The owner of the year-and-a-third-old Purple Elephant Gallery tells Cypress Creek Mirror reporter Rebecca Bennett of her plans to turn her stretch of McSwain St. off Kluge Rd. into an artsy “Old Town Cypress.” Already up: her backyard Iron Butterfly Studio and the thatched-roof Street of Dreams Palapa at 12802 McSwain, where hoopdancers attend Houston Spin Stars classes (above). Next, Debra Reese wants to turn a home she owns down the street into a restaurant.

“This has always been my dream, and that’s why I named it the Street of Dreams. You can make your dreams come true. You can even have a pig,” she said.

***

Reese’s porcine pal, Picasso the micro mini teacup pig, is the most recent quirky addition to The Purple Elephant Gallery. Donning a colorful Hawaiian lei, the surprisingly clean and well-trained Picasso can be seen snoozing — or cuddling with customers — on the shop’s covered back porch. . . .

The Iron Butterfly Studio has served as a venue for baby showers, corporate events and of course, children’s birthday parties, which is where the menagerie comes in. A trio of goats penned in the backyard perform tricks like balancing atop a yoga exercise ball for treats. The smallest one, a kid named Lucky, was born with a butterfly-shaped white patch on his dark fur, an eerie coincidence Reese likes to point out to visitors.

• Local artist dreams up big plans for Old Town Cypress [Cypress Creek Mirror]
• About Us [Purple Elephant Gallery]

Photos: Purple Elephant Gallery and Houston Spin Stars