The Maupin family has a long and successful history of retail in Artesia.
G.C. Maupin and his son, Herschel, opened the first of what would be many business ventures in Artesia in 1950. The store was a White’s Auto Store, carrying automotive, housewares, hardware, sporting goods, appliances, TVs, electronics, furniture, lawn and garden, and TOYS!
James Maupin joined the family business six months after it opened when he got out of the Army. James and Wanda purchased his brother’s interest in the business in 1960, and when his father retired in 1970, James and Wanda purchased his father’s interest. James and Wanda had four children: Jamie, Dennis, Terry and Charles. Charles died in 1967, and Jamie died in 1985.
Dennis and Terry made their home and career in Artesia. Dennis is employed at Yates Petroleum as a controller, and Terry has remained in the family business since graduating college in 1976.
The years following James’ entry into the business would tell quite a story. James was a great businessman with never-ending dreams and possibilities. From their beginning store located in the 400 block of West Main Street, where the Yates Petroleum offices are now located, White’s Auto moved to 302 W. Main St., the former Ford dealer location.
James had the second story of that building removed and did a complete remodel of the building before opening a greatly expanded store for Artesia to shop at.
James and Wanda, with a keen interest in offering greater local shopping opportunities, opened a beautiful furniture store in the mid-’60s, Maupin’s Furniture, located at 211 W. Main St. It was without a doubt one of the nicest furniture stores of its kind, having two floors of furniture, bedding, carpeting and accessories. The Maupins opened another store right beside the furniture store at 209 W. Main St., Modern Tire & Appliance.
During the next several years, as the ever-changing retail environments dictate, the White’s Auto Store moved across the street to the 211 W. Main St. building where Maupin’s Furniture had once been. In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the Maupins would purchase the White’s Auto Store in Carlsbad and also opened another store in Lamesa, Texas. In 1975, the White’s Auto Company was struggling to compete with other national chains, and James decided to change his business model to a True Value Hardware.
In the mid-’70s, James opened Maupin Tire & Appliance on the corner of Second Street and Quay Avenue, and remodeled the building at 211 W. Main St. with a beautiful new “facelift.” During the course of time, it became a challenge for James to manage three stores, so he closed the one in Lamesa.
Terry Maupin joined the family business in May 1976 after graduating college. Terry was not a newcomer to the business. He and his brother Dennis spent many hours as young kids working for their dad. From the age of 8 or 9, they fondly remember delivering circulars door to door in what would be years of after-school and summer jobs in the family business. They both attended college at Lubbock Christian College, and they had jobs waiting for them at the White’s Auto Company store in Lubbock, Texas, where they worked most of their college years.
In January 1977, Terry moved to Carlsbad to run the White’s Auto business there. He sold everything out to the bare walls and repainted the fixtures, walls and ceiling, and opened up the business as a True Value Hardware. In 1978, the Maupins sold the Carlsbad True Value, and Terry sold real estate in Timberon for a year-and-a-half before returning to Artesia in 1979 to take on the job of assistant manager at Maupin’s True Value.
In 1980, Terry married a young lady he met while attending LCC, Donna Morrow of Carlsbad, who as a child said, “I would never live in that smelly town of Artesia.” Famous last words; now her blood runs BULLDOG ORANGE!
Terry and Donna have four children: Terah Maupin Sexton, Jeremy Maupin, Julie Maupin Washichek and Jamie Maupin Montoya.
In the early ‘80s, James and Wanda purchased the old Gibsons building located at 403 W. Quay Ave. and combined all their stores into one location. James and Terry renovated that location and opened a beautiful True Value Hardware, which served Artesia until 1995 when James would retire from the family business.
In 1986, Terry and Donna opened a new RadioShack franchise dealership in the old building at 211 W. Main St. While in that location, Terry and Donna would open up a women’s and juniors’ clothing store, The Sea Shell, and would later convert that space into Terry’s Rent to Own, thus beginning Terry’s venture into furniture, appliances and electronics. Terry ran one of the most successful RadioShack dealerships in New Mexico and West Texas, earning multiple sales awards and many trips to places he and Donna would travel: London, Hawaii, California, several cruises, and Disney World (yes, the kids got to go on a cruise and two trips to Disney World). James and Wanda also took two trips, and Eva Murdock and Jenney Cherry took a trip to Alaska, all courtesy of RadioShack Corporation.
Terry also served three years on the RadioShack Dealer Focus Board and earned the Pinnacle Award multiple times for his efforts in operating a successful RadioShack franchise. Terry and James have both been selected as Outstanding Business of the Year multiple times while in business in Artesia.
In 1993, James and Terry got a brilliant idea to remodel the old building at 211 W. Main St. It is one of the oldest buildings of record in Artesia, being built in 1905. It had served as multiple retail businesses downstairs, and the upstairs had been a boarding house, doctor’s offices, and a state-of-the-art decorated furniture show room.
With all the original walls, windows, skylights and charm from the boarding house and capturing the turn-of-the-century look, the Maupins renovated the entire building, top to bottom, and opened the first bed and breakfast in Southeast New Mexico, the Heritage Inn.
One would have to only climb the grand stairs to view one of the nicest lodging places in the area. During the construction process, Terry had to temporarily move the RadioShack down the street a couple of blocks for the downstairs renovations to occur. When he moved back in, he had a re-grand opening and a RadioShack second to none with all the latest fixtures and branding that RadioShack Corporation had developed.
James and Wanda lived upstairs and were the original innkeepers until they moved out in 1997. Also in 1997, Terry and Donna purchased the old Safeway building/T-Bird Lumber store at 1211 W. Main St. and did a complete renovation on that building, adding on a warehouse to the west end to do car audio installations. They moved the RadioShack and Terry’s Rent to Own from their 2,000-square-foot store to a huge, 19,600-square-foot store.
Returning to his “roots,” Terry opened up a Western Auto Dealership along with his RadioShack and greatly expanded furniture and appliance store. Through the years and as business changed, Terry eventually dropped the Western Auto just before the Western Auto name disappeared from all stores in America. But quickly taking up that space were his furniture and appliance departments, which had steadily grown over the years. In 2008, due to the increase in business, Terry added on a new, 8,500-square-foot addition on the east side of the building for furniture and built on a large warehouse space on the west side of the building. That brought the store to just a little over 30,000 square feet of retail space, the largest store in the history of the Maupin family.
Artesia has been very good to all the Maupin families and their children. Through the years, the Maupins have provided untold numbers of jobs to families in Artesia and the surrounding communities. As with any successful business there are many people who play a major role in that success. I hope you will bear with me for just a moment, but I want to publicly recognize some of the hundreds of employees that have worked with our family throughout our 66 years in business.
There is no way that I can begin to remember all of them, but these are the ones that stand out in my memory: Larry Ramirez, Pete Galvan, Tony Marquez, Wade McFatridge, Marge Ray, Elmer Tibbett, Florence Guinan, Irmadine Brown, Vince Bustamante, Juan Bustamante, Mary Karr, Shirley Keesee, Eva Murdock, David Neal, Matt Brady, Michael Weast, Ana Aguirre, Steve Marquez, Gary Romine, Jennie Cherry, Clint Derrick, Kathy Poeck, Albert DeHoyos, Luke Davis, Lance Velasquez, Dillon Goodloe, Nate “Dog” Cornil, Jason Bolin, Rob Goodloe, Cisco Walker, Chuck Green, Jeff Norris, Cutter Cavin, Dustin Baxley, Juan Perez, Justin Montgomery, Brad Love, Tom Love, Ethan Jorren, Zac Gomez, Kelly Klein, Concepcion Calderon, Javier Calderon, Alan Nelson and many, many more.
Each one of these employees dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy into our stores, and each one of them has made an impact on my life and my family’s life. We could not have accomplished all the great things we did without them. And to everyone else who I didn’t mention, you know who you are, I appreciate you for all that you have done for my family and me. There are just no words to express my sincere gratitude!
The Maupins have always strived to offer great products at reasonable prices with friendly, hometown service and a smile. We have worked with some of Artesia’s finest citizens, and our customers are second to none in the world. The friendships that began 66 years ago still are the foundation of our success in business. It is amazing to hear all the stories from years gone by about how my Grandpa Maupin, Uncle Herschel and my dad, James, had impacted so many people.
Thousands of kids got their first bike or BB gun or wagon or doll from White’s Auto and True Value Hardware. Many a home purchased their first TV, their first color TV, their first set of tires, or washer and dryer, or furniture from one of our many businesses throughout the years. And with the RadioShack, we sold many a home their first computer, first cell phone, first satellite TV system, first iPad and iPhone. We offered in-store credit financing and through the years helped countless families get a start in their marriages and families by being able to buy on credit with our in-house financing plans.
Many a customer had their first opportunity to purchase things for their home and be able to say, “Charge it on my account,” and they have always been grateful to my family for that. And in turn, we have been so grateful to all our thousands of customers who supported our stores, which allowed us to make a good living for our family and our employees.
So many good memories of late-night, backdoor sales when everyone would come and put all their kids’ toys on layaway for Christmas, and they were some of the best times everyone had shopping at our stores.
Through the years, Terry and his staff have prided themselves in carrying on many of the Maupin Family traditions. But as competition has grown from both the big-box stores and internet shopping, sales began to drop. And with the most recent devastating drop in oil prices, the changes have proven to be too much for Terry’s Electronics & Home Center to overcome. On what will be Terry’s 30th anniversary of opening Terry’s Electronics/RadioShack Dealer, Nov. 1, 2016, will ultimately be the final day for one of the longest family-run businesses in Artesia.
We will certainly miss the opportunity we have had to share in building this community with local shopping services and friendships that were made that will last for a lifetime. But, as with most businesses, they ultimately come to an end. So it is with Terry’s. Our family cannot begin to express how much we appreciate all the years of support you have given to our family. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
As this chapter of our lives comes to a close, we are confident that God will open a new door with a clear path to follow. May God continue to bless each and every one of you, our faithful, loyal, customers! Without you, we would not have made it these 66 fantastic years!
Where are all the Maupin family members today?
G.C. Maupin passed in Stephenville, Texas, in 1987.
Herschel Maupin passed in Dangerfield, Texas, in 2009 and his wife, Nadine, passed in 2014.
James Maupin passed in Artesia in 2011.
Wanda Maupin still resides in Artesia and can be seen driving around town always smiling and doing great things for many people. She is a constant ray of sunshine!
Dennis and his wife, Betty, still reside in Artesia and have raised three successful children: Paul Maupin, a dentist in Roswell, Charles Maupin, an endodontist in Lubbock, Texas, and David Maupin, a petroleum analyst in Houston, Texas.
Terry and his wife, Donna, still reside in Artesia and have raised four successful children: Terah Sexton is a PA at Memorial Family Practice in Artesia, is married to Chance Sexton, and they have three children: Brooks, Tripp and Kadence; Jeremy Maupin is a high school history teacher and varsity football coach at Artesia High School, is married to Nicole, and they have one child, Finley; Julie Washichek is a dental hygienist working for her cousin, Paul, in Roswell, is married to Derek Washichek, and they have two children, Grayden and Braelynn; and Jamie Montoya works as a surface operations assistant at Concho Resources in Artesia, is married to Derek Montoya, and they are expecting their first child in September, a little boy to be named Kion.
Terry’s Electronics & Home Center’s Closure
The entire store is being liquidated to the bare walls with a private sale beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, and being opened to the public at 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 25.
As the official launch of the sale begins, Terry’s is liquidating everything in the store, including the fixtures, with prices listed at up to 50 percent off. Huge savings on everything from furniture, appliances, mattresses and accents to flat-screen televisions, home theater equipment, car accessories and personal electronics are being offered.
Terry’s is located at 1211 W. Main St. The store closing sale will last just a few weeks before the doors close forever. Prices will continue to be reduced until all inventory and fixtures are gone.
For more information on the sale, contact Terry Maupin at 7481301 or manager@terryselectronics.com.
