Take the "Only Buy at local Austin Businesses" oath.....help keep 'em open during these hard times! (buying, closing)

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Not sure I remembe where you landed in Austin, but my wife and I thoroughly enjoy Galaxy Cafe off of Slaughter lane. Bend-over-backward friendly staff/management and local owner, and although there is not a huge selection, the food they do serve is good. It is an order at the counter setup, and then they bring the food to your table. There are no official 'waiters', but they do fill you drinks if they notice, and are available pretty readily if you need anything. Very casual, nothing fancy, but end up there at least once a week (either breakfast or dinner) to unwind. Not for everyone, but I am guessing you would enjoy it .

They have fantastic mahi-mahi !

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by Schnaiy

Very noble
And anyone can achieve this to varying degrees, I'm thinking of our own situation, where we can choose to use local merchants and minimize the use of store credit - in some of those national chains - but it's really only a last resort approach when the cash has run out and we have an item we must replace - like a printer cartridge: hello store credit at Bestbuy!
I pledge! We live in a very small community, so we do support the local businesses by choosing to shop there first. Only when we have a reason to go into Austin, do we shop at national chains - Sonic is the only national chain we have and I believe the Ace Hardware is owner operated.

Schnaiy, you are right..all Ace hardwares are owner-operated.....I greatly prefer them to the agoraphobic experience of shopping in a giant warehouse, at a HD or Lowe's, asking young new hires questions they are ill-equiped to answer....its a plus if they even know where something is......sometimes not even that....a local merchant can tell you exactly WHAT you need to use, how much of it, and easily save you money on projects....AND you get in and out of the store far quicker....I personally find it far more relaxing and enjoyable to deal with an older owner-op who chats you up on your project/needs...just makes for an actually pleasant experience.....

Per large big-box stores, I never cared for the impersonal aspect of them even when times were good....takes forever to find something, the parking lots are huge, the help, if you can find it, is often lacking, and the environment is not very friendly.....the worst are the really large places like Wal-Marts, Targets, and such.....how can anyone find any pleasure in shopping inside those places? The old funky K-mart's I grew up with as a kid are like neighborhood stores in comparison.....

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Originally Posted by love roses

I did my part today. Had lunch at the Taylor Cafe and sent a fax at an independent mailing/fax place in Round Rock. Oops, forgot to add that last week I hit dog eared books, cianfranco(?) coffee and had some amy's ice cream and also the farmer's market, all in Georgetown

Excellent, love roses! We go to the SOCO location of Amy's often, near the Continental Club......Amy herself is in that location often....I will have to check out dog-eared books though.....someone else told me about them as well!
http://media.decider.com/assets/images/venues/venue/18783/4_Amys_INT_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg (broken link)

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Originally Posted by atxcio

Great thread!

For many people who always assume the big box stores are cheaper, I'll tell you that many times they are not. Often I've found local companies with the same or cheaper prices on many items (except sometimes what is on sale at the big box store). It can be even cheaper if you pay $10 for an Austin Go Local card, which will get you 10% off at many local businesses. You can get the card at the Farmer's Market downtown, or Go Local Austin | Now living in Austin has another benefit. (http://blog.golocalaustin.com/ - broken link)

Examples -

Hardware -- Breed & Co: Although they have pricey, fancy housewares, I always go there first for my hardware needs. Staples like primer, spackling paste, small hardware, tile mastic, etc... often same price (sometimes less) than HD or Lowes. Plus, the person you talk to will ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT HARDWARE. 10% discount with the go local card.

Books -- Book People: For new books, skip Barnes and Noble. 10% off with card. Plus employees who probably read more books than you!

Nurseries: I usually shop at the Natural Gardener. Prices are cheaper than HD & Lowes, quality is better. Never had a plant die from there. Not part of go local, but they have their own loyalty card and discount. Bag-your-own or haul-your-own mulches and soils are well priced if you buy in the 1/2yd or 1 yd quantities. Needless to say, the employees are incredibly knowledgeable about the plants and native soils... something you won't find at HD or Lowes.

Restaurants: Endless options. Check the above site for discounts. You should never be able to answer the question "Where is the nearest Chilis or Applebees?". Not in this town.

Pharmacy: People's Pharmacy. They'll fill your prescription just like the chains, but they have cool stuff in addition. Also, get to talk to pharmacists with knowledge outside traditional medicine.

Pet supplies: Tomlinson's or Bark n' Purr. At Tomlinsons, I've found many things that are the same or cheaper than Petco/Petsmart. Plus employees that actually know about pets. See a theme going here?

Anyone else have big-box alternatives? Post the big-box alternatives in your neighborhood!

I really like your alternatives, and your post itself is great, Atxcio....again, things are surprisingly the same or even less at the local places, and its SO much more fun and relaxing to shop at the little places....you can chat with the owner, meet other regular customers, etc....a little bike shop we go to actually hosts events....and yes, you can find more cool stuff in the little places as well, that the big chains never carry..

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Originally Posted by CptnRn

I have been making an effort to try out different local restaurants lately. I brought dinner home last night from Tino's Greek Cafe, they have 4 locations in Austin. It was quite good.

Dinner Menu

Feta salad, Gyros, Lintel Soup, Pastizzio, Vegetarian Moussaka and Choclava were all excellent.

They are good! Try Greek pastries sometime..they are to die for...

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Originally Posted by UKjay

I like to shop at local stores too, but the one thing no one has mentioned is the attitude that often comes with the sales staff. I went to Book People and left with nothing after asking for help finding an author and got the rolled eyes + "attitude." They may have had the book, but they weren't getting my money. Big box stores certainly have more than their share of employees just picking up a paycheck, but I guess I'd rather have them than the judgemental toff who acts like Kim Stanley Robinson is in the same class of writers as Jackie Collins.

Eateries, well we tried some of the big chains as soon as we got back, just to go down memory lane and see if the food was as we remembered (50/50 on that). What a disappointment on ambience though, "get 'em in get 'em out" seems to be the attitude; gotta turn that buck. I think we adapted easily to the slow, enjoy a dinner, European style of dining while we were overseas. We went to Louisisana Longhorn last Saturday and will return; the food & waitstaff were awesome.

As for the garden centers, I still haven't ventured that far. We shopped at Cornelius, local to Houston, and I always found the master gardners to be jerks. I know nothing about gardening, so what may seem like a trivial question is a sincere effort by me to learn. Attitude I expect from a teenage, but a oap - what is their problem?

I've yet to go to a mall.

How about some a thread with suggestions of great places sans attitude

I think you find attitude at the national chains and big-boxes FAR more than the little places....many little places have family employees, or long-term workers, many of whom love their jobs....the bigbox employees are far more likely to be minimun-wage jockeys just clocking in....again, if you can even FIND an employee to help you....in a little place, you will ALWAYS be greeted by someone......I think most people here would agree that the warehouse experience is far more unfriendly and lacking ....

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Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Not sure I remembe where you landed in Austin, but my wife and I thoroughly enjoy Galaxy Cafe off of Slaughter lane. Bend-over-backward friendly staff/management and local owner, and although there is not a huge selection, the food they do serve is good. It is an order at the counter setup, and then they bring the food to your table. There are no official 'waiters', but they do fill you drinks if they notice, and are available pretty readily if you need anything. Very casual, nothing fancy, but end up there at least once a week (either breakfast or dinner) to unwind. Not for everyone, but I am guessing you would enjoy it .

Going there tonight..thanks for the head's up, TW....I like the retro 50's "Astroworld" look as well.....
Meet George Jetson indeed!
http://media.decider.com/assets/images/venues/venue/20226/4_GalaxyCafe_EXT_jpg_595x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg (broken link)

[Trainwreck20]

That is their 'new' location. I have only been to it twice, I think and the food seemed the same quality, but I like the south one better for some hard to define reason .

I think they also run Zocalo (sp?), but I have not been there yet.

[AustinGuy]

Originally Posted by inthecut

I think you find attitude at the national chains and big-boxes FAR more than the little places....many little places have family employees, or long-term workers, many of whom love their jobs....the bigbox employees are far more likely to be minimun-wage jockeys just clocking in....again, if you can even FIND an employee to help you....in a little place, you will ALWAYS be greeted by someone......I think most people here would agree that the warehouse experience is far more unfriendly and lacking ....

I don't necessarily agree with this. I've had much friendlier service at many of the local __evil__ Starbucks than I've had at many of the local indie coffeeshops.

Plus, some of the local places mentioned in this thread like Amy's and Galaxy are becoming mini-chains in their own rights on the verge of expanding into their own empires.

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Originally Posted by AustinGuy

I don't necessarily agree with this. I've had much friendlier service at many of the local __evil__ Starbucks than I've had at many of the local indie coffeeshops.

Plus, some of the local places mentioned in this thread like Amy's and Galaxy are becoming mini-chains in their own rights on the verge of expanding into their own empires.

Where I came from, Starbucks essentially wiped out the entire local coffeehouse scene.....and this in one of the largest cities in the US.....I recall pleasantly eating scones and sipping coffee in all these different eclectic places in the early 90's...all different... local artwork on walls, board games in corner, some had liquor licenses.....and Starbucks came, and they all went.........and I have fond memories of all those quaint little coffeehouses that have been gone for many years now...

Thanks, Starbucks!