Remember last post (few wknds ago) I told you we were going on a roadie trip to the Texas hill country into Fredericksburg, Texas? Well, finally getting this blog post finished....sometimes, they take me awhile!-Mainstreet.jpg)
I know you want to hear about the shopping scoop in Fred, but first a little info on the town. "Fred" as we call it, is a charming historic German town set in the beautiful hill country, surrounded by vineyards & peach farms. Girls LOVE it for fun girls trips but yet it's great for a romantic weekend with your special someone. Located about an hour away from Austin & San Antonio, the town hosts a ton of unique shops, great restaurants , wine bars & romantico B & B's. Alot of designers and creative types own the B & B's, so they're full of great decor. Most of the B & B's we've stayed in are outfitted with sumptuous linens, great baths & romantic fireplaces. The majority are also very private and leave a delicious continental breakfast in the fridge , usually prepared by local pastry chefs such as Rather Sweet Bakery or the longtime Dietz Bakery, both on Main Street.El Jefe is a great example of a charming B & B within the town. Part of the Austin Street Retreat compound, this villa is within walking distance of the shops and situated in a very private setting.
We've always cherished the charm & fun of Fred & we chose to have our destination wedding there years ago. We chose the old historical St. Mary's Catholic Church because of the simplified beauty inside and the charming history. Wish I had a better photo of the exterior and the interior....
PICTURE OF ST. MARY'S CHURCHES
(the older one from the 1860's on the right)
Today the congregation uses the newer of the two churches for their weekend services, but I think you can still reserve the historical older one for weddings.
Now, if you're wanting a very private country setting for a B & B, then you must go to the 1865 Homestead.
There are 4 different cottages on the 1865 Homestead and one is in the process of being remodeled. All of the German rock buildings are original to the Homestead & the interiors are outfitted with comfort. We love the "1865" so much that we chose the setting for our wedding reception, years ago. Pictures really don't do it justice because each cottage is charming and the setting is serene. Babbling brooks , Texas longhorns & pretty wildflowers surround the property. There's even an adult size playhouse up in the old oak trees! Another GREAT feature to the "1865" is the swimming cistern.
Very few B & B's in Fred have swimming pools, so you will appreciate the pool after a long day of shopping. However, if you visit in the winter you'll have indoor or outdoor fireplaces .....just pick up some great Texas wine from the many surrounding vineyards.
If you haven't been to this sweet town & their great B & B's, then you've got to reserve that destination weekend! Not sure where to stay , what to do, etc.?? Click HERE for loads of info or write me....we've stayed at ALOT of B & B's , eaten at alot of the restaurants, and would be glad to give you any Fred. advice.
Also, check out Ann from Hill Country House blog. Ann lives there and writes alot of great articles about Fred.
Well, back to the great shopping.......
Main Street in Fred hosts most of the fab shopping & great restaurants, so you simply park and walk store after store.
Oh, and Fred at Christmas time is soooo charming with Christmas lights all over Main Street......so maybe plan a weekend there fast!
Too many stores to mention, but I'll let you know two of my favorites. The first fave is RED for home decor & fabrics:
RED is a home decor store mixed with modern & vintage furnishings,industrial pieces, original antiques,urban organic pieces, sumptuous bed linens, stellar gifts and a design center.
The moment we walked into the store, Carolyn Moore & Kate Farris from RED were gracious and welcoming.
I love it when you go into a store and the staff is instantly warm & friendly. As we all know, some design stores can have an "attitude", but not in RED.
The store exemplifies their personalities by infusing fun & comfort into modern design.
Last year we stayed at a cute Port Aransas condo and the owners decorated above the kitchen cabinets with boat motors & old life preservers. Ok, the photos aren't that cute, but promise in person this was a fun display for a beach place:
Back to RED.......
RED vignettes show us the interesting juxtaposition of mixing modern with vintage & industrial.
Tufted headboards by local Austinite (another story I'll feature another day):
These amazing weather & waterproof pieces are available slipcovered or upholstered in a variety of Sunbrella fabrics. I'm in love with this line.Check this outdoor dining arrangement:
SO comfy and quality built. Read more about their construction on the RED blog HERE.
Carolyn Moore is the General Manager & Buyer for RED, and previously worked years ago at the HOMESTEAD store in Fredericksburg. HOMESTEAD used to be the "go to" destination in Fred for fabrics & decor back in the 1990's when they had six stores within Fred! Homestead's original owners, Tim & Carol Hicks Bolton, have since consolidated all those six stores down to one , in Fred. Alot of the original contents of the Homestead stores was sold to new owners of the Homestead in Hico, Texas. (hope I haven't lost ya) All of the Fred Homestead stores were styled in the finest vignettes mixing antiques & luscious fabrics along with the ultra comfy bohemian furniture created by the owner of the store, Carol Bolton.
Heartin' those boots!
If you're a FRED person, do you remember one of Bolton's Homestead's stores with the all white decor? Called ROOM No. 5, it was one of my fave!! Well, one of Red's other designing divas, Theresa Heard, is one of the awesome stylists from that store and now reins in fab display at RED too!
Bolton's furniture can now be sourced through the EJ Victor showroom to the trade. Back in the "six stores day" of HOMESTEAD's rein, in Fredericksburg, they also had THE best bed selection , made from local craftsmen & the fabrics they housed were amazing too. The icing on the cake though was how Carolyn & Theresa, (now of RED) styled the store along with the Boltons creating a true visual design feast. We always looked so forward to seeing the stores on every visit.
RED is lucky to have Carolyn & Theresa as part of their team and we look forward to going back each visit to RED, to see how the store transforms. In my opinion, RED will be the new "go to" design store in Fred . They're in the process of adding more fabrics to sell, along with a larger design area within the store.
The other top store on my list is ROOT. Root is a contemporary apparel and accessories store.
Love this purse featured on their blog:
Looking for designer threads in a small town can be tough....but in Fred, quite a few stores carry the current trends. ROOT carries current trends and a great assortment of lines such as: TOMS , Hanky Panky, Tory Burch, Joe's Jeans and Hudson's.Let me know if you've shopped Fred and have a great store or other place in Fred to share.
Also, if you've been following my blog, you'll notice we changed the blog design! Natalie from Modern Sugar has PATIENTLY helped me with my designs. We have looked and tried out umpteen designs....after awhile I just got tired of looking at "jvw home" over and over & asking her to change this/that....but alot of times with all design, you think something will be great until it's put together . Not her fault, it's mine, because I have too many ideas, and then consolidating them down into a single site can be a process.
Natalie is truly a patient, EZ graphic designer to work with....her website showcases mainly her "girly" boutique graphics, cuz this is her niche market. However, she's savvy at any style of design, for any type of business. Natalie also writes and shares alot of topics about web design such as "search engine optimization", etc..
Hope you enjoy this weekend. We're excited about the upcoming Thanksgiving holidays. Steven's been watching Food Network all morning taking notes. He truly excels in the kitchen & we love to try out new dishes during the holidays, or new ways to cook a turkey. Here's what we're going to try this year that looks yummy from
Marcela from Mexican Made Easy:
Ok, now I'm hungry! Time to get off the computer and vamos to cocina!
All the best,
xoxoxo,
p.s. Blogger notes:
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oxoxxoo
Images via jvw, Shop Across Texas , ROOT, RED, 1865 Homestead
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