Stokes Sign Company
Stokes Sign Company is celebrating 30 years of serving Lakeway residents and businesses, providing made-to-order signage for small businesses, churches, city departments and schools.
Opened in 1994, with a second location opened in Westlake in 1999, the business was founded by artist Nancy Stokes Hearn, a former technical illustrator who designed instructional manuals for McDonnell Douglas.
Keeping the passion for art alive through the generations, Stokes employs many young artists and recent graduates, and Hearn says that the company celebrates their staff’s creativity.
Read the full story by Reporter Karoline Pfeil.
Coffee Heaven
Cuernavaca resident Brandon Fokken has brought something new to the local coffee scene to “help keep Austin weird:” Coffee Heaven, serving Colombian coffee out of a vintage Jeep with a one-pound monkey to spread its message of selling “coffee with a cause.”
Opened in 2024, the business operates out of a 1952 Willys Jeep, a known symbol of Colombian coffee culture as they were used to transport coffee beans through the country’s rugged mountain terrain.
Coffee Heaven uses a variety of Colombian coffee beans for its hot and cold coffee drinks, such as geisha and sudan rume.
Read the full story by Reporter Brittany Anderson.
BBQ Outfitters
Despite working in real estate, Layne Mayfield and his wife, Kristin, never expected to become business owners themselves. That was until November 2021 when they purchased BBQ Outfitters from its previous owner Bob Carroll and made the move from Dallas to Northwest Austin.
The store is full of all the grilling equipment one can imagine—from grills and smokers to patio furniture and more.
While some changes have been made, the couple said they still wanted to keep the atmosphere that made people love the store for 24 years before they bought it.
Read the full story by Reporter Dacia Garcia.
West Austin Pottery
When Austin resident Terry Ilse retired from the advertising industry, he quickly rediscovered his passion for pottery.
Having taught junior high art classes in the past, IIse decided to open his personal studio to the public in 2016 and teach lessons under the name West Austin Pottery.
The ceramics studio offers intimate, small group pottery-making classes for all ages and skill levels. The one-man operation is led entirely by Ilse, who teaches both wheel throwing and hand-building for individuals, couples and groups of up to six people.
Read the full story by Reporter Kameryn Griesser.
Star Hill Ranch
West Lake Hills native Adam Woolley always wanted to be in the film industry. He even remembers collecting his first movie props when he was just 9 years old.
Now, in the heart of Bee Cave, Woolley owns one of the largest film prop houses in the country that sits on Star Hill Ranch—a 31-acre historic town replication and event venue.
Since purchasing the property in 1998, the ranch has become a destination for thousands of weddings, events such as the Texas Whiskey Festival, and a film set for popular TV shows, such as "Fear the Walking Dead."
Woolley created the town by relocating and restoring old buildings from throughout Central Texas.
Read the full story by Reporter Kameryn Griesser.
Poodies Roadhouse
Along Hwy. 71, among the rolling hills west of Austin, the legendary music venue and bar Poodies Roadhouse remains a Spicewood staple for residents new and old.
Poodies was originally owned by Willie Nelson's stage manager of 34 years, Randall "Poodie" Locke, who purchased the property in 1998.
The bar is known for its down-home atmosphere, sunset views and nightly live music concerts, where local artists get a chance to perform.
When Poodie died in 2009, Sharon Burke, who shared a history in working at music venues, took over.
Since then, Burke has given the bar a makeover, complete with a new sound system, bar top, flooring, kitchen and more.
Read the full story by Reporter Kameryn Griesser.
