Road Trip to Buy Fresh Vegetables and visit Groesbeck, TX

At the cross roads of State Highways 164 and 14, is Groesbeck, Texas.  It gets quite a lot of traffic becasue it is a short cut between I-35, I-45, and State Highway 6.  But most of the people who are using this route miss the really cool little town.  Groesbeck still has a thriving Downtown area and that is where this blogger is going today.  There are many more retailers around Groesbeck and Limestone County, but that is a post for a different day.  If you visit the merchants listed today, you will fill an entire day.

Start with Jim Linnstadter, aka Coach, to buy some delicious vegetables fresh from his garden.  He and his wife live at the Lake and grow an assortment of watermelons, cantaloupes, peas, squash, and tomatoes.  Coach picks everything and hauls it into town.  He is set up across the street from the Limestone County Courthouse and the Post Office.  His truck faces the United Methodist Church in the 100 block of South Dr, J.B. Riggs Dr. (Yes, that is the name of the street.  It was named after a beloved doctor who flew his plane out to remote areas to treat patients.  When searching for the street, if that does not come up, try Corporation Dr.  Though it has been renamed  many years, it does not always show up correctly on search engines).

Jim and his wife are retired teachers and have worked in various school districts around Texas.  Some of them include Crosby, Waco, Mexia, and San Antonio.  They retired on the lake and with 10 acres of waterfront property, decided to raise produce.  I am so glad that  they did!

Coach said that he will only be selling vegetables another 2 to 3 weeks.  Currently he has three types of watermelons, Charleston Grey, Jubliee, and Black Diamond; Sugar Queen Cantaloupe, yellow Straight-neck squash, zucchini squash, and plenty of tomatoes.

From Coach's vegetables, head north to Navasota St.  There is a new shop located there called Browse Our Way.  They were closed for an emergency, on this day, but they sell semi-precious stones, jewelry and clothing.  It is a fun little shop.  I have been in the shop in the past and it has an assortment of unique items.

Head on across North Ellis (Highway 14) to B & M Unclaimed Freight.  It is a store that I can spend hours in, just looking around.  It has narrow aisles, packed floor to ceiling with everything imaginable, including a cello and dulcimer.

Cross Navasota St and go to Craft Gallery and Gifts.  Do not let the name fool you, this shop is known locally for the Jewelry, Clothing, HANDBAGS and FLIP FLOPS. It is owned by a mother and daughter team, Shirley Flores and Mary Gallegos.  Mary is a self proclaimed Fasionista and the store reflects both her and Shirley's style. In fact the motto is "Shopping! We call that Retail Therapy".  All of the items in the store are reasonably priced and includes many things that are not available outside of boutiques. Shirley and Mary also have a selection of baby and small childrens items such as TuTus and baby furniture,as well as packaged food products, and cook books.

Next door to the Craft Gallery and Gifts is Lady Jane Boutique and The Hair Stop.  This is owned by a Whitney Moore and Shelia Garrett.  I thought that they were Daughter and Mother also, but they are Daughter-in-Law and Mother-in-Law.  They are seamless in their style. 
Whitney is the Hair Stylist and she told me that she and Shelia wanted to add a retail front to her shop.   Whitney's mother loved antique, vintage style furniture and this was a way to honor her memory. This is a retail shop in the front with a Hair Stylist in the back.  It is hard to walk through without purchasing some article of clothing or jewelry.  Addtionally, they have vintage furniture that has been refurbished and is definitely unusual.  The pieces do not stay in the shop long and the merchandise changes quickly.  This shop is known for it's vintage jewelry, furniture, and vintage style clothing.  If you want to get your hair styled with Whitney, make an appointment, she is always booked.

The Groesbeck Antique Mall and Collectibles is next.  Martha and Lynn Pippin are the owners.  They are open Tueday through Saturday. They have been in this location for 23 years.

 Martha told me that the Chamber of Commerce learned that they had antiques in two different locations and approached them to open the antique mall in Groesbeck.  The Chamber sponsered them for a year and then the  Pippins bought out the City's interest.  At one time, they had 12 other vendors, but now most of the merchandise is theirs.  They have 2 friends with booths in the mall.  Many of the dishes that I use for the photos on my blog have been purchased here.  I am a dish fiend and this shop has lovely sets of dishes, silver and flat ware, books, pots and pans, you name it, they have it. And it has costume jewelry from the '20's to present day. 

Keep walking, cross the alleyway, and go into the Groesbeck Journal.  Pick a weekly newpaper, it will only cost you a modest 50 cents. It is the oldest newpaper in the county and has been published since the 1800's.  It contains all of the local activities for the week and has supplements for Thornton and Kosse, too. The Chamber of Commerce is located in this building and they have an assortment of leaflets on things to do around Limestone County and the State. 

Carefully walk across North Ellis, it is always very busy, to Nadines.  It is owned by the Farmer's and has been open as a retail store for 11 years.  Cynthia Farmer is an Interior Designer who has worked all over the United States for wholesale furniture companies, traveling away from home for long periods of time.  She said that they just got tired of the travel and since they owned property in rural Limestone County, they decided to set up a retail shop in Groesbeck.  Because of her background in Interior Design, Cynthia has a beautiful assortment of home furnishings and decor, a few food items, hand made soaps, books by local author Eleanor Clark, and earrings made by her hubby. 

At Christmas time, Nadines provides holiday decorating services  for business and individuals.  Their trees and store fronts are "to die for". They also bake cookies and provided seasonal drinks for the many activities that go on around the city and down Ellis street. In the fall, they offer Ladies Night Out on Tuedays, contact them to get an invitation. They have wine and hors d'Oeuvers.

Most of her clients are from Dallas, Houston, Midland and Lake Limestone.  This day, she had most of her shop boxed up to ship to a client and was planning a trip to restock. She has whimiscal, contemperary, tuscan, and western with the connections to get any type of home furnishing and decor that you could want and her prices range from $1 to unlimited.  I purchased Rose Syrup and hand made soap, today,  but I have also bought the bar stools at my bar, ink pens and gifts from this store.

Need a little snack?
Stop by Lisa's Cakes, located on Navasota St. Her grand opening is on July 2nd but she took the time to visit with me about her store. She will have cakes, cookies, cake balls, push up cakes, and cookies.  I can hardly wait to find out what a push up cake is!!
Lisa has been making cakes, cupcakes, pies, and cookies. for about a year.  She said that she started in her early twenties baking and playing with different ideas. Lisa  pondered  the idea for years and decided this year to go full force and make this dream come true. Lisa makes cakes for all types of functions providing cakes for parties, weddings, company parties,  retirement parties and  any groups. They will also deliver.Lisa said that she would like to hear what the community wants to see in the shop.

Our last stop is Longbotham's Furniture Store, also located on Navasota St. They have been a family owned and operated business since 1945.  The current generation running the store are the Arney's. They have a large assortment of lovely furniture and home furnishings, in fact, they provide any thing for the home except appliances. They stress customer satisfaction and I can attest to that. Customer Service is a priority. Their furniture lines include name brand and individiual artisans. The Arney's offer free delivery within the city limits, and with a minimum $500 purchase up to 40 miles. If you live outside the 40 mile range, as many of us do, they will be happy to deliver your purchase for a reasonable fee and on time, I might add.
Melissa Arney had a tower garden in her window.  It is hydroponic and circulates water with organic food to the roots of the plants. She purchased it just to see what would happen.  Well, it flourished.  While she does not sell these from the store, she said that she will be happy to help you get one of your own.  This was about the coolest thing in gardening that I have seen in a long time. I have really cool photos of the tower but for some reason, they would not load up. :(
Like all of the shop owners listed, they are gracious people who believe in giving back to the community. One of their personal favorites is LARA's House.  They sponser fund raisers though out the year to help the no-kill shelter.  They asked that you donate food, money, or adopt a pet now.  The shelter is currently having to turn away pets.

I do have one more thing to add, if you get hungry, go down South Ellis to Swicks Barbeque Stand.  The stand has been there since the early '70's and are owned by the same family.  They have a large assortment of some of the best barbeque in Texas and they are a well kept secret.  But hurry because they close at 5 PM Tueday through Thurday and at 3PM Friday, Saturday, and Monday.  Yum!

The thing about small towns that makes them wonderful is the people and Groesbeck is no exception.  All the the shops listed pride themselves with hospitality and wonderful customer service.  They make every effort to make you visit enjoyable. I hope that you make this short road trip to visit the retailers.  You will not reget it. 

Enjoy!

Deloris