Good news for bibliophiles

New independent bookstore fills a long-empty void in Dripping Springs

Update: A previous version of this story stated that Sunday Bookshop is the first bookstore in Dripping Springs. A CultureMap reader got in touch about a bookstore they remember decades ago in Dripping Springs. There is not much of a record of this particular business, but books have certainly been available on and off throughout the town's history. The article now states that it is the first book store currently operating in Dripping Springs.

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A long-awaited, women-owned independent bookshop in a building with a surprising Austin background is opening its doors in the heart of Dripping Springs in June. It is the only bookstore that currently serves the Southwest Austin suburb.

Sunday Bookshop has been in the works since the beginning of 2023, with owner and Dripping Springs native Dixie Frechette behind the wheel to make a lifelong dream a reality. She decided to open a bookstore after closing her women’s clothing and home decor boutique Fresh Native in January, she told CultureMap.

“Why am I waiting for 'one day' to do that, when the opportunity is there right now?” she had asked herself. “It was a dream I’ve always wanted to do where the timing worked out to do it now, instead of waiting for whenever that ‘one day’ was.”

Photo courtesy of Sunday Bookshop

Sunday Bookshop is owned by Dripping Springs native Dixie Frechette.

Besides the public library, the closest thing Dripping Springs has had to a bookstore in recent memory is the Hill Country Senior Citizens Thrift Shop on Highway 290. Otherwise, locals had to purchase books online, or drive into Bee Cave or South Austin to shop in person. Now, locals and visitors alike can find their next read from the comfort of their hometown while supporting a small business in a much-needed, untapped market.

The building that Sunday Bookshop occupies has a story of its own. The home is over a century old and had lived on Rainey Street in downtown Austin before ending up in the Gateway to the Hill Country.

"It was built in 1907 and then the previous owners brought it into Dripping and set it up for retail. That's when Fresh Native moved in there," she said. "It was never a bar or anything down there, it was just an old house that was on Rainey Street and then they moved it ... I think it’s pretty cool there’s a little bit of history with it.”

Considering the rapid development and gentrification of Rainey Street throughout the years, it's no surprise that the previous owners would want to preserve some of the home's history by relocating it outside of Austin. Now, Frechette is continuing its legacy.

Sunday Bookshop Dripping Springs Brightly colored titles can be seen throughout the historic building.Photo courtesy of Sunday Bookshop

Sunday Bookshop's opening day is Thursday, June 22, with a grand opening celebration on Saturday, June 24. The store will mostly be run by Frechette, offering a carefully hand-curated selection of “book club picks” across several genres. Titles on the shelves will range from romance to general fiction, to mystery, thriller, and more.

“‘Book club picks’ encapsulates it best,” she said. “That’s what I’m the most familiar with because that’s what I lean towards when I’m picking a book. So I wanted that sort of niche selection.”

Sunday Bookshop does more than just sell books; the shop also carries an array of home decor, gifts and gift wrap, games, crafts, and stationery. Frechette leaned on her previous experience running Fresh Native to help decide what to choose as the shop’s non-literary merchandise.

“I wanted everything in here to be giftable in some way, because I feel like that was missing in Dripping as well as a bookstore, so I thought I could do a little bit of both,” she said. “I wanted it to be a one-stop shop here. So if you’re looking for a gift for someone you can pick that up, pick up the wrapping paper, and you’re good to go.”

Sunday Bookshop is located at 28101 Ranch Road 12 in Dripping Springs. The shop's summer hours will be 10 am to 5 pm from Wednesday through Saturday, with plans to expand operating hours in the fall.

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San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030