AUSTIN TEXAS

It is my privilege to be the presenter and editor of the decennial edition of The Scout Guide Austin. In the nine years prior, we were favored by two previous editors, Kelsay Bentley and Leigh Ann Kalman. Between the two of them, The Scout Guide Austin was given life through high-impact photography and thoughtful storytelling, something that still holds true today. I feel privileged to join alongside them and share in a small part of this last decade of supporting and championing local business owners.

We say this quite often, but as we watch towers rise and businesses that have long been institutions to this quirky city disappear, it’s worth reiterating: small businesses are the fabric of our community. From neighborhood corner stores, live music venues, and coffee shops to restaurants, artisans, and boutiques. By turns innovative and yet somehow also free-spirited, there is a home for everyone here in Austin, Texas. And if you can handle the summer heat, the springtime weather and widely accepted ‘tacos for every meal’ diet will always make up for it tenfold.

This milestone edition of TSG Austin is an opportunity to say thank you to the over 200 small businesses who have trusted us with their story. Each of you has changed the way I view this city. You have taught me so much about what creativity, passion, and an unmistakably Austin-like spirit of ‘anything is possible’ can produce. You each deserve to have your names shouted from the rooftops.

And finally, thank you to our loyal readers — those who live in this city and those who admire it from afar. Let these pages serve as a window into the local magic found only in Austin, and then please go out and use this guide to support real people in your community living out their dreams.

Thank you, Austin. Cheers to 10 more years of local!