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4worldlovers: Whole Earth Provision Co. was conceived in Dallas in the Spring of 1970 by Jack and Linda Jones who were living and working in the big ‘D’ after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin. Linda, a math teacher for the Dallas ISD and Jack, a designer working with a furniture manufacturer, were nostalgic for Austin and considering their goals and dreams for the future.

The 1960s and 70s were a time for questioning and confronting the assumptions, ethics, politics and direction of the preceding generation, a time of growing ecological awareness, and of people looking for alternative ways of making a living. Jack and Linda began discussing with their friends the possibility of starting a store based on the philosophy and concepts of the recently published Whole Earth Catalog.

The Whole Earth Catalog was a revolutionary publication that flourished in the 1960s into the early 1980s. Steve Jobs described it as “Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along.” The Catalog encouraged “individuals to conduct their own education, find their own inspiration, shape their own environment and share the adventure with whoever is interested.” Composed of hundreds of pages filled with short descriptions of books and tools, it presented an encyclopedic view of the world and how it worked from the microscopic to the galactic.


For an item to be included in the Catalog, it had to meet four criteria: useful as a tool, relevant to independent education, high quality and/or low cost and easily available by mail. But what the Catalog’s readers really wanted was a store where they could browse the books and handle the tools they’d been reading about. Jack and Linda, with the help of their friends, family and four early part time partners made that dream a reality by opening a store, Whole Earth Provision Co., based on the ideals and products found in the Whole Earth Catalog.

Within a matter of months, Jack and Linda returned to Austin, found a space in Bluebonnet Plaza on 24th Street near the University of Texas campus, brought in supplies and merchandise and opened the first Whole Earth store. The original inventory included flour mills, oil lamps, massage oils, camp soap (bottled and supplied by Jack’s brother Joe) and lots of how-to books – titles selected from the Whole Earth Catalog. The store was an overnight success, selling out of merchandise in the first two weeks, necessitating the closing of the store to reorder and restock.

The Nomadics section of the Whole Earth Catalog encouraged readers to get out and explore the world and offered advice on gear for hiking, camping, mountaineering and backpacking, as well as wilderness survival skills. Whole Earth quickly added outdoor gear to the mix of merchandise. The store became an early source for new, specially designed backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, hiking boots, rugged clothing and other gear being created by new, small independent companies like The North Face and Patagonia to meet the demand for high tech outdoor adventure clothing and equipment. Whole Earth continues to be a leader in supplying gear, clothing and shoes for outdoor adventure and travel, outfitting generations of Texans for travel into remote corners of the world.

Whole Earth Provision Co. strives to offer clothing, footwear and gear of all kinds that complement and enhance your life at home, work, and school, on the trail, and traveling near and far. Our almost 50 years in business shows in our stores and online. You’ll find our merchandise is carefully chosen with quality, practicality and innovation in mind, based on our many years of experience using and selling iconic and classic brands, as well as introducing new brands and items worthy of your attention.