if you are not familiar with our store, you may find it odd that we identify ourselves as a a "World Famous"- "TEXAS-Sized Gift Shop". well, we were not always world famous or Texas-sized.
when our store first opened in San Marcos in 1978, we focused on handmade items and antiques. most items were from regional artists and craftsmen. in fact, the store had a very strong focus on "artworks" that are made "from the heart" -- thus the name: Heartworks Co.
in 1978, San Marcos was small community without many very large stores, and thus offerred a limited selection of locally available products. as people visited the store, they often asked if we carried certains kinds of products, and if we didn't, could we. as a result of this interaction with our customers, to the extent that we were able, we added a number of different products; and in doing so, we developed a very eclectic inventory of products.
as we kept adding different kinds of products, we kept using up store space. in 1984 the Western Auto Store closed and we had the chance to lease that space across the street on LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson attended Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos -- thus the name). because we retained the original store, and stocked this new space with a large selection of cards, stationary, journals, albums, and similar paper products, it became "Paper Bear". we then relocated the original store to the new space and adopted our current name: Heartworks Co./Paper Bear. in 1988, we again had the chance to increase our retail space by leasing the space occupied by the current store at 218 North LBJ Drive. we leased the space (an old Ben Franklin store), added more products and became a "Texas Sized Gift Shop". over the years, our customer base has grown. many customers are former Texas State University students, or their family members, or their friends. many have relocated all over the world; however, we are very fortunate that a large number of them find their way back to the store to shop, and that they often tell us that we are unlike most other stores that they frequent. thus, they suggested that we had become "world famous"!
when the "great recession" developed a few years ago, we decided that we needed to "rightsize" the store so we consolidated it into our current operating space. since survival often demands adaptation to new conditions, we adapted to these changes by changing our product "mix" to conform to what our customers most wanted, and by increasing our "unusual" products that are not easily found at more conventional "big box" stores. as always, we are strongly influenced by our customer's requests for products that are not readily available locally.
Heartworks Co./ Paper Bear has always been an "alternative" store that offers a wide selection of very affordable products that are unusual. this is clearly reflected in the product selection and value we offer today. we hope that you will visit us very soon .. and that you will enjoy your shopping experience with us.
