My itinerary for today included staying in Waco through lunch because, well, it is the Mecca of home design and who could possibly do that in just a couple of hours yesterday. I'm really glad we did it, though, despite temperatures of 97 degrees in the afternoon.
Our first stop of the day was the third piece of the Gaines' empire - Magnolia Table. This is a breakfast and lunch restaurant close to Baylor University. It is known for its wait times due to popular demand. We arrived at the perfect time and waited less than five minutes before being seated. As with their store, the business was impeccably run and focused on the customer. It was a large restaurant with several rooms and some big community tables. The Gaines bought a historic (closed, I think) restaurant and completely transformed it. I didn't want to be obnoxious and take pictures of the interior but did get some of the exterior.
The renovation work was fantastic. But the best thing about it was the food. It was the best breakfast I've ever had. And this is coming from a guy that gave up a free breakfast at the Hampton to pay $50 for breakfast.
Susan wanted to re-visit the main store before we left town. But before we traveled there, we drove by one of the Gaines' current projects. The Waco Castle was famous and historic but run-down. The Gaines bought it and are currently renovating it. There wasn't much to see behind the construction fence so I ignored photos.
Another site of interest in the same area was Clint Harp's Design Shop. Clint was a wood-worker who did many projects for the Gaines on the TV show. His fame allowed him to open his own shop. It was disappointing because it was all small stuff like coasters and cutting boards. Most of his work on the show was furniture and that was what I expected to see.
Finally, it was time to go back to Magnolia Market. Susan had something specific in mind but it ended up being different than she expected so we got away clean. Almost. Across the street was another store called The Findery. It was bigger than Magnolia Market and was full of Magnolia-type decor. We did not escape this retail hell without spending money.
With that, we left for Arkansas and a town called Hope. We deliberately went a longer, slower route to avoid Dallas. It was a very pleasant drive through cotton and grain fields with a few cattle. Even the 2 hours spent on I-30 wasn't too bad. The economy must be booming if truck traffic is an indicator. Trucks made up 2/3 of the vehicles on the road.
We checked into our Hampton and went in search of Bill Clinton's birthplace and a restaurant for dinner. We had skipped lunch after a huge breakfast and were hungry. The Clinton birthplace was easy to find as it was on the main road into town.
A restaurant was less easy to find. We went to the top-rated place in town, a BBQ place. Susan wanted a baked potato with meat on top. We went up to the counter to order and were immediately informed that they were out of pork. Not good. But Susan would have settled for beef. Then we were told that they were out of potatoes too. We left. Seriously, what BBQ business runs out of pork and potatoes before 6 PM. We ended up at a burger place in downtown Hope, a place that has little hope for survival by the looks of the downtown.
Susan’s quote of the day: "Its nice that they have free parking." Magnolia Market is backed by a non-major street. Across that street is a nearly entire city block designated for free parking. I said the business was impeccably run. This is an example. Give the customer something for free in order to get them in the door.
This quote competed with "I slept all night." Retail therapy must cure all sleep problems.
The highlights - Magnolia Table.
The regrets - None.
Today's direct miles from hotel to hotel - 299
Today's miles on side trips - 29
Today's miles driven by Paul - 328
Today's miles driven by Susan - 0
Today's hours in car - 5.5
Total Miles Hiked - 0
Cumulative direct miles from hotel to hotel - 5,055
Cumulative miles on side trips - 3,535
Cumulative miles driven by Paul - 7,608
Cumulative miles driven by Susan - 587
Cumulative hours in car - 174
Cumulative Miles Hiked - 52.1
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