Preservation Austin’s Legacy Business Month is back for October, sending Austinites across town to visit longtime restaurants, bars, shops, and gathering places that have helped shape the city’s identity. Each year features an all-new list of businesses.
The fourth annual passport program runs October 1-31 and features 10 locally owned businesses that have been operating for at least 20 years. Passport holders can visit participating businesses, make a purchase, collect a stamp, and enter to win prizes.
This year’s lineup also tells a story about inheritance. Several stops are run by the children or grandchildren of founders, while others have become second homes for regulars who have kept returning for decades.
Passports are free and available at Preservation Austin’s new headquarters, the McFarland-McBee House (3805 Red River St.), TOMO Mags (411 Brazos St., Ste. 101), Zilker Taproom (1701 E. 6th St.), and any of the 10 participating businesses.
Here are this year’s Legacy Business Month stops:
Boggy Creek Farm
3414 Lyons Rd.
Boggy Creek Farm is now in its third generation, with the Geyer family helping carry on the farm that Carol Ann Sayle and Larry Butler established in 1992. The East Austin farm also preserves a much older piece of city history: an 1841 farmhouse that Sayle and Butler restored after finding the property in disrepair. October visitors can expect late-season produce such as cherry tomatoes, dandelion greens, okra, and eggplant.
Callahan’s General Store
501 Bastrop Hwy.
Callahan’s General Store was established in 1978 by Earl and Lucy Callahan, combining a hardware store with a feed store that had started in the 1960s. Charlie Wilson, the store’s president, general manager, and CEO, says he is the third generation to manage the business. The store still sells western wear, hardware, animal care supplies, boots, hats, and baby chicks, which Wilson says remain one of the biggest draws for families.
Juan in a Million
2300 E. Cesar Chavez St.
Juan in a Million was opened in 1980 by Juan and Myrna Meza, two former schoolteachers who had worked in restaurants to make ends meet. Christina Kim, their daughter, grew up in the kitchen because her parents could not afford daycare, and the East Austin restaurant is still family owned and operated. Its best-known dish is the Don Juan taco, a heaping plate of potato, bacon, egg, and cheese served with tortillas.
Texas Chili Parlor
1409 Lavaca St.
Texas Chili Parlor has been serving chili near the Texas Capitol since 1976 and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. General manager Russell Rich says the restaurant is known for Texas red, an all-beef chili with no beans, though the menu also includes bean-filled options for “non-purists.” Its history includes regulars, politicians, musicians, a mention in Guy Clark’s “Dublin Blues,” and a Quentin Tarantino film shoot.
Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs
808 E. 51st St.
Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs was started in 1996 by Suzy Casey Gallagher and Kit Thompson, then bought by Mars Chapman’s parents in 2006. Chapman says his family first discovered the shop when his aunt brought him there as a child, and he later fell in love with making shaved ice. He bought out his parents’ interest last year and now runs the North Loop shop, which serves classic snowballs, rainbow shaved ice, and creamy New Orleans-style flavors.
Westgate Lanes
2701 W. William Cannon Dr.
Westgate Lanes opened in 1978, but owner John Donovan says his family’s bowling history goes back to 1958, when his grandfather opened Dart Bowl. The South Austin bowling alley has 40 lanes and operates seven days a week, 364 days a year. Donovan says some employees started there in high school and now have children of their own, making the business feel generational for staff as well as owners.
Shenanigans Nightclub
13233 Pond Springs Rd., Ste. 316
Shenanigans Nightclub was opened in 2001 by owner Bill Fischer as a welcoming neighborhood bar in Northwest Austin. The club describes itself as a step above a dive bar, but still proudly divey, with pool, darts, shuffleboard, karaoke, free popcorn, and a steady crowd of regulars. Shenanigans emphasizes its role as a community gathering place for people from all walks of life.
The Tavern
922 W. 12th St.
The Tavern’s building dates to 1916, when it opened as the Enfield Grocery Store at 12th and Lamar. Longtime bartender Bo Hensley says the building became The Tavern in 1933, after a rumored Prohibition-era stretch as an upstairs bar, casino, and brothel. The pub still leans into its old Austin character, from its German public-house design to its “air conditioning” neon sign, a nod to its history as one of the first Austin establishments to offer the amenity. Today it remains a game-day gathering place known for burgers, beer, and a few ghost stories.
CoCo’s Cafe
8557 Research Blvd., Ste. 118
CoCo’s Cafe opened in 1999 and bills itself as Austin’s first boba drink shop. Lilia Phillips, daughter of one of the owners, says the North Austin cafe has been around longer than she has, making it meaningful to grow up alongside both the restaurant and its longtime customers. The cafe serves milk tea with boba, green onion pie, peppercorn chicken, spicy beef noodle soup, and other Taiwanese comfort food.
Elysium
705 Red River St.
Elysium owner John Wickham says the Red River building has been used as a bar almost continuously since the 1970s, but Elysium has been its longest-running tenant at 25 years. The goth and alternative club is known for live music, Sunday ’80s nights, dark decor, cocktails and mocktails, and its role in the Red River Cultural District, which describes itself as home to “Austin’s Music Mile.” Wickham says preserving live music and cultural diversity is a key part of the venue’s legacy.
Legacy Business Month concludes with a wrap party at The Tavern on Wednesday, November 4, from 6-7:30 pm. Participants will be entered to win prizes based on the number of stamps collected, including hotel stays, SXSW music wristbands, fitness passes, gift cards, and merchandise from participating businesses.
