Texas Featured
Business Spotlights
Stories about local Texas businesses: what they do, who they serve, and what makes them special.
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Kreuz Market: Lockhart’s Barbecue Landmark That Moved Its Coals in 1999
A Lockhart meat market started selling barbecue in 1875. Charles Kreuz bought it in 1900, and when the market moved in 1999, the pit…
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Threadgill’s: The Austin Filling Station and Beer Joint Where Janis Joplin Found Her Voice
Kenneth Threadgill opened a filling station with the county’s first beer license in 1933. His Wednesday night singing sessions helped shape Austin’s music scene.
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Amy’s Ice Creams: How a Tufts Pre-Med Student Started an Austin Scoop Shop on Guadalupe Street
Amy Simmons learned the ice cream business while studying pre-med in Boston. In 1984 she opened her first Austin shop, and the locally owned…
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Louie Mueller Barbecue: Three Generations of Smoke in Taylor, Texas
Louie Mueller opened his Taylor barbecue joint in 1949. His son Bobby ran the smoker for decades, and grandson Wayne is the pitmaster today.
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BookPeople: How Austin’s Grok Books Became One of the Country’s Largest Independent Bookstores
Two couples opened Grok Books near UT in 1970 with a $5,000 budget. Today BookPeople fills a huge store at Sixth and Lamar with…
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Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia: The Cortez Family’s Market Square Landmark Since 1941
Pedro and Cruz Cortez opened Mi Tierra to feed the farmers who sold produce at San Antonio’s Market Square. The family business is still…
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Ninfa’s on Navigation: How a Houston Tortilla Factory Taco Stand Helped Popularize Fajitas
In 1973, widow and mother of five Ninfa Laurenzo opened a taco stand to save her struggling tortilla factory. Her tacos al carbon changed…
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Joe T. Garcia’s: The Fort Worth Family Restaurant With a Patio Garden and No Fuss Since 1935
Mamasuez came to Fort Worth from Michoacan in 1911. Her family’s restaurant on North Commerce Street turned 90 in 2025, and her grandchildren still…
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10 Ways to Support a Local Texas Business (Besides Spending Money)
Small businesses need more than sales. These ten free actions help a local Texas business grow.
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Why Shopping Local in Texas Matters More Than You Think
From Houston taquerias to Hill Country wineries, local businesses shape the character and the economy of every Texas town. Here is why choosing them…