From carnivorous plants to bakeries, Community Impact Newspaper profiled businesses throughout South Austin and Dripping Springs. Here are seven from 2021.
January: Carnivero
Since the age of 12, Drew Martinez has been passionate about carnivorous and tropical plants. After years working in the technology industry and at Google, he said he decided to make plants his permanent career in the mid-2000s.
Martinez opened nursery Carnivero in Southwest Austin, where he and a team of five employees sell the rare plant life.
February: C’est Chic
Circle C Ranch residents Melissa Greenwell and Jeanne Cooper met in 1995, when both of their first children were in the same Kiker Elementary School kindergarten class. Both stay-at-home moms, the two became fast friends as their three kids progressed through school.
In 2009, the duo opened C’est Chic, their first foray into the business world since becoming moms in the late ’80s. Greenwell said their goal was to bring a gift shop with local apparel to Southwest Austin.
May: Austin Women’s Boxing Club
With 150 members in its all-woman gym, Julia Gschwind, Austin Women’s Boxing Club owner, said her gym offers an environment that is safe and inclusive for female athletes of all skill sets and backgrounds.
June: Ace Tailors
Ace Tailors was founded in 1967 by Ramon Galindo, who got his start making and altering custom suits for magicians, complete with special features such as hidden pockets.
August: Urban Betty
Urban Betty salon has been growing since it opened in 2005. It is ready for more in 2022. “I joke that when I first started Urban Betty, there were only six chairs, and I didn’t want any employees. Now we’re pushing 70 employees,” owner Chelle Neff said.
September: Far Out Lounge
The building that now houses The Far Out Lounge has been “something” since 1908, owner Pedro Carvalho said.
Legend says in the '20s, it was a hangout spot for train robbers the Newton Gang, Carvalho said. Roughly 50 years later, the likes of Willie Nelson and Janis Joplin performed at the venue.
When Carvalho set his sights on the spot in 2019, it had been a vacant building for a couple of years. Now, the large outdoor concert space is also the permanent home of five food trucks serving lobster, Mexican food, French rotisserie chicken, Italian sandwiches and fried chicken.
December: Cakes Rock
Christy Seguin is passionate about a lot of things. In the decades between her first decorated Christmas-tree-shaped cake at age 5 and the birthday cake she sculpted for one of Matthew McConaughey’s kids, she dove in head-first to several different careers. The cake artist who lives in Dripping Springs has now been featured on two national baking shows.
