AUSTIN, Texas — Yet another piece of “Old Austin” will soon disappear.
Legendary Austin smoke shop Oat Willie’s announced the closing of its last location after 56 years of operating, according to a report from the Austin American-Statesman.
The shop first opened in 1968 on 29th Street, and is said to be Austin’s original head shop. The name “Oat Willie” derived from a cartoon that was entered as a joke into the Austin mayoral race in the 1960s. The name became the inspiration for the shop founded Doug Brown and George Majewski.
The store has been known for selling pipes, rolling papers, lighters, paraphernalia and other strange or off-the-wall items.
At one point, there were three Oat Willie’s shops in business around Austin, but the business consolidated into one location, on East Oltorf Street, over the last decade.
Oat Willie’s is the latest entry to a list of many other “Old Austin” remnants that have closed as the city experiences unprecedented growth.