February: Georgetown's Stockyard Coffee seeks to serve community perfect roast
Halfway between Georgetown and Leander along Hwy. 29, a cow-printed coffee trailer sells original brews and bites out of a small window.
Stockyard Coffee is one of many drive-thru coffee concepts cropping up around Georgetown and the Greater Austin area.
Owner Kendra Kay, who opened the stand in May, said she will never open a brick-and-mortar location because it's just not worth the cost.
"It was really important for me to have the trailer so that I could feel more integrated with the community. I can go to local events and not just stay stationary. ... And in the mornings, it's so great because I can catch people commuting. I learn about their lives really fast that way," Kay said.
March: Explore Georgetown's 5-mile cave system running beneath I-35
About 30 feet beneath the bustling traffic of I-35, visitors can find total darkness and complete silence among the glittering calcium deposits and mineral-rich ponds of Inner Space Caverns.
Georgetown's 5-mile cave system attracts tourists from across the country hoping to explore what General Manager Taunya Vessels called one of Texas's greatest paleontological sites.
April: Union Merchant shares wine knowledge, builds community in Georgetown
On the corner of Eighth Street and Myrtle Street in downtown Georgetown, an unassuming industrial-style building sits next to an old Victorian home.
Built in 1919, the location has a storied history as a carriage house, an auto repair shop, a wedding venue, and now, a chic wine bistro where patrons can sip, shop and learn all at once.
Union Merchant opened in 2022 alongside the boutique Hase Hase, which both operate within the historic garage.
The shop serves a variety of wines, beers and charcuterie foods, which customers can enjoy as they lounge on the lawn or poke around displays of home decor, clothing and gift items.
May: Pink Poppy Artisans Boutique colors Georgetown with local gifts, goods
Kay Briggs has always been an artist. But unlike a painter, her medium is clothing.
As the owner of Pink Poppy Artisans Boutique in Georgetown, Briggs said she aims to marry her artistic tastes with functionality by hand-selecting locally made clothing, jewelry and accessories.
June: Beacon Behavioral aims to improve mental health care in Georgetown
Founder and owner Emily Kipp-Wright started Beacon Behavioral, a mental health counseling center, as a way for patients to find balance in their lives.
Beacon Behavioral’s programs center around a collaborative, empathetic approach that meets patients where they are and assists them in developing habits and outlooks that help them flourish in the long term. Using a mix of traditional methods like talk therapy and medication as well as yoga and equine therapy, patient’s counseling is tailored to their specific needs.
June: Leander-based Queen of Hearts CPR continues life-saving initiatives
After relocating to Liberty Hill from Chicago more than a decade ago, Anna Rogers discovered she was required to obtain an updated certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation in order to continue her nursing career in Texas. When she couldn’t find anywhere nearby to acquire the certification, she decided on a different plan of action.
Rogers made a trip to Dallas to get certified and become an instructor, and in 2012, she launched Queen of Hearts CPR.
Today, Queen of Hearts is an American Heart Association-affiliated organization offering various life support certification opportunities, first aid training, babysitting entrepreneurship classes, and educational programs for individuals, businesses and schools.
June: Men's hair salon Sport Clips Haircuts has grown from Georgetown roots into international brand
When Gordon Logan moved to Georgetown in the mid-1980s, he operated a handful of hair salons in the Austin area. While business was steady, Logan said he noticed a missing niche in the market.
"We realized nobody in the beauty salon industry was paying any attention to men and boys," Logan said. "Back then, it was very common to see signs in the windows of beauty salons saying, 'men welcome.' But even though they were welcome, it wasn't a very comfortable environment for us."
In 1993, Logan opened the first Sport Clips Haircuts location, a sports-themed hair salon specializing in haircuts for men and boys.
Over three decades later, the Georgetown-based brand has become an international franchise with almost 300 Texas salons and about 1,900 locations in all 50 states.
August: Aesthetic Dentistry of Georgetown builds relationships one smile at a time
Located on Williams Drive in Northwest Georgetown, Aesthetic Dentistry of Georgetown serves as a one-stop shop for smile makeovers and education on long-term dental health.
Dr. Mandy Holley opened the dental practice in 2005 in hopes of creating a relationship-focused environment.
September: Huntington Learning Center of Georgetown fosters safe learning space for all
From tutoring and test preparation to building confidence, Huntington Learning Center of Georgetown offers a learning environment open to teaching all types of students.
Ajith Varghese opened Huntington Learning Center of Georgetown on July 13, 2020. The center offers services for Kindergarten through 12th grade students.
October: GTX Countertops provides fabrication, installation for kitchen, bathroom counters
GTX Countertops found a permanent location in Georgetown, offering countertop installation through its crew with decades of experience.
President Rory Pettway started up the countertop company alongside foreman Daniel Hernandez. In March, GTX Countertops opened its 5,000-square-foot fabrication shop near the intersection of I-35 and SH 130.
November: To Have & To Hold creates one-stop shop for gifts near Georgetown square
In a quiet corner of downtown Georgetown, To Have & To Hold forms bonds with its customers by offering gifts for all of life’s occasions.
Owner Dixie Doss first opened the store as a bridal shop in Round Rock after noticing a lack of bridal registry services outside of Austin. After four years of business, Doss relocated the store to Georgetown in 2020 where she expanded her services to include baby clothes and custom gifts.
December: Galaxy Bakery and Coffeehouse satisfies sweet tooth near Georgetown square
What originated as a cupcake shop has transformed into a baked goods treasure box outside the Georgetown square.
Galaxy Bakery and Coffeehouse was purchased by co-owner Ike Thorpe in 2012 when it focused on cupcakes. Thorpe was raised in a culinary family and he recalls childhood memories of his family joking about making their own bakery.
“When making bread with my dad, I’m sure plenty of families have this experience but, we would say, ‘We should open a bakery,’” Thorpe said. “Of course we never did it...But when I had the opportunity to buy this I was like, ‘Let’s just do it. Who knows what can happen.’”
