Hardware, Cookware, Western Wear,
And Everything in Between
Words by Jess Hagemann Photos by Eric Morales
In the summer of 1978, Grease hit theaters, the first test tube baby was born, and Lucy and Earl Callahan opened Callahan’s General Store.
One Family, Multiple Stores
It was a long time coming. Lucy and Earl, along with some business partners and extended family, had owned and operated multiple small businesses on the same 13-plus acres for years. There was a cattle auction, a hardware store, a John Deere implement store, and the self-explanatory Capitol Feed & Milling. Determined to meet “the complete agricultural, home, and business needs of the Central Texas community,” explains Lucy’s grandson Charley Wilson (now president and general manager), the Callahans decided to combine these various storefronts under one um- brella venture in 1978. They called it Callahan’s General Store, and for 41 years, it’s done just that.
Today Callahan’s General Store sells all the wares: hardware, cookware, western wear, and everything in between. “If you need to grow grass in your yard, we can sell you seed; and if you need to control grass,” Charley jokes, “we can sell you herbicide.” Pet rabbits, free-range chickens, and domestic pigs round out a warehouse full of fertilizers, feed, garden supplies, and more.
One Store, Multiple Generations
Ask Charley if he ever saw himself taking over the family business, and he’ll laugh. As a teenager, he worked a month in the chicken room and warehouse, then went away to college thinking he’d never look back. Only when his uncle Verlin Callahan, one of eight children born to Lucy and Earl, decided to retire in 2016 did Charley consider transitioning from his advisory role on the board of directors to a position with more direct responsibility.
“While it was a big commitment,” Charley admits, “it wasn’t anywhere as big as when my grandparents put their name on the sign and went for it. I always admired them for doing what they did.” Thus he decided to heed the inner call—what Charley describes as a “professional and a personal and emotional tug”—to pick up and carry the family torch.
Through the years, dozens of Callahans have worked at the store. Charley’s cousins, Marla Dial and Mike Young, still do, serving customers in the Housewares and Feed departments. He’s been joined part-time by his youngest son, Curtis, a student at Texas State University. His middle daughter, Danielle, helped install and train Callahan’s employees on a new sales and inventory-management system. Even Charley’s oldest daughter, Karen, occasionally sells her handmade crafts in the store.
Multiple New Products, One Core Value
Driving along Highway 183, there’s an iconic green and yellow beacon standing proudly in Austin’s endless sea of construction. Callahan’s was once on the edge of a growing city. Now it’s a “farm store” in the middle of a metropolis.
Originally, Callahan’s served families with cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, and goats. To meet the different needs of Austin’s changing population, greater attention is now being given to those raising backyard chickens and planting front porch vegetable gardens. Even in an ever-more urban landscape, Charley says, Austinites “recognize the benefits of an agricultural lifestyle,” and Callahan’s is only too happy to accommodate.
Still, brick-and-mortar businesses everywhere—especially niche companies like Callahan’s—are struggling to keep customers coming in the door. Charley’s response has been to hire friendly, motivated employees, to “establish a relationship with our customers that is far beyond transactional.” He’s also recently expanded store hours to include Sundays, added a new forty-space parking area, and even invited a few choice tenants with local roots to utilize previously unused space on the Callahan property. A recreational ax-throwing venue opened next door in late 2019, and a wholesale commercial plant supply business will arrive in early 2020.
“Our road of opportunity here is still very long and wide,” Charley asserts. “Sure, we’re focused on transforming, but we’ll always uphold the core
value we were founded on: the authentic, friendly customer service that Granny and Grandpa Callahan thought was important from the beginning.”
Christmas at Callahan’s
Every year, Callahan’s assembles themed gift baskets ranging in price from $35-$75. They feature local goodies like jams, jellies, seasonings, sauces, and candles. Enjoy live music December 14 and 24 while you shop, as well as two Saturdays a month throughout 2020.
Contact:
(512) 385-3452
501 S Hwy 183
callahansgeneralstore.com
