July 12, 2026
Silvia Rhoads, left, gets some help unloading 10 cases of water at Cove House on Monday afternoon, as part of her Ice Bucket Challenge.
By KERRI CHRISTENSEN
Cove Leader-Press
LAMPASAS – Lampasas which houses many historical shops in its downtown district has one shop in particular, The Trading Post where shoppers can bring a little bit of history home with them.
Ernest Goodwin, 68 has been operating his wide variety antique shop for over 10 years.
“Some friends that I knew were buying and selling antiques and I collected a few items myself. This building had become available and it had been an antique store for 15 years,” said Goodwin.
Originally named EJ’s Antiques & Collectibles, Goodwin said that the fact that it had been an antique store before fit perfectly. “I was semi-retired and it gave me something to do and I enjoy doing it.”
Goodwin grew up in Lampasas and graduated from the University of Texas in 1968 with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and attended Baylor Law school shortly after that.
Ernest has held an array of careers throughout his life including banking, insurance, and investments before finally settling on his passion of antiques.
“We have 39 vendors in the store right now and they bring a lot of variety,” said Goodwin. “We have one of the best selections of German wall clocks, a few items from the 1800’s, glassware, and we have newer items too.”
The vintage retail shop has a few openings for anyone who is interested in selling their merchandise.
Each vendor can have a minimum booth space starting at $60 per month and going up from there.
The store also purchases antiques for those who’re not interested in selling their antiquities from a booth.
The Trading Post sees an array of people from everyday regulars around the tri-county area to travelers from out of state and even out of the country passing through visiting family.
“We’ve had people from the state of Washington, London, Germany,” said Goodwin.
Three major highways converge through Lampasas with Historic downtown Lampasas being a great resting place for travelers passing through.
The Trading Post can be found open Monday-Saturday from 9a.m.-5p.m. and closed on Sundays.
“We have plenty of places to park the cars, but we do not have a hitching post to tie your horse up,” said Ernest with humor.
Devin Kasa helps her class find their lockers during the first morning session at Mae Stevens Early Learning Academy.
