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Celebrate Austin's Legacy Businesses in October!

From folks new to town to longtime residents, we all have our favorite places to shop, eat or be entertained here in Austin. Many of these destinations have been a part of the city for generations. As the number of new residents has grown over the past decade, some of these beloved businesses have been fading away. Enter Preservation Austin and their Austin Legacy Business Month.

In 2023, they presented their first list of Legacy businesses that included such favorites as The Driskell, Cisco's, Peter Pan Mini Golf, the Broken Spoke and BookPeople. The class of 2024 features Scholz Garten, Antone's Record Shop, Esther's Follies, The Continental Club, Zilker Park Boat Rentals, Joe's Bakery, BookWoman, Aster's Ethiopian Restaurant, Little Longhorn Saloon, and Nature's Treasures. Preservation Austin does more than call out these Austin Classics. They have created a fun program to encourage experiencing these businesses firsthand.

Starting October 1st, you can pick up your free Legacy Business Month Passport at our Whole Earth Provision Co. store at 1014 North Lamar or at the Zilker Taproom at 1701 East Sixth St. Here's how it works. When you visit and support one of the 2024 Legacy businesses with a purchase, your passport will be stamped. There will be a Kick-off party at the Zilker Taproom on Thursday, October 3rd from 6-9pm, featuring a limited-edition Legacy Business Month beer from Zilker Brewing Company. At the Wrap Party at Scholz Garten on Monday, November 4th from 6 to 8pm, prizes will be given for the most stamps collected. 

So how does Preservation Austin define a Legacy Business? There are several criteria that can be used.  The business is locally owned and operated and is at least 20 years old; has contributed to the history or identity of a neighborhood, community or Austin as a whole; is owned by generations of the same family; and has operated under singular ownership and out of the same location for 20 or more years

Preservation Austin is an organization dedicated to more than preserving buildings and other physical manifestations of Austin. They are on a mission to highlight the historic culture of the city by calling out Legacy Businesses and Underrepresented Heritage. These are elements of the city's culture that can easily slip away in times of rapid growth and transformation. By bringing attention to these Austin originals, Preservation Austin is saving places that matter to continuing and deepening the story that is Austin.

We hope you'll stop by our Whole Earth store on North Lamar and get your Legacy Business Passport and take a tour visiting some of our city's favorite businesses.