I miss you when you're not here, I said. My words failed to penetrate as you continued to gaze deep into the small screen in your hand.

— Very Short Story (@VeryShortStory) August 12, 2014

Five years and nearly 200,000 Twitter followers ago, Sean Hill created a Twitter account. He wanted to test out some of his improv skills in a burgeoning format, so @VeryShortStory was born.

At first, Sean tried to craft longer stories with other Twitter users writing back and forth, but it never quite flowed right. “So I started asking my followers to suggest a noun and I kept all of them in a file. I had a batch of nouns ready for whenever inspiration struck,” Sean Hill told me. Two or three nouns were more than sufficient to create a story within 140 characters that left a lasting impression. This was still the early days of Twitter, when a simple and elegant idea was enough to grow a massive following.

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Our Austinot Store doesn’t carry a ton of products, but we’ve put a lot of love into what we offer! This Mother’s Day season, we want to make it easier for you to give your Austin-loving mom something special…with free shipping through May 11th (yes, that’s Mother’s Day!).

To shop now, use our MOMSROCK code at check-out to get rid of shipping charges. Order by midnight on Wednesday, May 7th, to guarantee your gift arrives on time. But the code is good all the way through May 11th.  Start here.

If you’re new to the Austinot Store, you should know that it’s relatively new to us too! From the beginning, we resolved to feature items that can only be found through the Austinot, and are always made it Austin. [Read more…]

James Moody, Mohawk Club owner, helped set up SXSW Cares (Photo credit: AustinChronicle.com)

When I think of our city, I tend to look at it as a person transitioning from childhood to adulthood. It’s called puberty, folks. Austin is still transitioning from a small college city to a bustling metropolis. And as our city grows, we will experience hardships and trying times. How we react to these situations will define Austin’s character.

On Thursday March 14, 2014, a man was stopped downtown for an alleged DWI. The situation escalated rapidly as he chose to run from authorities. The chase ended at the Mohawk Club on 10th and Red River, as drove through a crowd of people waiting to get into a SXSW event. He was eventually apprehended by APD. The immediate result of the mayhem was two dead and 23 wounded. Since the occurrence, two more victims have passed away. Rashad Charjaun Owens is now facing capital murder and aggravated assault charges, and more may be added since not all of the victims are out of the hospital.

The incident sparked a debate about our city. It’s almost like hearing parents talk about their adolescent child. “The city is too drunk,” some say. “It’s not the people’s fault; it’s a lack of effective mass transit,” others reply. Still others place blame on SXSW, the police, and a plethora of other targets.

Regardless, of the reason(s) why things went down as they did, the fact remains that, as of this writing, four people are dead and others are still in the hospital. In sobering instances like this, Austin’s people show their true character. And in this case, our city shines. [Read more…]

“Ten Things About Austin” Bangle Bracelet

Thank you for the warm response to our new Austinot t-shirt! It’s fun to display our favorite things about Austin in one design.

In response to “Are you going to offer anything else?” the answer is YES! We’re excited to announce the launch of our newest product, a wooden bangle bracelet styled after the “Ten Things About Austin” design on our t-shirts.

Made right here in Austin by Vinca, this piece of jewelry is exclusive to The Austinot. You can only find it here! Available in one size (approx. 2.5″ diameter wrist size), the Austin bangle bracelet is laser-cut from Maple wood, one of the most durable hardwoods available.

Our bangle bracelet is made from Maple for durability

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