A charming little red wooden structure sits alongside a rural dirt road just off the corner of U.S. 94 and North Ellicott Highway, in the unincorporated community of Ellicott east of Colorado Springs.

Reminiscent of an Old West mercantile shop, Wagon Trail Mercantile advertises a hodgepodge of products: U-Haul rentals. Barns and sheds for sale. Various gifts, baked goods and snacks. And biltong — South African meat jerky.

What appears to be an unassuming marketplace (which began as a U-Haul rental store), though, has become more than that for Ellicott’s some-odd 1,200 residents. Wagon Trail Mercantile is a general store, yes — selling items like animal feed and eggs alongside other offerings. But it’s also a community hub.

Owner Ilse Venter’s selection of handmade soaps, wax melts, cards, ornaments, bags, jewelry, coffee mugs and snacks like homemade bread and freeze-dried candies, fruits and vegetables are the handiwork of more than 50 local vendors. She purchases the eggs she sells from area residents.

Visitors can also purchase Venter’s homemade biltong and choose from a selection of imported goods from her home country, South Africa, like cream sodas, coffee and seasonings.

For the holidays, Venter put out a donation tree so patrons could purchase gifts for anonymous Ellicott High School students in need.

“In my mind, there needed to be a shop where local people could sell their stuff and be recognized for their artistry,” Venter, 54, said on a recent Monday morning.

The store was closed for the day so Venter and her daughters, Meegan and Mia Venter, could put out new holiday stock that just arrived. It didn’t deter friends and customers from popping in, however.

Once people see Venter’s car outside Wagon Trail, they know they’re welcome in.

Or they simply call her when they need something. Venter lives next door to the shop and is happy to drop in any time. Like during a recent heavy snowstorm, when Venter ran over to open Wagon Trail so people could purchase animal feed and other necessities they wouldn’t be able to drive farther away to purchase, she said.

“It’s very community-based. Since we opened the shop, people will come in and just talk to each other, catch up. It’s so cool,” Venter said. “We’ve met a lot of new people and it’s so nice to be a part of it. When we came to the U.S., we didn’t know how people were going to see us; a lot of people don’t embrace immigrants. But we have grown this shop and are having fun with it.”

In 2020 Venter and part of her family — her husband, Eben Venter, who is now a commercial driver’s license trainer, and Meegan and Mia — moved from South Africa to Denver after her husband got a job as a trucker. Venter has two adult children and grandchildren who remained in South Africa with their families.

Venter had been the one to encourage her husband to apply for the U.S. job, “not thinking we’d get it,” she said.

Get the job he did. The Venters’ moving process took two years, and then after a few years in the States the family realized they wanted more living space than Denver could offer.

The family purchased several acres of land in Ellicott and moved there last May.

Christine Allison moved to Ellicott with her family three years ago from Texas and first discovered Wagon Trail Mercantile on Facebook. She came in to buy animal feed and has been back to the store on at least a weekly basis since then. Allison is a customer of Venter’s, but is now a good friend, too.

“Ilse’s hospitality and generosity and her personality keeps me coming back. She has so much love to give, and she gives it to this little community,” Allison said.

Venter is looking to continue expanding her shop and is mulling future plans. She’s considering selling chickens and “wants to do something with the barn” on the property, though she hasn’t nailed down a perfect purpose for it. Yet.

Venter said she’s grateful for her husband’s and children’s support.

“We’ve tried hard to make (Wagon Trail Mercantile) a success. Life is what you make it. You can’t wait for people to do something for you. You have to believe in yourself and trust in yourself,” she said.

The shop is also a legacy she wants to leave for her children.

“We did what we did because we want to open up a pathway for our kids and grandkids,” Venter said. “My husband and I have been married for 22 years and he backs me up with everything. With him by my side, we can do anything.”