30 Years Strong - Wolf Creek Gallery

BY AMANDA LARCH

In the heart of Lewisburg, two enduring establishments mark their 30th anniversaries, each a testament to resilience and community spirit. Wolf Creek, under the stewardship of Deva Wagner, began as a quaint venture by chance and has grown into a cherished local business, deeply embedded in the fabric of the town. Similarly, Del Sol Cantina and Grille, originally a modest New York-inspired deli, has evolved through multiple transformations—from a bustling deli to a fine dining restaurant, and finally into a vibrant south-of-the-border eatery renowned for its eclectic menu and lively atmosphere. Together, these stories showcase the unique blend of innovation and tradition that has shaped Lewisburg’s vibrant local scene.

 For Deva Wagner, owner of Wolf Creek, business is a generational affair for her and her customers.

Celebrating her 30th year in business, Wagner reflected on starting work at Wolf Creek almost by chance. Having just graduated from college, she started working for her mother who, at the time, owned a bakery in Lewisburg.

One day a man stepped into The Bakery on Court Street and asked Wagner’s mother if she knew of anyone who might want to manage a business he and his wife were opening.

“I happened to be there, and my mom said, ‘Well, Deva just graduated from college with a business degree,’ and he looked at me and said, ‘Would you like a job?’” Wagner says.

That man turned out to be Richard Pranulis; he and his wife, Vivian Reynolds, started the Wolf Creek Printery business that was the basis of Wolf Creek Gallery. For four years, Wagner was allowed creative freedom over the shop.

“They enabled me to kind of make it my own before I actually purchased it in 1998,” she says.

Since then, Wagner says she’s seen a lot of changes in Lewisburg, but support for Wolf Creek has always been steady.

“There were a lot of times where it was not the Lewisburg that it is today, and I don’t mean that in a negative way,” she says. “It’s gone through a lot of changes as far as tourism and getting more people to shop locally and know our downtown has so many fabulous businesses.”

The promotion of tourism is a key ingredient for small business success in Lewisburg. To that end, Wagner is involved in the collaborative advertising efforts of the Lewisburg Downtown Business Association. 

“We have so much culture here. You can shop and eat, there’s outdoor activities, music, entertainment; that whole package is what makes it such a great place to come in my opinion. I’ve grown up here, and I love it here, and visitors always comment, ‘You guys have so much going on! It’s such a great place.’ And I feel really proud to be a part of that.”

Through the years, Wagner has not only gained repeat customers, but she’s watched children grow and have children of their own, who continue to shop at and support Wolf Creek.

“I remember when they were babies, and now they’re shopping here for clothing for themselves,” she says. “It’s kind of bittersweet for me because it makes me realize how much time has passed. But I love the idea of the generational support— grandma, mom, daughter all shop here—that’s kind of how I built this business.”

Wagner’s mother and her daughter have also both worked alongside her at Wolf Creek. “My mom was here with me through all the most trying years, and she retired a couple years ago but she still helps me out here and there,” she says. “I have daughter as well who’s now 24, so I’ve always thought it’s nice to have a place that all three of us can be and all three of us can shop.”

Tourism has played a large role in Wolf Creek’s continued success, but it’s the local clientele who have truly made a difference. When the shop first opened, it was intended for locals, as there really wasn’t a clothing store in town at the time. “We were trying to fulfill a need in a small town,” Wagner says.

Wagner’s customers have helped her through some tough times, always offering encouragement and unending support. “When I feel like the store is not looking how I want, or it’s not up to my expectations for myself, those customers always come in at the right time and fill me up with compliments,” she says. “And I take that very seriously.”

Not only does this make Wagner simply feel good, but it reinforces that she’s doing something right, because she wants it to be about more than just buying things. Taking a lot of pride in what she picks out for the store, Wagner keeps her regular customers, who have been shopping at Wolf Creek for years, in mind when she’s on buying trips, which keeps her grounded.

“I take a lot of time, I travel, and I spend a lot of money doing it, and those are triumphs when people enjoy the things I bring into the shop and let me know that,” she says. “People probably don’t think of retail as something that’s needed, but I feel like a lot of people really appreciate just coming in and looking at things.”

On the retail treadmill, you never know what’s going to come down the pike, and in a town that’s three blocks long, you never know where your next customer is going to come from.

“In our small town especially, one change in weather, one snowstorm, can affect one of our biggest weekends of the year, which is why I’ve always tried to focus more on my local clientele than tourists,” Wagner says.

“The people that come from out of town, you just never know when or if they’re coming. So that has been a challenge, just trying to find the right things to put in the shop that people will like and will buy. It’s always a challenge in any business, it’s not just me.”

Since the pandemic, which forced Wagner to almost start over in terms of retail, wholesale, her purveyors, buying trips and more, she’s learning the new normal. “The whole industry has really shifted in different ways,” she says.

Yet when the worst of it was over, Wagner then had two of the busiest and most profitable years of her career in 2021 and 2022.

“Who would have known that was going to happen? It was definitely a lesson in being able to roll with whatever’s coming, and it’s a great metaphor for life in general,” she says.

Expanding the shop’s apparel and changing and adapting with her customers has been another highlight over the last 30 years. When Wolf Creek first opened, they offered primarily T-shirts, West Virginia items, sterling silver jewelry, hats and caps and gift items.

“The store has completely evolved over the years,” Wagner says. “I buy things that I like, that are appealing, well-made and unique.”

Take, for example, reading glasses. Years ago, Wagner did not carry them because she didn’t need them herself and not a lot of customers asked for them.

“Now, I have a huge display of reading glasses because not only do I need them, but a lot of my customers who’ve been shopping here for all those years are also at that age,” Wagner says. “As my tastes have changed and my customer base has fluctuated and changed, I think the store has also reflected that. The store has grown up with me.”

One of Deva’s continuous goals for Wolf Creek has been to make customers feel good about themselves, regardless of age. “I don’t think that fashion is defined by age,” she says. “The only barriers we put up are our own.”

“I don’t want to sell things just to make the sale,” Wagner says. “I want people to look and feel good when they walk out of here because that’s what fashion is about: being confident in what you bought, and that’s what I try to instill in my clients and my staff.”