Shopping in College Station

When Stewart Ramser published the first issue of Texas Music magazine in December 1999, it sold in two stores. These days, his quarterly publication has subscribers in all 50 states. On each colorful, glossy page, writers showcase the work of Texas musicians from across a wide variety of music, from renowned artists such as Lyle Lovett, Spoon, Bob Schneider, Willie Nelson, and Ghostland Observatory to rising talents. They keep readers further abreast with a calendar of music events from around the state and reviews of native Texans' latest albums. Along with new tunes, the magazine celebrates the history of Texas music with features ranging from an Armadillo World Headquarters retrospective to a ranking of the top 50 classic Texas songs.

Since its founding in 1968, Jerry's Artarama has had a meteoric rise from a solitary storefront in Long Island to 15 stores nationwide and 500-page mail-order catalogs, supplying enough raw material to produce innumerable sketches, paintings, and drawings. Jerry's knowledgeable shopkeeps guide customers through the gamut of discounted tools, paints, and easels from industry mainstays such as Lukas and Matisse. Alongside the arsenal of art supplies, apparel, and equipment, staffers also provide custom-framing services to ensure masterpieces find a secure and stylish home.

True to its name, Relax Mattress stocks more than 25 varieties of mattress sets. Their inventory includes memory-foam and other comfort-increasing accoutrements to aid in a good night's sleep. Its line of Simmons Beautyrest mattresses conforms to the body with NxG memory foam. Pocketed-coil technology improves motion separation and provides enough individualized spine support to make a Chevy-size encyclopedia comfortable.

In the eight years since the start of Local Furniture Outlet, the cherished baby business of Mr. Aaron Masterson has grown up fast—from a 2,000-square-foot metal warehouse to four locations and more than 80,000 combined square feet of furniture. But the success didn't go to Aaron’s head. The proud father still traverses showrooms in casual flip-flops, enforcing a no-competition policy so that loyal staff members don’t feel pressured to make a quota. The stripped-down showrooms allow for lower price tags on direct-from-manufacturer brands such as Ashley, Simmons, and Crown Mark. Patrons are invited to peruse dining-room, living-room, and bedroom sets—or “kick the tires,” as Aaron puts it—without the pushy-push of larger retailers, who may use turkey legs to reward team members for sales.

In near-alchemical feats, Big Frog's staff transforms customers' images, designs, or slogans into custom-printed apparel and accessories blanketed in a satisfaction guarantee. Patrons submit art digitally or in person, which staffers then scan and send along to graphic artists who tinker over designs in need of tweaking at no extra cost. Images can be emblazoned upon T-shirts and tank tops for adults and kids, or accessories such as mousepads, puzzles, and tote bags. Most items come to fruition within 24 hours, where they await their new owners for in-store pickup or shoot off into the wild blue yonder with international delivery.

Since 1983, Austin Mattress's staffers have utilized their in-depth knowledge of sleeping surfaces and the sleeping process to help curate a vast collection of top-quality mattresses. They assess patrons' unique sleep needs before making thoughtful recommendations from an immense inventory of mattresses from brands such as Restonic and Corsicana Bedding. Memory-foam, latex, and gel mattresses line the showroom alongside traditional innerspring varieties, and each one is forged from eco-friendly materials, such as natural latex, soy-based foam, and Rumpelstiltskin’s beard hair. To enhance the cushy slumbering surfaces, Austin Mattress' on-site sister store, Beds n Brass, proffers a fleet of elegant, wrought-iron and specialty bed frames from such brands as Wesley Allen and Old Biscayne Designs.