Henry Gruene established the Gruene General Store in 1878, to serve the needs of the sharecroppers who lived on his land and raised cotton. The "company town" also had a recreation center in the form of a dance hall and saloon which was the only business that stayed open after the boll weevil destroyed the cotton industry and thus the town.
Sit down at the soda fountain and have a $.05 cup of coffee while the little ones enjoy soda, water, and Blue Bell Ice Cream. Free Samples of Uncle Otto's homemade fudge are available to every customer. A selection of fresh ground coffee, candy by the pound, and the largest selection of Texas-made food products, with T-shirts, hats, caps, toys, puzzles, games, books, and so much more.
