Welcome to the Back Road — Affordable Prices, Unique Designs, Quality Products.
A quick introduction to the Texas designs, printed goods, handmade pieces, and one-of-a-kind finds at Back Roads Mercantile.
Back Roads Mercantile isn’t owned by a corporation. It’s a little business run by a little guy living on a back road. Take a look around—and if you find something you like, Buy something! Let’s keep business local and twist the shorts of the big guys.
MADE IN OUR EAST TEXAS SHOP
Made Here on the Back Roads
Real woodwork, laser-engraved pieces, useful household items, decorations, gifts, and a few things made simply for fun. Built here in small batches—not pulled from a mass-production catalog.
The back roads of Texas, brought home
Texas pride without the souvenir-shop sameness
Back Roads Mercantile creates and gathers products with East Texas roots and Lone Star character. We celebrate Texas cities, Pineywoods scenery, wildlife, local spirit, country humor, and the stories found a little way off the interstate.
Texas Designs and Gifts
Texana artwork celebrating cities, landscapes, wildlife, local pride, and Texas character—available on shirts, cups, caps, bags, and other useful blanks.
Funny Texas Animals
Meet Ranger Raccoon, Panic Squirrel, Judgey Owlbert, Drama Possum, SuperDillo, Sneaky Skunk, and the rest of our back-road critters with attitude.
Generation Jones
Recently added designs for the 1955–1965 crowd—bicycles, back roads, great music, true friends, muscle cars, summer freedom, and life before smartphones.
Local Garage Sale and Useful Finds
Handmade lamps, computer parts, collectibles, workshop discoveries, and one-of-a-kind items. Local pickup is available in Lufkin, and quantities are naturally limited.
A little friend for life’s booboos
Patches Bear
Patches is a small, well-loved teddy bear with a hand-stitched blue belly patch and gold ribbon. He is a reminder that life leaves all of us with a few bumps and booboos, and a little comfort can go a long way.
Patches has a story connected with foster children. The idea was always simple: bears are meant for children, not shelves.
Something different on every cover
Choose from word searches, crosswords, Texas Sudoku, Texas history, and coloring books. The covers shown are actual Back Roads Mercantile booklet covers.
$3.50 each · Two-book bundle $6 · Always free shipping on bookletsBrowse the booklet collection
Meet the owner
H. J. “Ted” Gresham
Back Roads Mercantile is an East Texas small business owned by writer, woodworker, designer, and lifelong collector of stories and useful old things, H. J. “Ted” Gresham. Ted’s life has taken more than a few detours, and the store reflects that same mixture of Texas pride, curiosity, humor, and practical creativity.
His personal website tells the longer story—books, essays, memories, videos, and a life that never traveled in a straight line.
Every Story Matters
Ted is exploring the idea of creating a free place where ordinary people can tell and preserve the stories of their lives. It is not intended as a for-profit venture—just a way to encourage people to share the stories they do not want forgotten.
Why shop the back roads?
Our original work draws on Texas towns, Pineywoods scenery, local humor, and the character of the Lone Star State.
Personalized gifts and small-group projects receive direct attention instead of disappearing into a giant production line.
Questions, requests, and unusual ideas are handled by the owner—not passed through a maze of automated customer-service menus.
Take the back road. You may find something good.
Browse our Texas collections and local finds, or tell us about the city, design, product, gift, or small-group project you have in mind.
