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| A find at the Cedar Chest Antique Mall in McGregor, TX. |
You can have a great Saturday afternoon in Texas exploring small towns and the antique shops that seem to spring up at their hearts. I don't know what it is about small Texas towns and antique shops, but they go together like peanut butter and jelly... macaroni and cheese... or college and insomnia.
This Saturday, I found myself in Lorena/McGregor, near Waco. Two friends and I went exploring, looking for a vintage typewriter to use as a prop in a photo shoot.
At the risk of stating the obvious: You can find a bunch of COOL things in antique shops. They're great places to look for gag gifts.
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| "Alas, Poor Yorick," or a statement on evolution? Either way, he's going to be a funny goodbye gift for one of my better-humored professors. |
We started the day at the Cedar Chest Antique Mall in McGregor, about 15 minutes outside of Waco. It was one of the largest antique stores I've ever seen, with multiple buildings and tons and tons of old stuff to look at, try on or buy.
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| This is my friend Matt, who specializes in making weird faces for the camera. He's single, ladies. |
We found many cool things. I bought a book on hauntings in Texas, my friend Linda went home with some neat frames, and Matt bought a John Wayne picture.
Afterwards, we headed to Lorena, another small town nearby. It was about a 20 minute drive from where we were along country roads. Attractions were few and far in between, but the country was lovely to look at. We saw a lot of cows and grass, with occasional houses.
We arrived at Center Street in Lorena (home to several antique shops and the awesome Texas Cheese House) and decided that lunch was the first order of business. To the Cheese House we went.
Outside was a poster advertising the sodas sold inside. Typically, I don't like soda, but these were really cool looking and came in neat flavors. Weighing in at $1.75 a pop, I knew I wasn't losing anything — so I ordered the Texas Sweet Peach.
It was awesome.
Inside the restaurant was small and mostly dominated by merchandise, including two big cheese cases and some pickled stuff, and another set of shelves with mixes and jams and the like.
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| Pictured: Pickled things. |
The menu offerings were primarily sandwiches, with a few soup options and a couple of appetizers and desserts. Linda, Matt and I each ordered a different sandwich and agreed to split a queso. Since this was the Texas Cheese House, we expected big things.
We weren't disappointed.
The queso was medium-spicy with a delicious flavor and clearly made with house-made cheese. It was served with tortilla chips. Though the flavor was excellent, we were surprised at its consistency — very thin — making it difficult to scoop onto the chips. Still we persevered.
Next came the sandwiches.
The portions looked REALLY small to me. I had ordered an Italian sandwich ($5.50), which came with sausage, tomato, salami and cheese on grilled bread, served with a side of tortilla strips and what I later learned was a dilled green bean (spoiler alert: it was delicious).
However, despite appearances, I had trouble finishing. Sure, there wasn't much of it, but the food was so heavy.
It was really, really good. The bread was just phenominal. The texture — amazing. I highly recommend it.
Both Matt and Linda also seemed to enjoy their sandwiches, although Matt commented that his had too much cheese. Those who don't love dairy beware.
We capped off our afternoon shopping at the nearby antique stores. My favorite of the Lorena stores was the beautiful Just for You, which was housed in an old post office and still had many historic features. A plaque outside described the building.
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| The inside of Just for You was stunning. I wanted to live there! |
I understand that the owners live upstairs, which is roped off — no shoppers allowed. Considering the elegance with which the store's merchandise was displayed, I bet it was beautiful.
It was quite expensive, however, and I left with no souvenirs but photographs.
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