Iconic Callahan’s Reveres History But Owns The Future As Well

Today, three generations of Callahan’s later, the pace of Austin’s population growth has resulted in an outward push into areas that previously served as family farms and ranches…

Forty years ago, Callahan’s General Store, located at 501 S US 183, opened its doors to chiefly serve the Central Texas ranching and farming community, providing livestock feed, chicken feed, baby chicks, ranch supplies, vegetable plants, fruit trees and other items needed for the booming agriculture industry.

Today, three generations of Callahan’s later, the pace of Austin’s population growth has resulted in an outward push into areas that previously served as family farms and ranches. Consequently, many families in the area have sold off much of their land, downsized and many of their descendants have chosen professions outside of agriculture.

But if you think that raising baby chicks, vegetable crops and livestock and buying chicken feed would be practices of a long-forgotten past, you would be wrong.

In fact, urban Austinites and suburbanites in surrounding communities that are served by Callahan’s have pushed the sale of baby chicks and the store’s Central Texas-made organic and natural chicken feed to the highest levels yet with no end in sight. Urban gardening and backyard chicken raising are a somewhat modern phenomenon in which Callahan’s plays a central role.

“It’s not a coincidence, “said Charley Wilson, president, general manager, CEO, and among the third generation of owners at Callahan’s. “The market has been heavily influenced by agriculture and, even if the industry has diminished as far as how people would traditionally look at it, so many people want to hold onto something from the past.”

He also credits the “personality and DNA of people in Austin.”

“People in the Austin area like to look at things and do things a little differently, and that includes a very strong affinity and orientation toward doing something ‘natural’, such as raising chickens in their back yards,” he added.

Another current passion expressed by urbanites who regularly trek to Callahan’s is beekeeping. “We’re seeing a substantial increase in the number of customers interested in beekeeping,” he said. “We have relationships with beekeepers in the area who are our customers and who are willing to come at a minute’s notice to help others who have discovered hives or want to know more about owning a hive.”

Beekeeping aligns with the mindset of those who want to grow their own vegetables and raise their own chickens for fresh eggs, Wilson said.

With its proximity to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and the Circuit of The America’s race track, Callahan’s is also a destination for many international travelers who stop by when they see the Callahan’s sign, the large horse on the front porch, and the smoking barbecue pit on Saturdays.

“If you are an international traveler, from somewhere else in the U.S. or somewhere else in state, you get a totally different kind of unique and authentic experience at Callahan’s — one that is Austin born, Austin made, and Austin continued,” said Wilson. “You will see pigmy goats, or pot-bellied pigs or house pets greeting you, roosters roaming the floor or in their coops, baby chickens, and you hear live music playing.”

As the store ambiance goes, Callahan’s employees focus on maintaining a warm, friendly atmosphere and providing superior customer service. People with practical experience are hired for Callahan’s “five stores in one” (housewares, hardware, western ware and apparel, feed/fertilizer/pesticides/insecticides/pet care and food and outdoor garden).

Callahan’s continues to plan for the future as well. The store recently upgraded its customer information system and will vastly expand the number of available online products with the launch of a new and improved online shopping store in 2019.

“People appreciate our historical, down-to-earth business approach, but we are not so steeped in it that it prevents us from changing to meet that customer where he or she wants to do business with us,” Wilson said.

The store will also increase the size of its parking area. Wilson said that while the construction has been inconvenient for his business and others, he understands and appreciates the long-term benefits of the highway improvements and believes Callahan’s customers from here and around the globe will continue to enjoy their shopping experience.

“This is like nowhere else in Austin – maybe in all of Central Texas — where you can get a full dose of real Texas living and country living in one spot. We intend to be here for a long, long time, and we hope our customers will be here, too.”

Source: Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority