At the core of the Magnolia brand is the desire to make homes beautiful but with a focus on family and practicality. We want to create spaces that families want to gather in.
Joanna Gaines
It’s enough to visit the area known as The Silos of Waco, Texas, where Chip and Joanna Gaines have assembled markets, a bakery, and a fine old chapel right in the heart of the city. Catch it on a temperate day, and you’ll have a shopping experience to remember.
But most of us know the Gaines from “Fixer Upper,” the show that awakened us all to the idea of taking a tired little house in need of repair and transforming it into a special place with sound construction, enhanced landscaping, and designer touches that only Joanna Gaines could imagine. And for that experience in Waco, you need to take a tour.
We can’t comment on the value of one tour over another, since we took the only one available during this time of Covid-19. But we wore our masks, boarded a small van from Waco Tours, and took off to see the Gaines’ handiwork that made “Fixer Upper” so popular.
Most homes in Waco we saw only in passing — homes that we may have seen “turned” on the HGTV show, but didn’t quite remember. That didn’t stop us from admiring the little gems that have made Waco a tourist destination and caused the price of real estate to rise in this fair city.
But we did stop at one of the homes. It was purchased by the tour company, so we were allowed to explore the inside and listen as the guide explained the before and after of the transformation.
It truly is a little gem in this urban neighborhood, and we hoped more homes in cities just like Waco could be salvaged and brought back to life like this one.
Because the guide could tell we were all “itching” to shop, she pointed out in passing Little Shop on Bosque (photo above), a newly re-opened retail establishment in the Magnolia family, and then let us out at Clint Harp‘s place, Harp Design Company. (Clint designed and crafted some of the special woodworking projects on “Fixer Upper.”)
We loved the fall touches and variety of items inside — a treat just to see what’s in style.
Another home renovated by the Gaines sits next door, and, unsurprisingly, it’s owned by Clint Harp. (But not open to the public.)
Our last stop may be my personal favorite. We stopped to see the unique metal pieces crafted by Jimmy Don of JDH Iron Designs, who has been commissioned by Joanna to create special “cut-outs” for clients’ homes. Jimmy Don can take a quote or a song special to a homeowner and make a one-of-a-kind piece for their home.
When I asked if I could pose for a picture with him, Jimmy Don replied that he’d love to hug someone from Tennessee. (Well, who wouldn’t?)
Here’s hoping you’ve enjoyed touring Waco, Texas, with us. If you missed any of our posts, here’s a link that should bring up all of them. We’re pretty impressed with what the Gaines have brought to viewers like us, and they’ve inspired several projects that we’ve tackled after watching their shows. We haven’t looked into a subscription to Discovery +, but we might. The quarantine’s making us crazy, and we’re ready to watch all of “Fixer Upper,” roll up our sleeves, and work that Gaines magic in Knoxville!
Travel happy,
Rusha & Bert
Emma, West Sussex
Beautiful. Especially the blue home. So homely – and calming!
E 🙂
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks! I love that blue home, too. And I wish we could see more “fixed up” houses — they’re inspirational.
PedroL
hey hey, how is the weekend going?? 🙂 would like to tell you that I nominated you and this fantastic blog for the Outstanding blogger award 🙂 of course dont feel obliged to take part, but it would be awesome to read your answers to the questions I left you at
https://worldwidepedrol.com/2021/02/20/outstanding-blogger-award/ 🙂 see you soon then, PedroL
Oh, the Places We See
Thank you so much. I’m flattered that you would even consider nominating me or my blog for recognition. But I don’t participate in any award-giving initiatives. Please know that your admiration means the world to us. And here’s to better times after the pandemic for you and yours!
PedroL
thank you for your message and I’d like to tell that I totally understand you 🙂 let’s hope for the days we’ll be able again to be on the road eheh cheers, PedroL
Amy
A wonderful tour through your photos. Beautiful houses, the blue house is very special.
Oh, the Places We See
It’s fun to watch the show now, especially since we can locate the city in our minds and understand better what’s unfolding. Thanks for your comment, Amy. I love looking at houses!
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
I loved watching this show, thanks for your posts to Wago. I am hooked on these home flip shows, now watching My home town.
rajkkhoja
So beautiful House. I like. I am so happy.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for taking a look!
Toonsarah
Some beautiful houses here!
Oh, the Places We See
You’re so right!
kzmcb
Well, you’ve shared some of your motivation and the pictures had me look again at some spaces and special items put away in the cupboard. Thank you.
Oh, the Places We See
I love house tours and retail shopping, so it was fun for me to see what’s new. I don’t buy as much any more since we’re retired, but I still love looking at home foods. Thanks for commenting!
Ingrid
I recognized a few of those houses from episodes I’ve watched. Sounds like a fun tour.
Oh, the Places We See
It was a fun tour. I have a feeling that the landscapes were mire “spiffed up” fir the shows. But still, they looked quite good. Thanks ffor weighing in.
Prior...
you are right – we all
need to hug someone from
tennessee
and we need to hug more artists
and thanks for the waco tour / this was fun
Oh, the Places We See
And Texans give great hugs, too! As always, I appreciate your comments!
Prior...
🙂 and I appreciate your posts – take care