AUSTIN, Texas — This October marks the first-ever "Legacy Business Month" in Austin. It's a time to show some extra love for the city's longest-standing businesses and keep them up and running for generations to come.
Preservation Austin defines a legacy business as a "beloved local establishment open for 20 years or more that anchors a community and epitomizes classic cool." For the month-long effort, the organization has created a "2023 Legacy Business Month Passport" featuring 13 local businesses that it says help define Austin's culture.
Included on the passport are:
- BookPeople (603 N. Lamar Blvd.)
- Broken Spoke (3201 S. Lamar Blvd.)
- Carousel Lounge (1110 E. 52nd St.)
- Cisco's (1511 E. Sixth St.)
- Deep Eddy Cabaret (2315 Lake Austin Blvd.)
- The Driskell Hotel (604 Brazos St.)
- Green & White Grocery (1201 E. Seventh St.)
- The Herb Bar (200 W. Mary St.)
- The Paramount Theatre (713 Congress Ave.)
- Peter Pan Mini-Golf (1207 Barton Springs Road)
- Playland Skate Center (8822 McCann Drive)
- Quality Seafood Market (5621 Airport Blvd.)
- Waterloo Records & Video (600A N. Lamar Blvd.)
To participate in Legacy Business Month, you can pick up a free passport at either BookPeople or Zilker Brewing Company's taproom (1701 E. Sixth St.) starting on Oct. 1 and register at this link.
Preservation Austin will host a kick-off party on Oct. 5 at the Zilker taproom, featuring a limited-edition beer, custom prints and music. Then you can spend the month visiting participating businesses, showing your support with a purchase and getting your passport stamped.
On Oct. 30, Preservation Austin will host a closing party at The Historic Victory Grill and participants can be entered to win prizes for the most stamps collected.
Preservation Austin says the city's explosive growth has made protections and support for legacy businesses more important than ever. The organization adopted legacy businesses as an advanced priority last year and says it "aims to identify, uplift, and generate support for new policies and tools to sustain legacy businesses citywide and ensure they remain vital cultural landmarks for generations to come."