The History of the Blacksmith Shop
Featured Businesses
Tucker & Co
Tucker & Co is a women's clothing boutique owned by Sophie Mudge! Tucker & Co's logo is a painting of Tucker, one of my childhood horses, and it was done by my Grandma. She is my hero and inspiration and I don't know what I would do without her! (If you're in the New Braunfels area, you can shop her artwork at the Gallerie in Gruene, TX or at the New Braunfels Art League downtown). My other Grandma is also very creative and is an amazing seamstress. She used to make headbands and accessories all the time. Some local boutiques used to carry her stuff and she would take me with her when she would go to bring them new products. Little Sophie always knew I would have a boutique of my own one day. Both my Grandmothers have strongly influenced my creativity. Then, of course, there's Tucker. Tucker was one of those once in a lifetime horses, if you know, you know. He was something special and he sparked my love for horses and riding.
Tucker & Co takes a classy approach at equestrian and western style and you'll see pieces inspired by all things horse around here! You can shop online as well!
FullJoy Farm
Years ago, a friend handed me a magazine that sparked a childhood dream: to live like "Little House on the Prairie." Those images of animals, gardens, and family life resonated deeply, stirring a longing for a simpler (though not easy!) life in harmony with nature.
Growing up in the heart of Houston felt a million miles away from that dream. But summer camping trips and visits to my great-grandparents' farm in Willis offered glimpses of that simpler life.
Tim, on the other hand, grew up in Wharton with grandparents in Pledger & La Grange and had experience with cattle, chickens, and gardening. He wanted to be a cattle rancher “when he grew up.”
In 1995, we took a leap of faith, moving our family to a "little house" on three acres. Six years, four children, and one tropical storm later (Allison!), we knew we needed a change. We found a five-acre property near Brazos Bend State Park and settled in for the long haul.
Those years were filled with the joys and challenges of raising a growing family, learning about goats and chickens (and those pesky chiggers!), and homeschooling.
Then Tim's new job required lots of travel and let's just say, I wasn't a fan! So, we moved back to the city, enjoying the conveniences like food delivery and being closer to our grown children and grandchildren. But the call of the country was strong.
Then, in 2020 and everyone working from home, the long commute was no longer an issue. We started looking for property again, joining the wave of city-dwellers seeking a simpler life. It took some time, but we finally found our little piece of heaven.
Now, we're knee-deep in farm life! We've jumped in headfirst - acquiring cows, goats, chickens, ducks, and turkeys (maybe a little too quickly!).
We are still experimenting with the best needs of our land, animals and are learning more everyday. We want to incorporate permaculture ideas and have many goals and dreams for this space. More dreams than years!
It's a crazy, exhausting, and incredibly rewarding journey. We're so glad you're a part of it!
Cat Spring Beef
Cat Spring Beef feeds our family and we take pride and find value in you allowing us to help you feed yours. Our family controls the process from conception to packaging to create a healthy premium protein option for your table.
Cat Spring Beef located in Downtown Cat Spring is owned and operated by the family of Ryan and Carla Reichardt. We are assisted in the cattle production by the Russell Reichardt Family and partnered Schram Livestock for our pork breeding program. The Reichardt Family maintains ownership of and preserves many properties from the original settlement of Cat Spring where the first and oldest Agricultural Society was form in 1856. Land stewardship, historical preservation and agricultural production are all still thriving in Cat Spring 163 years later and very important to our family. The Reichardt brothers, Ryan and Russell started Reichardt Cattle Company 22 years ago and have grown to a nearly 600 head in the cow/calf operation. Ryan and Carla assisted by Gwen Reichardt also operate and maintain several historic properties with Cat Spring Bed and Breakfast. The Strauss Haus and Almita House are available for rent through Air B&B also located in Downtown Cat Spring. Ryan and Gwen also operate Reichardt Construction, LLC which shares offices with Cat Spring Beef.
Cat Spring Beef uses a rotational grazing system to grass fed and grass finish all our steers. All our products are healthy, antibotic free and truly pasture raised. The difference you will find with Cat Spring Beef compared to other grass fed producers is our quality. These aren't just any old cows! The Reichardt Family already known in the area for fancy cattle and due to the size and volume of our herd along with the strict selection requirements for steers only approximately the top 5% of the calf crop is used for Cat Spring Beef. Our methods of selecting and controlling the process from bull selection to retail sales creates a premium beef product and takes typically 28 months. We prefer to process our steers at an age of 14-16 months when they have reached 800-900 pounds and they are all dry hung aged for 15 days before packaging.
Cat Spring Beef: Pork Division is through a breeding partnership with Schram Livestock. Knowing the importance of quality genetics, we partnered with one of the premier breeders in the state of Texas. Piglets are born and raised with their mothers a few miles away in Sealy, Tx. At weaning they are brought to our ranch to be pasture raised and grown out to a finish weight.
Our labels are Texas State certified and all processing is USDA inspected. It is a premium product that requires a premium price to cover costs. Our family finds the full value in the trust of knowing exactly what is on our table!
