Magnolia vs Mercantile my thoughts

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I’ve been to Magnolia and the Mercantile and now I’m comparing my thoughts on both.  This is gonna be tough to write.  It’s like picking a favorite scarf, but you can’t so you wear them both. 

I want to the Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile store twice.  The first time in April 2017 then again in October 2017.  Yep, twice in one year.

Me outside the Mercantile

What I love about the Mercantile

Location

The location is dear to my heart.  It’s 40 miles from my hometown of Ponca City.  It’s 25 miles from my grandparent’s old farm where I spent as much of the childhood as possible.  

The mercantile is helping boost the economy in the area.  Pawhuska and Ponca have both fallen on hard times over the years like many small towns.  I remember shopping in both towns when the downtowns are full of family-owned stores.  We hope the towns bounce back over the next few years. 

The store

One thing I was surprised by when I first walked into the Mercantile, was the diverse items.  I have to admit, I expected to see the same stuff as in our Walmart down the road from our house in AZ.  It’s full of fun goodies not on the shelves of your local Walmart.  Including clothing and jewelry. 

The attention to details.  You could tell a lot of thought when into the smallest details.  Including the brackets that hold the wall dividers in the bathroom.

You can see more of the Mercantile here.

The food  

During my first trip, we ate in the restaurant, after standing in line for about 30 minutes.  We ate breakfast and the food was amazing.  I love country cooking and that’s the Pioneer Woman’s main style of cooking.  Later we had lunch, but due to the crowds, we had a yummy box lunch.  During my second trip, we visited the bakery upstairs.  Again as expected the desserts were outstanding.  Mom makes a slightly better cinnamon roll but I’m a good daughter.  

 

The Extras

We were picked to visit the lodge.  The lodge is own their property in the Osage, about a 40-minute drive.  They built the lodge to film the show, their actual home is in another location on the massive acreage. 

Ree does book signings at the Mercantile.  We saw her there signing and chatting away during our second trip.  I didn’t stand in the long line. 

What I thought could be better at the Mercantile.

Places to stay.  I understand, they built a hotel and funny, but there are several homes now available in Pawhuska.  Click here to see the places to stay.  By the way, in Ponca City, the two hotels listed are the ONLY hotels I would stay in Ponca.  I stay at my aunt’s house. 

There are still long lines, but that’s actually a great thing, except for my feet.  

What I love about Magnolia 

Me in front of Magnolia Market

The Store

I was overwhelmed at the store.  I loved EVERYTHING!  The displays, the products, and the helpers.  Another thing that I felt was the quality and feel of the merchandise.  Joanne’s products feel amazing.  From the cutting boards to a ceramic vase, to faux florals.  I could stop touching the wares!  

The food

The cupcakes and muffins were to die for.  The line was not too long.  We arrived just as the bakery opened. 

The Extras

I gathered several ideas from the displays to use at home.  Along one wall, Joanna had several mantels all painted white.  

It was extremely cold the day we went, so we didn’t stay for the food truck lunches.  And so looked fun! 

Even in February the garden area was adorable.

There are no invites or tours to the Gaines farm.  I don’t blame them for this one.  But wouldn’t that be cool?

I’m not sure what their plans are for the silos, but I loved them.  Reminded me of my grandpa’s farm…near the Mercantile. 

What I thought could be better at the Magnolia.

Location

Magnolia is located in Waco, TX.  We visited in our RV and don’t have a tow vehicle yet.  We used Uber to get there and back.  Magnolia Table, the restaurant is almost 2 1/2 miles away from the market.  Several people I talked to didn’t realize this.  There is a trolley that covers the market and area around the silo district, but not the restaurant. 

The products

I have to admit, I was disappointed that most everything in the store you can buy online.  I expected to see things only available in the market.  Things I haven’t seen online.  There’s more room to grow their product line. 

     

Final Thoughts 

I’m passionate about home decor and cooking is something I have to do.  But I still spent well over $200 dollars during each visit.  I’m excited to watch both the Mercantile and Magnolia grow.

If you wanted to do a girls road trip and depending on where you start, you could do both in one trip.  They are both just off the 1-35 freeway, about 450 miles apart.  Think about it!

Next time I go to either, I’m wearing two scarves.