A TOUCH OF MAGNOLIA
Joanna Gaines’ furniture collection drawing fans; stay tuned for book, magazine
Waco is a hot destination right now — yes, Waco — and according to the tourism folks there, it’s because their currently most famous residents, HGTV stars Joanna and Chip Gaines, are the biggest draw since Dr Pepper.
Susan Morton, Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau tourism manager, said that the city is so busy handling traffic from “Fixer Upper” fans that they have begun a shuttle system to help the 35,000 people who visit the couple’s Magnolia Market at the Silos superstore and other sites mentioned on the show.
The telegenic couple is now filming seasons four and five of “Fixer Upper.” Also on the front burner is promoting Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Home furniture and accessories; she will visit Star Furniture’s Katy store Thursday to greet fans.
Star Furniture is Houston’s exclusive provider of Gaines’ extensive collection of country chic, rustic-contemporary furniture and accessories.
Michael Galloway, vice president of sales for Star Furniture, said each Houston store has dedicated up to 2,500 square feet to display the collection. Much of it is in stock, but items that have to be ordered often arrive within a few
weeks.
The home accessories have “flown off the shelves” and dining room sets have sold well since they hit stores in early June, Galloway said.
“It got off to a good start and has been holding steady despite economic woes in the city at large,” he said.
Galloway noted that the collection has several style categories — Boho, Farmhouse, French Inspired, Industrial, Primitive and Traditional — and pieces are meant to be transitional.
“I’ve never seen a collection like this that has had such broad appeal,” Galloway said. “But people like them, and they like their style and they want to put it in their home. Some are still in college, but we see retirees and baby boomers, too.
At the Star Furniture store in Webster near Baybrook Mall, Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Home Collection is installed in vignettes on the second floor, adjacent to collections by two other Southerners, Tricia Yearwood and Paula Deen.
A light fixture made of canning jars hangs from the ceiling and dishes with homey prints are stacked on a kitchen table. In a nearby hutch/buffet with barn-style sliding doors, glass bottles wrapped in strips of rattan line the shelves. All of it is meant to capture the vibe of the Gaineses’ popular Waco store.
Alicia and Luis Flores of Friendswood stopped to admire bedroom and dining room vignettes. The couple call themselves “Fixer Upper” binge-watchers who were inspired by the Gaineses when they remodeled the home they recently sold.
Luis Flores, an Air Force pilot, calls up before-and-after photos on his cellphone, describing the work as if he’s writing a script for the homerenovation reality show. Before, the rooms were bland, with old carpet and plain wood flooring. They installed new flooring and white built-in cabinets and added a desk painted black.
“We’re hooked on ‘Fixer Upper,’ and all our friends are, too,” he said. “They’re a great couple and … Chip, he’s so funny, a real dude’s dude. In one episode, he ate a cockroach on a dare. I thought, ‘that’s awesome.’ ”
Alicia Flores said they’re putting barn-style doors on their laundry room now, and her husband loves his home remodeling efforts because it’s such a departure from his job.
On “Fixer Upper,” the couple shows prospective clients three homes in need of renovation. They describe what they’d do to each home, and then the future homeowner picks a home. As Joanna Gaines prepares the design details, Chip Gaines and his crew get busy on demolition and construction. They often run into snags such as leaky roofs, termite infestations or other glitches that cause construction hiccups.
When it’s time for the big reveal, customers walk into a dramatically revamped home — inside and out — fully furnished and with the perfect accessories throughout.
In October, the couple’s book, “The Magnolia Story” (Thomas Nelson; $26.99; 208 pp.), as well as a quarterly lifestyle magazine will launch.
The book is essentially a modern memoir, telling the story of how the two Baylor University graduates met and how they’ve grown both their family and their business.
The magazine’s first issue will focus on hospitality, entertaining, decorating and families. It will feature real homes and include recipe-driven food stories. It will cost $7.99 and will be published by Meredith Corporation.
For her part, Morton, the tourism manager, said that all of Waco is benefitting from the popularity of the couple and “Fixer Upper.”
“Not only are we getting more out of town traffic, but they’re coming from far away and staying longer,” she said. “They visit Clint Harp’s shop — he does the woodwork on the show and he just did a pilot for a show on DIY. People want to go to the various shops that they see Joanna shopping at and eat at the restaurants that have been mentioned.”
Morton said that the Dr Pepper Museum is near the Silos and is reporting record numbers of visitors. Visitation at the city’s Cameron Park Zoo is also up, and driving-tour companies are popping up to capitalize on the interest.
“We thought it exploded here last fall, but little did we know. It exploded this summer,” Morton said. “I used to think that if I could get people to come here, they’d love us and come back. Now when people leave I remind them that there’s more to Texas than Waco.”