Distinctive items, a Texas feel and a great deal of humor are all prevalent in Texas General Store, owner Jessica Cruz said.


The retailer, which sits on Main Street, offers a little bit of everything, ranging from home decor to Texas -themed onesies for babies to signs with humorous phrases on them.


“Humor always sells,” Cruz said.


Grapevine’s thriving tourism helps bring new customers into the shop, Cruz said. Many of the customers who come in while on vacation or a business trip pick out things that help them “take a little piece of Texas home,” she said.


“Texas is a very proud state and very easily identifiable, so people, particularly around the world, find the novelty of our state very amazing and entertaining,” Cruz said.


Some of the customers come from countries throughout the world as well as from other states, Cruz said.


To keep things interesting, Cruz said she and her employee, Sherry Barge, like to move the merchandise around, which often gives them a timeline on when their return customers were last in the store if they ask where an item has moved.


“They’ll come in and be like, ‘It was right here,’” Barge said. “I’m like, ‘Not any more. You’ve got to look at the whole store to find it now.’”


Cruz said she tries to only sell authentic Texan goods.


“A lot of our products are from Texas people,” Barge said. “And it’s either Texas-made or -manufactured.”


The shop offers a variety of canned goods from the Grapevine Farmers Market, including jam, sauces, salsa and pickles. It also has a selection of spices and hot sauces, which are popular items, Cruz said.


One of the product lines offered in the store is from a company called GlassWorks Etc., which is based in Colleyville. Some of its products include wine goblets, soap dispensers and mugs with hand-painted designs such as bluebonnets and stars.


Customers can find women’s clothing and jewelry in the store as well as clothing for children.


And for the customer looking for something a little more edgy, the Texas General Store offers cookbooks and cooking supplies that are intended for adults only.


The store also has Opal’s Divine Mary mix, which is a bloody mary mix made in Austin.


Cruz said she tries to keep the prices of the merchandise sensible.


“We try to keep things reasonably priced for people who are looking for souvenirs,” Barge said.


Barge and Cruz said the city of Grapevine plays a huge role in the store’s success.


“The city is amazing—what it does for the local business owners [in terms of attracting people downtown with festivals is huge],” Barge said. “It’s a lot of fun to be involved with that.”