The popularity of HGTV's "Fixer Upper" has made stars of husband and wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, and an unlikely new vacation destination out of their sleepy hometown of Waco, Texas.
On a spring break road trip with my "Fixer Upper" fan wife (alright, I'm kind of a super fan myself), we stopped by the Gaines' Magnolia Market at the Silos for some shopping. Like many fans of HGTV's "Fixer Upper" home makeover show, my wife and I watch more for Chip and Joanna Gaines than we do to see what home renovation they tackle next. But even we couldn't resist the urge to poke around Texas' favorite abandoned-barn-turned-tourist attraction, so when we began planning a spring break Texas road trip, fitting in a trip to Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco was a must.
If "Fixer Upper" leaves you with a Mayberryesque impression of Waco where life is quiet and everyone is friendly, well, that's not just a byproduct of TV editing.
It kind of is.
Located roughly halfway between Austin and Dallas, Waco lacks the pretension of the former and the bustle of the latter. The Magnolia Silos are the only real skyline to speak of and much of downtown still looks the way it might have looked in the '50s or '60s. On the edge of downtown sits the Magnolia property. Magnolia trees, of course, stand outside the front gates. Inside, a grassy lawn and picnic tables give visitors a place to relax or eat a bite from the food trucks that park along the fence line. A small garden provides a nice place to take photos; selfie sticks were a-plenty.
On the morning we visited, two new additions were nearing completion: a wooden stage beneath the Silos and the soon-to-open bakery, which will be accessible from outside the gates.
During business hours, the silo grounds are open for walk-ins. Entry to the market itself, however, can be a little tricky. On the morning we visited, a line to enter the market snaked out the front door, did circles in the courtyard, ran out the front gates, around the corner and extended another full block before the line finally ended in the middle of a railroad track. That kind of line in Texas is usually reserved for beers at rodeos or bathrooms at Cowboys' games, but we found our fellow line-standers more festive and better company than anyone who might end up in either of those queues.
Good thing: we stood in it for 90 minutes.
While the market itself is no bigger than our own backyard, the number of people inside makes looking for any one person like looking for a needle in a shiplap stack. A greeter at the door informed us as many as 6,000 shoppers enter the market on a "busy" day. That means on an average weekend, about as many people in Waco will consider purchasing a #Shiplap T-shirt inside the market as will attend undergrad classes at nearby Baylor University.
We walked in ... and I immediately lost my wife.
Then I lost her again.
Fortunately, my wife found me and, together, we ended up finding some pretty cool stuff for our Houston home. With our first Easter as a married couple coming up, we purchased two dip bowls for about $12 each and a medium-size platter for about $26. Also for the kitchen, we purchased two hand-stamped, made-in-Texas Magnolia coffee mugs for $21 – a bit high for your standard coffee mug, but we thought they were cool and we had a birthday gift card from my wife's parents to spend, so hey, what the heck?
And because no trip is complete without bringing something back for our dogs, we also grabbed a set of decorative wall hooks for their leashes and other outdoor gear. All told, we were out the door with plenty of cool stuff for our kitchen, home and dogs for about $250, which isn't bad considering a trip to Magnolia isn't really a trip to a home goods store —it's a trip to Disneyland for homeowners who love HGTV.
We won't be driving to Waco the next time we need something for our kitchen, but the next time we're near Waco we will be back standing in line at Magnolia Market at the Silos.
Despite the crowds — and kind of because of them.
Here are 11 things you need to know before visiting Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas:
1. It's not in the country.
Like we did, you might get the impression from watching "Fixer Upper" that the Gaines' Magnolia Market and Silos are in the country, or at least on the edge of town. They're not. In fact, they're smack dab in the middle of downtown Waco. The silos themselves are among the most noticeable fixtures in the Waco skyline (I'm resisting the urge to put quote marks around the word skyline). Parking for the Silos and Market is limited to spots you can find along the nearby streets. If you plan on a slow drive-by to check out the site and take pictures out the window, be on the lookout for kids from the school next door crossing the street.
2. On a busy day (weekends, spring break, etc.) you can expect to stand in a line to get into Magnolia Market shop.
We showed up just after 10:40 a.m. on the Monday when half of Texas schools were on spring break, and the line to get into the market extended around the block. About an hour and a half later, we finally made it inside. Fortunately, it was a gorgeous Texas morning – mid-70s, light breeze – and everyone in line was in good spirits (always a desirable trait among people you're standing in line with), so we really didn't mind the wait. When we drove past the area later that afternoon, the line was much shorter (probably 15 minutes) and the next morning there was virtually no line at all. So timing is everything.
3. However, you generally don't have to stand in line to come onto the Silo grounds.
If there is a line for the market when you show up, you can skip it if all you want to do is go check out the Magnolia grounds and take a picture. Inside the grounds you'll find the site of the new bakery, both silos, a stage, a grassy area for picnicking or throwing the ball around, a small workshop, lots of greenery and several food trucks. Let's be honest, though: Who comes to Magnolia Market and doesn't want to buy something?
4. You shouldn't expect to see Chip or Joanna inside the store ... but if you did, it would be pandemonium.
They're pretty busy these days. Duh. But if they did make an appearance, try to imagine Beatlemania if all of Shea Stadium fit inside a shop no bigger than your average Texas barn. Police in riot gear setting up barricades, young women screaming before passing out … OK, I'm exaggerating, but just a little bit. But there was a moment when I was stuck in a crowd of shoppers when I thought to myself, "If Joanna were to poke her head through the door behind me, I would die in a trampling and they would bury me in a casket made of shiplap and subway tile."
5. The prices are reasonable.
I'd put the price of the home goods about on par with what you might expect to pay for a similar item at a place like Target or Kohl's. My wife purchased a medium-size serving platter for about $24. The matching dinner plates were $6 each, but we passed because we couldn't find 12 for a full set. She also purchased a couple of small dip bowls for around $10-ish. Sure, there was some stuff that was expensive and some stuff that was more than we wanted to pay for that kind of item, but nothing felt like gouging. The only thing I blinked at (and maybe this is the inner West Texas boy in me who grew up surrounded by cotton fields) was the $9 price tag for faux cotton stems which Joanna frequently uses as centerpieces on "Fixer Upper." For what it's worth, though, they were among the most purchased items in the store the day we visited.
6. They actually sell lots of stuff used on the show.
A highlight of every episode of "Fixer Upper" is Joanna putting the finishing design touches on the home before bringing in its owners to view for the first time. We saw several items that she has used in past episodes, notably the cotton stems, other floral items and lots of small housewares.
7. The market also has a lot of items that aren't available on the Magnolia Market web store (and vice versa).
My wife and I are big fans of the metal signs made for several families by frequent "Fixer Upper" guest Jimmy Don. A few weeks before visiting, we tried to order one from the Magnolia Market online store, but it was listed as sold out. During our visit though, we were able to pick up one of the last few large signs available for less than $100. It was definitely our find of the trip. Conversely, my wife was also given a Magnolia cake stand ordered online as a birthday gift, but we didn't see it in the store (maybe it was sold out).
8. If you want a cheap souvenir, you should probably buy something for your home, not a souvenir.
At Magnolia Market, you'll of course find plenty of souvenir items stamped with the Magnolia logo, ranging from mugs to umbrellas, and of course, T-shirts. The prices on Magnolia souvenirs again weren't gouge-ish, but they were on the high end: $26 for Joanna's signature candle, $26 for adult T-shirts, $21 for this stamped "Made in Texas" coffee mug. If you just want something with a Magnolia logo, buy a wood postcard for $3. But if you're going to spend some money, why not get something nice for your home?
9. There is some stuff "for guys" ... but not a lot.
A small corner of the market (and by "small corner" I mean "small corner") is a section labeled "Chip's Corner." There you'll find a few guy-centric books, ball caps, carpenter's pencils, and other various doohickeys. That's about it. I can imagine the corner probably sells more stuff to women who feel they need to bring something home for their fellas than it does to actual guys. Nearby, a Chip-centric "#DEMODAY" T-shirt is also available to complement the hot-selling Joanna "#Shiplap" shirts. Frankly, there's cool stuff guys will like throughout the store (though what's manlier than a big ol' cutting board?).
10. Items from Joanna's furniture line are limited.
In January 2016, the Gaineses announced a deal for their own furniture line, dubbed Magnolia Home, with manufacturer Standard Furniture. You'll find some accent pieces but few or none of the bigger pieces, such as bedroom sets or dining sets.
11. There's lots of other stuff to do nearby, so enjoy lovely Waco.
Despite the wait in line, we took our time in the shop and still made it out with plenty of time to grab lunch at a nearby mom-and-pop bakery, check out the Dr Pepper Museum, enjoy a romantic sunset walk along the Brazos River, eat dinner and shoot pool at a popular college joint. Also within a mile or two: the Texas Ranger Museum, Cameron Park (good spot for wildflowers), Cameron Park Zoo, Baylor University and Spice Village, another good place to shop for home décor and other Texas-made goods.
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