(Update: This post was edited to remove the name of a Pink Pistol employee and additional information at 5:26 p.m., May 25, 2016.)
TISHOMINGO — Country-music superstar Miranda Lambert has closed her marquee Oklahoma business and has sold the building to ex-husband Blake Shelton, according to sources here Wednesday.
Complete with an ice-cream counter, the Pink Pistol was Lambert’s original boutique that helped revitalize Tishomingo, spurring many other new businesses on Main Street.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation told NonDoc that Shelton was the buyer, but sources asked to remain anonymous owing to nondisclosure agreements.
A press release from True Public Relations in Los Angeles said the Lindale, Texas, version of the Pink Pistol will now expand to a larger location in August. The sale was also reported on TasteOfCountry.com.
“I see this as a positive step for Tishomingo,” said Melanie Peden, a real estate entrepreneur and investor. “Blake, along with the Chickasaw Nation, has secured our economic future. Now, it’s up to business owners and citizens alike to work with both parties to make Tishomingo the jewel of Oklahoma.”
The future of Lambert’s other main business in town, The Ladysmith, is less clear. Reservations are being booked through mid-June, sources said.
“When the Pink Pistol opened, it provided Tishomingo something it never had before, and as a community, we appreciate that,” said Staci Addison, executive director of Johnston County Chamber of Commerce. “It gave other people the opportunity and the courage to start businesses that maybe they wouldn’t have started otherwise. But it served its time and its purpose, and that’s wonderful.”
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Addison previously served as general manager of The Ladysmith and the Pink Pistol.
“I can’t think of anything in life that doesn’t have an expiration date,” she said. “But I think this is an opportunity for further growth, and now something new will come in its place.”
In her press release, Lambert said centralizing the store back in her hometown of Lindale feels like life going “full circle.”
“I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all the employees who worked hard to help me bring the store in Tishomingo to life, as well as the patrons who came to experience the Pink Pistol and supported the store. Sometimes you need to close a chapter to build on a new beginning or go back home.”
Local bailbondsman and bed and breakfast owner Vicki Harbert praised Lambert’s influence in the town.
“She helped revive our Main Street and helped us see what a gem she saw in the beauty of Tishomingo and Johnston County,” said Harbert. “Even though she is no longer a resident, those gems still exist.”
Jackie Baker runs Baker’s Mercantile in the same building as the Pink Pistol, and she is thankful for what both celebrities have done for the town.
“When a door shuts, another one opens,” Baker said. “I think Blake will do great things for Tishomingo, and I am happy he is investing in downtown.”
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