The shop has a selection of beer steins from the 1800s and 1900s. (Emily Harter/Community Impact)
Leah Couch found a passion for selling German goods when she was a teenager working at what was known as Opa's German Store. When she learned the owners, the Armke family, wanted to retire and close the store, she knew she had to do something to save it. That's when she went to her parents, Eric and Renee Couch, who acquired the business in 2019, rebranding it to Fräuleins German Store.
“I was like, ‘Dad, this can't just go away. We need this for forever,’” Leah Couch said. “That's when we took over Opa's German Store, and we converted it into Fraulein's German store.”
A family affair
Eric and Renee Couch now oversee the store with the help of their two daughters, Leah Couch and Leslie Duran, and son-in-law, Skylar Duran. Eric and Renee Couch moved to New Braunfels in the '90s and raised their children in the town. Leah Couch said their involvement is what makes it a family business.
"I don't think we would have been able to get to the point where we are now if we weren't all so invested and all had the same appreciation and passion for it," she said.
The store previously operated primarily online and at festivals, but has recently opened a showroom where patrons can shop in-person.
(From left) Leah Couch, Renee Couch, Eric Couch, Leslie Duran and Skylar Duran smile at the store's ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 13, 2026. (Emily Harter/Community Impact)
What they offer
Fräuleins German Store sells German apparel, accessories and other goods sourced from Germany. The shop's most popular items include traditional hats, dirndls, lederhosen and beer steins. Dirndls are women’s dresses and lederhosen are knee-length breeches.
A man shops through the lederhosen options at Fräuleins German Store on Aug. 13, 2026. (Emily Harter/Community Impact)
Eric Couch said they have booths at events like Wurstfest, to keep the German heritage alive.
"People will buy their hat, and then they start decorating it with their pins and their feathers and things, and it makes them part of the party," Eric Couch said.
Fräuleins German Store will offer custom beer steins with designs from local universities, including the University of Texas, Texas State University, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Eric Couch said the store will also have new clothing designs and accessories at their Wurstfest booth in November.
"We have booths at these events to keep that German heritage alive," Eric Couch said. "I guess we did something right because it has just exploded. It's grown so quickly, and the demand from our customers continues to grow."
