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If you want a white water pitcher or a pretty wood cake stand, you don't have to drive all the way to Texas to buy one. But if you want to buy the cake stand and the pitcher from Joanna Gaines of "Fixer-Upper" fame, well, then you're going to have to drive all the way to Texas.
It's a long way to go for a place to put a cake.
But as of last year, 2.7 million people got themselves to Waco, Texas to wait in line for hours for a ceramic mixing bowl or a striped apron. They also walked around the grounds where the infamous silos stand in the middle of town, and where they found strawberry or lemon cupcakes in the now infamous bakery.
Last week, my mom, my trusty sidekick for many impromptu journeys, and I drove to Magnolia Market from Houston-- a three-hour drive through prairies, cattle ranches, and tiny Texas towns. It was on her bucket list, and it wasn't hard to talk me into eating cupcakes and shopping for tea towels. I love that stuff.
We thought Waco was lovely. It reminded us of Jamestown, with its graceful downtown and its defiance in remaining relevant in a state surrounded by famous cities.
Chip and Joanna Gaines have built an empire in Waco, based on their talent for restoring shabby houses to inviting, cozy nests-the kind of homes that speak to their fans of family, friends and happy times in white kitchens.
And here's what I wanted to understand during my visit: what is it that this couple emulates that has so captured the hearts of America? Not only are people visiting Waco in droves, but they're talking about Waco and they're moving to Waco and they're changing the face of the city.
New restaurants have opened. Old buildings on Austin Street in the downtown area have been converted to lofts, and there's 11 new hotels. And the Californians, who are descending on Texas in droves in search of a better way of life, are eating up Waco like a lemon cupcake.
What the Gaines family sells, I think, is an idea-- an idea that small towns offer an authentic life, one that is focused on simplicity and family. What people find so charming is this idea that we can go home again, find dinner simmering on the stove, pick some basil from the garden, walk downtown and have a cup of coffee with our old friends.
Joanna Gaines' aesthetic appeals to a country that has been herded into cities for decades, where shopping and materialism and eating out has replaced activities that bring comfort and familiarity.
Her decor, even in her market on Webster Street, is understated. You don't walk in the front door and find crowded shelves bursting with items. It may even be disappointing to shoppers accustomed to being overwhelmed with choices. She's consistent, and holds true to her doctrine of simplicity: less is more, and more is not better.
Lest you think having a market where Joanna sells her brand is antithetical to her message of non-materialism and simplicity, the grounds of the silos feature space for spending time with family, where you can spread a blanket on the grass and have a picnic, buy a sandwich from a food truck or play a lawn game. What Chip and Joanna sell is a way of life-one that reintroduces us to a world without clutter, of Sunday dinners, or kids playing in fields on Saturdays, and families making pie together from fruit they've picked themselves.
Does it sound manufactured to you?
I think their success is directly correlated to their authenticity. It doesn't feel contrived. They live their message, it seems, choosing to live near family in Waco, finding happiness and abundance in the small town they grew up in. They spread an idea that we create our own happiness by pursuing things that are worthwhile, that bring us joy and contentment.
Needless to say, it rained the entire day we were there, so there were no lawn games for us next to the silos. We had booked a night in a newly remodeled condominium that had Joanna Gaines written all over it, and we enjoyed drying out and feeling cozy in our $89 a night condo next to beautiful Baylor University.
Besides coming home with some real Magnolia Market items-like a clay water pitcher and a wooden cake stand-one of our favorite things was eating at Magnolia Table-the new Gaines' restaurant. The rain gods apologized to us for the day before and there was no line when we arrived.
It's a beautiful space-white tiles and beautiful but simply stated chandeliers, lots of wood and open spaces and plenty of light.
We had a nice breakfast together, my mom and me.
Chip and Joanna would have been happy to see us together if they'd happened by- this mom and daughter on a road trip to Waco, eating eggs and biscuits and enjoying the morning in a space meant to bring people together.