Danny Templeton recalled wanting to be an architect, but life and cruise ships took him in different directions. His architect ambitions fizzled after a few drafting classes. Instead, he got involved with Distributive Education Clubs of America, DECA, which helps prepare students for careers.
Templeton said Karen Wilson, the Muskogee High DECA advisor, sent him and other members to interview at UPS. He landed a summer job that ended up being a 30-year career. Around 2001, Templeton found a new interest.
He recalled talking to an old high school friend who told him he should buy his mother’s Hallmark card shop. “I’ve always been particular about how my house looked, and she said ‘you should buy my mom’s store, you’d like it,’” he said. Recalling that the owner was transitioning into a home decor store and “I liked decorating.
” “About a month later, I owned it,” he said. “I knew nothing about it. It just looked fun.
Within a year, I had no Hallmark of any kind.” Templeton said he never got any sleep with the two jobs. Still he managed.
“Because I did get in my UPS job at 4 in the morning, I got off at noon,” he said. “My partner would open the store, run it for two or three hours, and I would go there and finish the rest of the day. He would go on to his job.
We made that work for a long time.” The store, Rustic Elegance, moved to three locations before moving to Fort Gibson a few years ago. Templeton now has a feline co-worker, Kitty.
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