Five years ago today, we opened Texas Star Trading Company as a Texas book, gift and music store. Today we are celebrating our fifth birthday with cake, balloons, a ribbon cutting and free gifts from 10-2.
If you haven't checked out our web site, it is www.texasstartrading.com.
We opened in a small 750-square-foot space in the restored Wooten Hotel next to the Paramount Theatre. Two years ago we moved up the street to 174 Cypress, a space almost four times the size of our original store.
When we started, we filled the room with books and some Texas gifts. Since then, we've added T-shirts, souvenirs, gourmet, jewelry, and most recently party items such as cocktail napkins, plates, cups, wine bags -- many of them with humorous sayings.
Books continue to be an important part of our store. Tom Perini's cookbook -- Texas Cowboy Cooking -- has been our best-selling book of any genre all five years that we've been open.
We reserve some shelves for Elmer Kelton's western novels, and Elmer has been so kind to do numerous book signings at Texas Star. He always draws a crowd.
Kinky Friedman drew huge crowds all three times he signed books at Texas Star. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has had two very good book signings at our store. And so many other authors have sat and signed books during ArtWalk, Downtown Dayz and other events.
We have a guest book, and over the years we have had visitors from all 50 states and, at last count, about 50 foreign countries. Right here in Abilene!
To all who have shopped with us these past five years, thank you. If you haven't had a chance to come by, we're at 174 Cypress St. at the corner of N. 2nd and Cypress. You'll see the Texas flags flying. Or check us out on the web.
Thanks.
Glenn and Carol Dromgoole
