How far do you have to go to find love? Some people cross oceans of time and space. For Crystal Murley and Lydia Meadows, it turns out love was only around the corner. It just required a few years for them to find out.
“I hit on Crystal eight years before we had our first date. I gave Crystal my number on a bar receipt,” Meadows said of her chance encounter with Murley, who worked then at the Montrose hotspot JR’s.
Despite Meadows’ efforts, Murley never called. As a bartender, Murley said they received lots of phone numbers on receipts, and they tended to dismiss the come-ons.
It was a swing and a miss for Meadows.
However, fate intervened thanks to the online dating website Match.com, where the two reconnected years later.
“After matching, we had an ongoing email conversation for several months, and then we finally decided to meet up in May of 2015,” Meadows detailed.
Ironically enough, while they were getting to know each other, they discovered they lived two blocks away but never crossed paths throughout the eight years since their first missed connection.
It’s almost impossible not to relate their story to the Kander and Ebb song “Ring Them Bells,” where the blushing beauty travels the world to find her companion who coincidentally was her neighbor the entire time.
And just like in the song, Murley and Meadows hit it off splendidly and eventually decided to share vows. A picturesque proposal on the Grand Canyon’s rim was followed by a backyard wedding, which took place February 29, 2020 – an indication of the duo’s quirky humor.
Appreciation for comedic timing isn’t the only common bond between the two. Both like to use creativity as an outlet.
Meadows’ creativity takes shape in theater, which she studied in college, and, most recently, voice over work.
“I set up my equipment in the guest bathroom’s shower and draped it with blankets. The first job I got was reading a villain. It’s just kind of blossomed from that,” she said.
Simple as her setup may seem, the dividends have been fruitful. Meadows is signed with five agents across the globe, and she has developed a steady stream of clientele.
For Murley, painting and glass work are their jam. They, too, studied art in college.
“Art is who I am. I cannot imagine not being creative,” they said. “From the first memories that I have, I have always been creative.”
With such a love of the arts flowing between the two, they naturally wanted to share their passion and connect the community of like-minded people.
Together, they created the Montrose Makers Market, a pop-up fair scheduled every second Saturday of the month at George Country Sports Bar featuring hand-made crafts from area artisans.
“We initially started the market three years ago because we wanted to do something for the community…something that was cost effective for the artist to show their work and something that would be positive for the community,” Murley said.
The monthly endeavor has thrived ever since with a steady following. It also maintains its original intent of goodwill. A portion of its proceeds are distributed to area charities, which is just one more sign of how Murley and Meadows share the love with everyone around them.
Montrose Makers Market takes place 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. every second Saturday of the month at George Country Sports Bar, 617 Fairview. For information, visit facebook.com/MontroseMakersMarket or instagram.com/montrose_makers_art_market. Free.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
