The story of Gibson's Discount Center in Kerrville

Gibson's Discount Center - May, 1968
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Reorganizing some of my Kerr County History files this month, I came across a small stack of photographs from the grand opening of Gibson’s Discount Center in May of 1968. I sat there with them longer than I meant to. Old photographs have a way of doing that with me, capturing not only memories, but also encouraging me to look closely at the photographs for details I might have missed earlier.

Gibson’s has been part of the fabric of Kerr County for more than half a century now. There’s an old saying that’s been passed around here for as long as I can remember: “if you can’t find it at Gibson’s, you probably don’t need it.” That has always rung close to the truth. Whether you’re looking for a particular washer, a certain garden tool, or something you can only half describe, somebody in that store will know what you mean and point you in the right direction. That kind of knowledge doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built over time by people who care about what they’re doing.

Walking into Gibson’s still feels like stepping into an older way of doing business. It has the spirit of a general store, the kind that tried to keep a little bit of everything on hand. You go in the store for one thing and come out remembering three more.

The Kerrville store was originally owned by Morris and Gloria Harris, who at one time also operated locations in Fredericksburg, Brady, Junction, and Pleasanton, according to a 2018 article I read elsewhere. Today, as best I know, the Kerrville store is owned by the Kemp and Odle family.

I am just old enough to remember when the building went up on West Main, and just old enough to remember when the doors opened for the first time. I watched the construction process closely, as it was on the way to and from work for my parents.  (In 1968, I was in 2nd grade at Starkey.)

A grand opening advertisement in the May 1, 1968 issue of the Kerrville Mountain Sun announced a three-day celebration for May 2 through the 4th at “our new store, 99 W. Main.” The first five hundred ladies through the door received a free string of pearls.

The specials tell their own story. Nine-cent hand lotion. A $1.77 garden hose. A $4.88 Zebco spin-cast rod and reel. Forty-four-cent cans of Aqua Net. Men’s putter pants for $1.33, with the note that “girls like ’em too.” You can almost picture the aisles.

The ad promised even more than what made it to print. Shoppers were encouraged to look throughout the store for additional values not listed, with new items arriving daily. Some merchandise had not even made it in time for the opening ad and would be added as it came in. There’s something endearing about a store opening its doors before everything is quite in place and inviting you in anyway.

The Gibson’s story started in Abilene in 1936, when Herbert “Herb” R. and Belva Gibson opened the Gibson Novelty Company. From that single beginning, the business grew into a national chain. By 1978, there were 684 locations across the country, stretching as far as Hawaii and Guam. That’s a long road from Abilene.

Like a lot of businesses, the chain eventually gave way to changing times and larger competitors. Today, the Kerrville store and a “Gibson’s Ace Hardware” in Weatherford still carry the name. Both are independently owned. They are, in a real sense, the last of what Gibson’s used to be.

My late father loved Gibson’s. Part of that was because one of his closest friends, David McCutchen, managed the store for many years. If you were looking for my dad on a Saturday morning, Gibson’s was a good place to start.

Gibson's, 2018

One Saturday, before heading out from home, I told Carolyn I needed to run by Gibson’s.

“Tell your father hello,” she said.

We both laughed, and I drove over.

Sure enough, there he was.

“Carolyn says hi,” I told him as I turned toward the plumbing aisle. He gave me that familiar look, the one where he was amused but not entirely sure he’d heard me right. He accepted the greeting just the same.

Dad has been gone since 2012, but I still find myself looking for him when I’m in that store. I expect I always will. And truth be told, I’m glad for that.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who collects historical items from Kerr County and the surrounding area. If you have something you’d care to share, it would make him very happy. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead March 19, 2026

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