Texas family-owned outdoor and adventure retailer Whole Earth Provision Co. will celebrate its 55th anniversary at the end of this year. First opened in Austin in 1970, now with six stores in four cities, the brand continues to be a space for community and discovery.

How it started

Founded by Jack and Linda Jones, the first Whole Earth Provision Co. store was born from the idea of opening a shop based on the Whole Earth Catalog, a popular American counterculture publication in the late 1960s.

The catalog contained essays and articles on “self-sufficiency, ecology, alternative education, do it yourself and holism.”

“It was like an entire lifestyle catalog, but everything in it had some element of exploration and discovery and enrichment,” said Shannon Owens, marketing manager for Whole Earth Provision Co.


A primary feature of the Whole Earth Catalog was product reviews of useful, high-quality educational tools and products. Since it wasn’t a call-to-order catalog, it called on readers to open a store based on featured products.
Whole Earth Provision's first store opened near the University of Texas at Austin campus in 1970. (Courtesy Whole Earth Provision Co.)
Whole Earth Provision's first store opened near the University of Texas at Austin campus in 1970. (Courtesy Whole Earth Provision Co.)
Whole Earth Provision Co. opened on Dec. 14, 1970, near San Antonio and West 24th Streets in Austin. Before, the Joneses were living in Dallas. They and Joe Jones, Jack’s brother and a Whole Earth co-owner, are The University of Texas at Austin alumni and agreed that Austin’s culture and open-mindedness in the '70s aligned with what they would offer.

The store sold out of everything in its first two weeks and had to temporarily close to restock.

“There weren't places around in those times to get the kind of products that we sold in the early days,” Owens said. “You had to order them or they just weren't available, as you can imagine, in the 1970s, so it was pretty innovative for the time.”

Owens said that, to their knowledge, only one other Whole Earth store opened, Whole Earth Access in Berkeley, California. According to an archived San Francisco Examiner article, those remaining stores closed in 1998.


What they offer

Whole Earth Provision Co. sells casual, outdoor and recreational clothing and footwear for men, women and children; gifts, toys and books, including cookbooks, puzzles, calendars, home accents, stuffed animals and more; as well as travel and outdoor gear like tents, sleeping bags, luggage, water bottles and more.
Whole Earth Provision Co. sells clothing, shoes and gear for outdoor travel and adventure. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
Whole Earth Provision Co. sells clothing, shoes and gear for outdoor travel and adventure. (Sarah Hernandez/Community Impact)
Austin has two Whole Earth stores on North and South Lamar Boulevard and others in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas.

The store carries brands such as Patagonia, The North Face, Teva, Camelbak, YETI and more. Throughout the years, Whole Earth has kept offering unique, useful goods.
Whole Earth Provision Co. has Austin locations on North and South Lamar Boulevard. (Courtesy Whole Earth Provision Co.)
Whole Earth Provision Co. has Austin locations on North and South Lamar Boulevard. (Courtesy Whole Earth Provision Co.)
“We have definitely been out in the market and in the world, and do a lot of comparing and making sure that what we have is unique, [and] is going to provide that element of discovery,” she said. “We also really want to make sure that what we sell is respectful to the planet as well.”

What’s special about it?


Whole Earth stores have also provided space to bring communities together. Walter Wakefield, one of the company’s co-owners, who died a few years ago, got a job at the first Whole Earth store because he was always there, Owens said.

“People come to us to discover, which is a huge compliment to us, and that's something that we take very seriously and want to maintain,” she said.
Whole Earth Provision Co. partners with state and local organizations such as Black Outside, a Texas-based organization dedicated to reconnecting Black and African-American youth to the outdoors. (Courtesy Whole Earth Provision Co.)
Whole Earth Provision Co. partners with state and local organizations such as Black Outside, a Texas-based organization dedicated to reconnecting Black and African-American youth to the outdoors. (Courtesy Whole Earth Provision Co.)
Whole Earth Provision Co. has partnered with organizations such as Texas State Parks, Hill Country Conservancy, Texas Land Conservancy, Camp El Ranchito and various others in cities with a Whole Earth store to donate to, host events and provide free gear.

Owens said running a store has only gotten harder since the '70s, but Whole Earth’s unique heritage and years of experience make it stand out today.

She said they want to leverage Whole Earth stores as more than a source of products, but a place for education, discovery and connection.


“It's always been about people, and it's going to be about people going forward,” she said.