As Austin continues to grow and change, how Austinites protect local businesses also evolves. Programs such as Austin Legacy Business Month adapt traditional preservation tactics to celebrate the stories behind our favorite local businesses.
This October marks the second year of Austin Legacy Business Month, a program created by Preservation Austin to highlight local businesses that have contributed to Austin’s culture and community for 20 years or more. In honor of the month, passports guide Austinites through the city’s iconic local businesses, such as Nature’s Treasures, Aster’s Ethiopian Restaurant and Antone’s Record Shop, according to the Preservation Austin website. On Oct. 3, Zilker Taproom held a kick-off party to celebrate the start of Austin Legacy Business Month.
“The idea is Legacy Business Month is meant to encourage people to go support businesses all year round,” said Meghan King, Preservation Austin’s policy and outreach planner. “Maybe you’ve never been to one of these businesses, and now it’s a new favorite.”
King started working as a volunteer for Preservation Austin during grad school at UT and now serves as one of the two alumni who created Legacy Business Month in Austin. Along with programs manager Rosa Fry, King’s advocacy led to an official proclamation of October as Legacy Business Month by the City Council last year.
“I think it’s well suited to the Austin audience because Austin’s cool legacy businesses are such a huge part of why people move here and what people love about Austin,” King said.
King said she wants to ensure businesses adapting to survive still meet the criteria of a legacy business.
“This year, we have The Little Longhorn Saloon (on the passport), which has passed hands many times,” King said. “That’s part of its story.”
BookWoman, found on this year’s passport, moved locations many times throughout its almost 50 years. BookWoman manager Aud Kohler said they feel many local businesses deal with an air of mystery surrounding their stores, causing Austinities to drive past them, but never enter.
“We’ll have people say, ‘Oh my god, I drive past here all the time. I’ve never noticed this bookstore. It’s perfect,’” Kohler said. “Having something that directly highlights local businesses (prevents) taking for granted the things you drive past every day and makes you go on a mission to go find them.”
Wes Simms, a radio-television-film alumnus, works at Antone’s Record Shop and said he would often shop at Antone’s when visiting Austin before moving here.
“It feels like such a community here, everyone knows each other,” Simms said. “I moved from a much smaller town, (and) I liked living there because I had that sense of community. I was surprised to realize I hadn’t lost that moving (to Austin). It feels very neighborly.”
Simms cites The Continental Club as one of his favorite legacy businesses, likening these places to community centers.
“I think people forget that places like this are small businesses,” Simms said. “Just because they’ve been around for so long, they think it’s a given (that) it’ll always be around. It’s important to realize that we still have to keep the business going and keep trying to improve.”
