Pioneer Wood Company

06/06/2026

It takes a village TO BUILD La Vernia’s Pioneer Wood Company’s PIONEER VILLAGE (ETA completion September 2026 on 3 acres on Hwy 87). (See the pics of the people who have been INSTRUMENTAL so far- )

As you know, our mercantile features products made by at least a dozen local artisans - from skincare to foods, whose labeling lets you know who they are. And I always highlight in our videos the builders and designers whose houses our beams and flooring go into, to let you all know about them; every person has unique gifting, and we need each other…

But THESE (pictured ⬇️) are the heroes who work hard BEHIND the scenes, to help you and me achieve our goals and dreams, and help keep us protected. Without these people doing what they choose to do, Pioneer Village wouldn’t be happening.

But more than that - every one of these people has made this project PERSONAL. They haven’t just been a face behind a desk who gets the task over with. They’ve been just as excited as we are, seeing the Grand Plan, and have come alongside us and truly helped and guided, advised, and want the very best for us (and you) - thus far. So we just want to shine a bright light upon *them, and express our heartfelt gratitude to them for their important roles and Individual skills in helping us to bring this exciting upcoming place to YOU, and to create a new and much larger home for our local vendors’ products💥. [NOTE: Many MORE local businesses will be helping us as construction is in full-swing, and I will highlight THEM to you as well - once we cross that bridge.]

🎁 Caleb Powell of Cornerstone Construction of Central Texas for our slab
🎁 The team at Third Coast Bank
🎁 Vicki of Twin Creek Insurance Agency, LLC
🎁 Kathy Towns & Maddie of Hot Tin Roof Custom Home Design for our blueprints
🎁 Heather and team at Bard Craft Designs LLC
🎁 Realtor Brooke Real- Tx Realtor
🎁 Seguin’s Five Star Title, LLC

06/05/2026

Can you see the seam? It’s a box beam mantel
- but different.

I’m not referring to the edge - where the top meets the front; I mean where 2 flat pieces come together on the top and bottom to add more depth, creating a deeper mantel. See it? (I’ll wait as you zoom-in and inspect 😂🕵️🔎 - cuz admit it, that’s what you’ll do.)

If you’re looking hard, that’s the whole point. From a regular living room distance, it can’t be seen at all. And look at that texture! This is *NEW wood - not settler-made. But it sure looks great, doesn’t it?

This adding-on technique can be done for ridge beams, rafters and more…

Pioneer Wood Company of La Vernia:
✅ Reclaimed wood
✅ historical flooring
✅ box beams
✅ mercantile
And soon to be Pioneer Village this Fall!
830-484-5000
PioneerWoodCompany.com

06/04/2026

Settler-axed. Mantels or shelves. Ready-to-go pieces are hanging in our Tasting Room and back of our original mercantile in La Vernia at Pioneer Wood Company.

Turn each beam to see all 4 sides, to see which you like best; unlike usual storebought new mantels, ours don’t have just 1 side to choose from. And can shorten them.

We also build custom BOX BEAMS to use as mantels or attach to ceilings as rafters or ridge beams, headers …

If you don’t see one you love at the shop, set up an appt with us to see others

125 Maldonado Lane on 87 (red ANTIQUES building between HP Safety and Wilco)
Tuesday-Saturday 10-6
830-484-5000

06/04/2026

Calling LOCAL HONEY seekers! It’s HERE! TASTE IT FREE at Pioneer Wood Company mercantile. Wilson County honey!

125 Maldonado Lane on 87 (red ANTIQUES building between HP Safety and Wilco)
Tuesday-Saturday 10-6

06/02/2026

Look who’s JOINING Pioneer Wood Company mercantiles NEW LOCATION on 87 this Fall! Pop's Ice Cream is opening a SECOND location INSIDE the mercantile while continuing their original, thriving location (on CR 319) 🍨🏆💥

Pop’s has been a La Vernia family hotspot since 2014, and new owners Josh & Kristen Hohn lovingly purchased it in December - due to their strong, sentimental family memories spent there as customers when their kids were growing up. Helping be a part of other happy family moments in their community is one of their joys - and now they’ll have TWO locations to spread the joy through.

The NEW mercantile will be built from a 33x50 reclaimed 200 yr old SETTLER-made barn frame, and in Old World-Scandinavian-theme (as Gretchen is purely Norwegian & Swedish). It arrives by June 15 or sooner, and will take 2-3 days to put back together. Watch for updates to know when, so you can watch the fun process 👀! (It’s right around the corner!)

Once completed, you’ll be able to come grab beloved Blue Bell ice cream, look around the mercantile at other local artisans’ goodies (like Simply Tiff’s, Hill Farm Fresh Natural Body Products, Lucky W Ranch goats milk soaps, Sourdough Lane tallow, Naturally Foxsea skincare, Wren & Finch antique candles, antiques; gifts and more, plus
taste (for free!) locally-made:

Schwerdtfeger Gardens pickles,
#1 in the world Torcatha BBQ Sauce,
Wood Valley Bees and
Fanning Farm Honey,
BrandysCandys,
Derby Farms TX Sweets and Eats
unique jellies,
Hill Country Cider House ciders,
and so much more - all in one location!

Our original, current mercantile will remain open at 125 Maldonado Lane on 87 (red Antiques building between HP Safety and Wilco) until we have electricity at the new location … (only weeks away!)

We’re looking GREATLY forward to it, Josh & Kristen Hohn! Welcome aboard to Pioneer VILLAGE! (Or as my Scandinavian family always said “VELKOMMEN!”)

05/30/2026

05/30/2026

Today changes everything. We lost Steve Bradbury and Carrie Bradbury Walker’s mom … our Matriarch … our Mother Hen and best friend, Dixie, who’s the primary reason why we have our mercantile and family business.

When Steve was in college, she and her husband EJ (Steve & Carrie’s ideal father) bought a long-standing sewing
machine repair shop on 87 called Pages. She never attended a day of college; but had keen business sense and was a phenomenal seamstress. Her husband died soon after purchasing the business, but after listening to her customers, she brought in bolts of fabric, templates, patterns, and all the goodies to create quilts, and started classes and bus trips to Amish territory in Iowa, and more. Having fun was her specialty. She thrived and quickly outgrew the space. It was eventually renamed Seventh Heaven Quilt Shop.

In spite of her business success, it was her … Dixie … who ladies came to chat with and LOVED. Steve and I would have to wait to talk to her every time we walked in the door of the shop. She made a business feel like a home, and her regulars felt like family. She never forgot a name. She talked about this til just weeks ago, in fact.

Carrie, Steve and I all worked for her. I did the quilting, Carrie did the bookkeeping (like she now does for our mercantile and wood business), and Steve took Mr.Page’s place repairing sewing machines on his hours off from SAFD. We thrived and grew more and more, until it became necessary to move the business to San Antonio to accommodate the rapid growth.

While she proved to be a highly successful, smart business-cookie … absolutely nothing was ever more important to her than family and the Lord, and she lovingly and firmly shared her love for Him everywhere she went, and shared her relationship with Him with her entire family on a constant basis.

I’ve lost track of how many meals she cooked for others, how many medical appointments she took neighbors and friends to, how many socials she hosted at her house. She volunteered for the Spurs games, and at the Majestic theater - for fun. Took cruises with friends, became a certified Master Gardener, started the now-thriving quilting ministry at Grace Bible Church of La Vernia, volunteered at Carrie’s La Vernia primary school to teach kids how to grow vegetables, and far more … need I go on?

Her laugh and endless joy and zeal for life was contagious, and she made a perfect wise counselor and sounding board.

She would have adored watching us build this current (original) Pioneer Wood Company mercantile - but Alzheimer’s stole that experience from her., and she’d LOVE the new Pioneer Village we’re embarking on now.

This past few years has indeed been rough on all us kiddos, who saw her as our heroine. We just knew that she’d push us aside at the register or be chatting with everyone who came in the shop, if she could. But today her battle ended.

What an outstanding🏆 human being, mentor, and life-example. We consider ourselves magnificently blessed to be her family, and it simply wouldn’t be right - in light of her training all of us how to run a loving family shop - to not tell all you about the one who started it all. Her.

We want to give a special shout out and profound thank you to the staffs at Brooks of Cibolo, and La Vernia’s Country Care Manor, and Gentiva Hospice for being so spectacular, kind, patient, loving, and giving Dixie wonderful care during her last couple years of memory loss. You were all outstanding and we couldn’t have asked for better care for our mother.

05/28/2026

Curious? Gut health, bloating, allergies? Our customers who buy these Nutrimill grain mills love them. They return for grain restock and tell us about the “best” breads they’ve been making that “taste so much better” - and leave them feeling better! Why? The natural vitamin and mineral-filled OILS are still in the grain while grinding and get baked into the breads. Did you know that once the grains have been ground, not long afterward the nutrient-rich oils end up draining out - somehow.

It doesn’t take long to use it. Measure out the same amount of whole grains as you would flour and dump it into the top of the grinder, press the button, and it takes seconds to funnel down into your bowl, as fine flour, ready for mixing.

You don’t have to make sourdough. Use the flour for cookies, muffins, cupcakes, fried chicken crust, pie dough, pizza dough … etc.

We have Einkorn, 4 kinds of wheat berries, spelt and rye. You can even boil them and use as side dishes or in salads, like quinoa.

And we carry local honey, jellies, cheese, and other goodies to use. And a huge variety of teas to drink alongside your baked wonders, as well as organic homeopathic liquid “tinctures” to drop into your teas (or any other beverage) to aid in digestion, weight loss, women’s issues, stress/tension and more.

Pioneer Wood Company mercantile
125 Maldonado Lane on 87 (the red ANTIQUES building between HP Safety and Wilco)
Tuesday-Saturday 10-6