm and vision are contagious.

She began actively recruiting tenants and sent me a list of 37 women and women-owned businesses eager to be a part of revitalizing the historic square.

“I began to notice I was working with all women,” Ramler said. Two sisters are opening a cocktail and coffee concept. We have a women-owned Italian ice cream shop coming in and a female wine shop owner. I found a juice tenant through Instagram. I also have a female banker, and a lot of my investors are women. It just happened naturally.”

The legendary Oak Cliff family-owned Mexican restaurant La Calle Doce has just become an anchor tenant.

“I know Michaella because kids went to school together,” Silka Sanchez said. “All she had to say was, I have a business proposition for you! She has a unique vision and has invited owners into the investment portfolio. That’s rare for a commercial tenant.”

And more importantly, mom Laura Sanchez reminded us, “You need a place to have a good margarita in the town square!”

In January, Ramler’s development company, Stewarding Space, received a generous pay-for-performance grant to redevelop the 17,000 square feet into mixed-use space. Ramler is well on her way to achieving her mission, and what could be more fulfilling than helping your hometown thrive once again?

The Ladies of Lancaster are indeed taking care of business.