Sample book with community resources insert

TEXAS STAR
TRADING COMPANY
Right: Texas Star offers a wide selection of Texas books, gifts, gourmet,
souvenirs, T-shirts and more.
Below: Carol and Glenn Dromgoole founded Texas Star in 2004.
Texas Star Trading Company proclaims
itself “The National Store of
Texas.” Located at Cypress Street and
North Second downtown Abilene,
Texas Star offers a variety of Texas
books, gourmet, gift baskets, T-shirts,
souvenirs, jewelry, ornaments and
more—including the best selection of
Abilene-related merchandise.
Owners Carol and Glenn Dromgoole
founded the store in 2004 two blocks
up Cypress Street and moved to the
present location in 2007.
“At first we focused primarily on
Texas books, with a few gift items available,”
Carol said. “But as customers
requested more Texas merchandise, we
expanded our line to meet their needs.”
The store is known around town, and throughout the
area, as “that Texas store.” And it draws customers from literally
around the world.
“We have a guest book and encourage visitors to sign in,”
Carol said. “We’ve registered guests from every state in the
U.S. and from more than fifty foreign countries. It’s pretty
amazing. Texas has that kind of mystique around the world,
and visitors want to take a little bit of Texas home with them.”
Texas Star does a brisk gift basket business throughout
the year, especially during the Christmas holidays.
“A lot of people these days are really hard to shop for,”
Carol said. “A gift basket full of Texas gourmet seems to
appeal to just about everyone’s taste—and budget. It also
makes a good gift for a company’s special clients and vendors.
And we can handle the shipping as well.”
Texas books remain an important part of the store’s appeal,
especially books by Abilene authors or with Abilene themes.
“Our best-selling book of all time in our store,” Glenn
said, “is Tom Perini’s cookbook, Texas Cowboy Cooking, but
every year we seem to have a number of Abilene-related or
Texas books that do very well.”
Glenn’s own books—he has written thirty of them—also
are big sellers. “Well,” he joked, “when you’re an author, it’s
nice to have your own bookstore.”
Abilene historian Jay Moore’s books and DVDs are other
popular selections, and Texas Star often hosts local and
regional authors for book signings.
Texas Star offers a section of Texas bargain books—many
of them still shrink-wrapped—at a fraction of their original
price. “We buy overstock from Texas publishers and then
pass the savings along to our customers,” Glenn said.
Texas Star Trading—(325) 672-9696—is open Monday
through Saturday, offers free gift wrapping, and sells online
through its website at www.texasstartrading.com.
ABILENE, TEXAS: HEART OF THE BIG COUNTRY
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