“People thought we were crazy,” Holly said. “But we had the vision—it was clear as day for us.”
Making that vision a reality took some work. With retail space expensive, the couple found an inexpensive trailer and refurbished it themselves. But once it was up and running, things moved quickly. By the following October, they had moved into a small space in downtown Buda, and by June they were expanding. This past October, a second location, The Budaful Hiker Wimberley, opened.
At both stores, the Maxwells aim for much more than retail. All of the products stocked are carefully chosen, they said, and come from companies that in some way give back to communities, such using recycled materials or donating a portion of profits to charity. Three times a year, the couple travels to Colorado to find new small ventures turning out products in line with the store's mission.
“What we like is when people come in our store, they have an experience,” Holly said. “And so we share the stories of each product.”
From the beginning, the Maxwells also envisioned organizing hikes as part of letting the store itself give back to the community. There are now three hikes each week: Thursdays in Buda, Tuesdays in Wimberley and Saturdays in different locations in the area. They also recently lead a trip to Costa Rica and will take people to Machu Picchu, Peru next September.
Hikes are frequently led by supporters of the store who are members of a community that has grown up around it, the Maxwells said. The Budaful Hiker, they add, does not entirely belong to them.
“It’s a retail store, but it’s so much more,” Holly said. “This is just a vessel—this is for the community.”
Growth has been rapid even though The Budaful Hiker is only one of three businesses the Maxwells own—they also are behind Tidy Techs, an organizing service, and Natural Tribute, which sells T-shirts of Andrew’s design. That growth will continue, the couple said, but the shop’s original mission will remain.
“We don’t ever plan to be a big-box store—our plan is to grow communities in little towns in Texas,” Andrew said. “It’s not about us; it’s not about how big we can get. It’s about how much impact we can have.”
The Budaful Hiker
122 N. Main St., Buda
512-202-5410
www.thebudafulhiker.com
Hours: Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. noon-5 p.m., closed Mon.
