Helotes: Floore Country Store

Floore Country Store opened in 1942 by John T. Floore — a San Antonio theater manager turned Hill‑Country entrepreneur — as a grocery-store-meets-dance-hall, with what Floore boasted was “the largest patio in the Southwest.”

From the 1950s onward, Floore’s hosted a who’s‑who of music legends: Ray Price, Bob Wills, Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb — and later icons such as Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Little Richard, and later heroes Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. The music venue is perhaps best known as Willie Nelson’s early stomping grounds. Nelson played regular monthly gigs and even immortalized Floore in his hit “Shotgun Willie.”

Floore Country Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. A Texas Historical Marker honors its community impact — including launching the Helotes Cornyval and fostering civic organizations like the Lions Club and volunteer fire department.

The venue operates Thursday–Sunday, hosting live music on weekends. The owners have updated infrastructure by adding AC, plumbing, outdoor seating, all while preserving vintage charm. You’ll find the original green-block walls, cowboy hats and boots on the ceiling, and signs painted by Floore himself.