Bandera Office Supplies opens door

Picking up last-minute items for a school project or worrying about delivered packages getting snatched by porch pirates are a thing of the past thanks to Bandera Office Supplies.

According to the owners, the purpose of the store is to provide Banderans with an option that does not require them to drive to Boerne or Kerrville for a necessity to finish a project. Owners Carol Duncan and Candice Allbright have put together an all-purpose store to fit the needs of Bandera locals.

Active in the local business community for six years, Duncan owns the building and has several other established businesses in Bandera.

When the space beside her office became open, she saw an opportunity to expand into office supplies and stationery items.

The shop is small but holds a myriad of products that may be hard to find in other area stores. Duncan said if a customer has a need for an item they do not carry, she will order and stock it for them. They even carry specialized items like ledger books and small duplicate form pads.

Daughter-in-law Candice Allbright does the bookkeeping, orders inventory and oversees the store’s social media footprint. A quiet soul, Candice is extremely customer oriented and willing to help with any project.

The store offers a multitude of services such as package pickup, shredding, gift wrapping, picture printing, postage stamps, laminating, binding, printing and passport photos.

Duncan and Allbright hope to add computer access to their list of services in the future. They will also carry school supplies in the fall. Allbright hopes to aid with resume writing in the future as well.

The store’s biggest seller so far has been reams of paper and pens. Duncan said the store prices their merchandise competitively in relation to Office Depot and Amazon’s prices.

For a nominal fee, they will also accept packages for customers who want their items secured for pick up. It is as simple as filling out a short form and making sure to put the store’s address as the drop off point for the delivery.

Duncan stated they are open for four hours on Saturday mainly for package pick up. She hopes to compete with the post office, which is only open one hour on Saturday.

Bandera Office Supply also has a collection of novelty pens, giftable wooden pens, light jewelry, calendars and other sundries. They have a variety of items great for party prizes and favors. A local artist provides the jewelry for sale in the front window. Currently, they carry the Bandera Cowgirl Calendar for 2023 and weekly copies of the Bandera Bulletin. They also hope to be involved in community events, and they began by participating in a community Christmas coat drive.

Duncan emphasized they want to be open to customers who just come in for a cup of free coffee and conversation. Just stop in where you see their mascot owl. The address is 1547 Hwy 16 North Suite B. Bandera Office Supply is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.. On Friday, they stay open until 6 p.m. On Saturday, they are open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.. They are not open on Sunday. More information is available on the store’s Facebook page.