Silobration at Magnolia Market and Fixer Upper fandom
Uninitiated into the world of Chip and Joanna Gaines and their HGTV show Fixer Upper because we don’t have cable TV, I’d nevertheless picked up an inkling of their popularity from fellow bloggers and multiple magazine features. So when we were in Waco last Saturday for one of the kids’ sporting events, I had to see what all the fuss was about.
Once known mainly as the hometown of Dr. Pepper, Baylor University, and the David Koresh doomsday cult, Waco, a mid-size city halfway between Austin and Dallas, is being reinvented thanks to the Gaineses. A year ago, riding a wave of popularity from their TV show, they bought an abandoned cottonseed mill and two silos in downtown Waco and remade them into a tourist destination and fan-girl (and -boy) nirvana.
Their Magnolia Market at the Silos home-decor store and event space now attracts 35,000 visitors each week. Thirty-five thousand! They come to shop, eat at the on-site bakery, wander through a picturesque small garden, play games on a big faux lawn, swing on swings, eat at food trucks, and take selfies in front of the landmark silos.
Last Saturday was Silobration, a multi-day festival marking the one-year anniversary of Magnolia Market’s opening. Having read about long lines to get into the store on an ordinary weekend, we arrived 45 minutes before opening and found a line already out the door for the bakery, which opens earlier.
Instead of waiting for bacon-and-cheddar biscuits, we explored the perfectly manicured grounds, which feature a basil-green 1953 Willys Jeep, picnic tables with stylish black-and-white awnings, string lights, and newly planted trees surrounded by colorful pumpkins and squash.
Enjoy the sunshine & silos. Well, we sure did.
In transforming the silos and mill, the Gaineses wisely left intact the industrial structure and turned it into supports for flower boxes, lighting…
…and swings! The artificial lawn was soon buzzing with young children and parents kicking balls, playing cornhole, and lounging on cushy poofs set out by the staff after opening. A stage just out of view on the left overlooks the lawn, and a band tuned up for the early crowd.
Behind the silos, at the entrance to a cottage garden, this pretty display advertised pumpkins for sale.
Charming flower-and-pumpkin arrangements in bushel baskets provided festive color.
Stacked on hay bales, the pumpkin patch would soon be teeming with parents snapping kids-and-pumpkins pictures.
Nearby, a cedar tepee cloaked with squash vine and hyacinth bean vine made a kid-friendly hideout…
…with toadstool stools inside.
Hyacinth bean vine was in full flower along the fence as well.
Magnolia Seed & Supply offers terracotta and tin flowerpots, seed packets, vases, and other garden decor in a picturesque Texas farmhouse-style building. However, it was jammed door-to-register with people that morning, so I took only a quick peek before beating a retreat back into the garden.
Cheery pink zinnias, the essence of cottage charm
One last look at the garden, with a silo looming behind
By 8:30 am, a line was forming at the door to Magnolia Market, and we joined the throngs lining up along the entry ramp. A festive mood prevailed, with many women taking selfies with the silos in the background. I talked with a woman who was visiting from California with her sister from Austin. I later read that not only do people travel to Waco expressly to visit Magnolia Market, but quite a few are moving to Waco to live the idyllic, friendly, small-town lifestyle portrayed on the show.
At 9 am the doors opened, and the crowd streamed inside. Racks of souvenir T-shirts — DemoDay, Shiplap, Magnolia, they read — were soon mobbed by fans riffling for their size. Cut branches of fluffy cotton were also quickly snapped up.
Decorative displays, like this stag illustration on open books, with a graphic mossy backdrop, reminded me somewhat of Anthropologie’s eye-catching, nature-themed window displays.
The store is nicely merchandised, which disguises the fact that many of the goods, even antique-looking architectural relics, seem to be mass-produced Made in China items. But uniqueness is not really the point, I soon realized. The Gaineses’ show promotes a modern-farmhouse aesthetic that re-imagines “country” with a clean, bold look, and people are clearly in love with it. The shop gives fans an opportunity to bring a little of Joanna’s trademark style back to their own homes. It’s a brilliant marketing move.
But the market as a whole is more than that. It’s a gift to Wacoans, a source of civic pride, and a tourist draw that lifts the city as a whole. It’s also a pretty fun place to hang out on a beautiful October morning, even if you don’t buy anything except a couple of Sic ‘Em on a Chicken biscuit sandwiches from Milo Biscuit Company‘s food truck, which were delicious, by the way.
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Digging Deeper: News and Upcoming Events
Austinites and native-plant shoppers, I’ll be at the member’s day Fall Plant Sale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Friday, October 14. I’ll be signing books from 1 to 3 pm in the Wild Ideas gift shop. Even if you’re not a member, of course you can still come on out and see the gardens and stop in at Wild Ideas. I hope to see you there!
South Texans, come see me at the 2nd annual Planta Nativa festival in McAllen, Texas, on Saturday, October 22. I’ll be delivering the keynote talk, “Local Heroes: Designing with Native Plants for Water-Saving Gardens,” that evening. Tickets are on sale at Quinta Mazatlan. I hope to see you there!
I’ll be speaking at the Antique Rose Emporium Fall Festival 2016 in Brenham, Texas, on Saturday, November 5th, 1:30-2:30 pm. Come on out to the Antique Rose Emporium’s beautiful gardens for a day of speakers and fun! My talk, with plenty of eye-candy photos, is called “Hold the Hose! How to Design a Water-Saving Garden that Wows.” Meet me afterward at the book-signing table!
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What a lot of fun! I appreciate your photo tour. It looks like a neat place and maybe I can make a run there sometime with friends. I am a little sad, however, about your comment that much of their stuff is Made in China, not that this is anything new as most stuff these days is Made in China. I’ll still seek out the real vintage stuff, but “Ya, Waco! Way to go!”
Yes, exactly, Laura. My feelings were mixed when I cruised through the store. But the overall feeling of the place is friendly, lovely, and fun. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. It’s clearly a boon for Waco. And it did make for an enjoyable couple of hours while we were laid over there. —Pam
Although I steer clear of many of the reno TV shows, I’ve been sucked into the world of “Fixer Upper” so I enjoy the up close view of the Magnolia Farms silo. The Gaineses seem like good people and it’s great to see the boost they’ve given to their community.
Sometime I should binge watch the episodes available online. —Pam
Never having heard of “Fixer Upper” the Gaineses or Magnolia this is all new to me. Looks like a fun place to explore, although the crowds may have scared me off.
So you’re one of the uninitiated too. No cable TV at your house either? I understand their shows are available on Netflix, though, and I may check out a few this weekend. —Pam
I don’t recall hearing about this show. My daughter’s good friend lives in Waco. I will have to ask her if she has heard about this.
I’m sure she’ll know all about it, Lisa. It’s a big deal there. —Pam
I’ve watched this show before and have been amazed by how enticing they make Waco look. No offense to Waco but it never struck me as charming before so I’m glad to see they’ve given it something to be proud of.
There’s a bit in the Texas Monthly feature about the Gaineses that I linked to that sums up what they’ve done for often-disparaged Waco:
I’d never heard of that show (like you, we don’t have cable – I mean, who has the time??) but that market certainly looks amazing…less the crowds though.
To me the nicest thing about the market is you can enjoy it without spending a dime. It’s a community hub, not just a shop. —Pam
Hahah, they are certainly striking while the iron is hot! Seriously, though, they are one hard-working team, riding the bubble while it lasts. I watch their show and enjoy it. It is the only show I bother with anymore on HGTV. One thing the show does is give you hope there are renovation contractors that are reliable and honorable! As far as Waco is concerned, I do sometimes wonder if, because of the success of this venture, the city of Waco is having to deal with increased traffic jams, increased littering and increased real estate prices.
And back to HGTV… What is up with that network??? How does it stay in business? Hahah, is it laundering money underground? This is a network that had the potential to draw in almost every female viewer, and scads of males also!, and they have thrown all that away. For the gardening, they did all those curb appeal shows, which I detested. They were anathema to a true gardener. You knew the yard would be just as messed up in a couple of month as it was before all that money was spent on it. Why couldn’t they have had shows with real gardeners, following what they did on a daily basis? I would have loved to have had a show with an American version of Monty Don, showing all the routines of daily gardening! Hahah, I have no problem with watching people turn over soil! It’s the intimate aspects of gardening I wanted. Someone on their hands and knees weeding, talking to their plants while doing so. Moseying among their garden(s) slowly, showing close-ups of plants, naming them, showing any animals on them (insects, lizards, etc), cutting back ornamental grasses (explaining when and how much). Why they liked this one, and that one not so much. Show them moving plants around to find the ‘right’ spot (the gardener’s equivalent of moving the sofa around – no, just a little bit to the right, no, move it over to that wall, etc.). I didn’t want some glossy, photo-shoot layout (especially one that you know will never really be a garden) – I wanted the whole mucky business of gardening.
That’s interesting, Lara. I’ve never watched the HGTV shows except in passing, like when I’m staying in a hotel with cable channels, so I haven’t formed an opinion of the gardening shows they offer. Or lack thereof, it sounds like!
I do, however, enjoy the magazine, which I subscribe to, although I’ll admit it’s all about interior design and rarely (never?) about garden design. But I like interior design too, so it works for me.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts. It sounds like you should create a series of gardening videos and put them up on your own YouTube channel! Also, you know about Central Texas Gardener, right? It’s the closest show I know of to what you described, where real gardeners talk about their gardens. And not to toot my own horn, but this week’s episode features me and my garden. 😉 —Pam
I’m with Loree. Never heard of any of this so it is fascinating and what a boon to Waco. Puts the city in a whole new context.
To me it’s a great example for anyone living in a place that they feel is off the beaten path. Location is no obstacle when you have vision — and screen charisma! —Pam
I love their show. It’s the only one I watch on HGTV. But I had absolutely no idea their Magnolia Market was enjoying this much popularity. Wow! Thanks for the tour!
It’s quite the tourist attraction, Ragna. It’ll be interesting to see if it can continue to transform Waco, or if it’ll be a flash in the pan. —Pam
Hi Pam,
I recently visited Magnolia. Enjoyed it so much, as well as your presentation of your visit. Now that I’m home, and am looking at my pictures, I REALLY would like to know what kind of roses are planted outside. Don’t know if they were there when you went. They are white roses, single flower rose in a medium height spreading open shrub. They were not large blossoms but had an open flower. Don’t know if that’s the best way to describe them. Do you know what they are? Thanks Pam! I love your work! (I’ve tried calling Magnolia but no luck yet.)
Oh gosh, I don’t remember the roses, and there are so many kinds. Sounds like you’ll have to make another trip and ask Joanna herself! 😉 Thanks for reading, Linda. —Pam