AUSTIN, Texas — October marks Legacy Business Month in Austin, an initiative established by Preservation Austin to celebrate and support longtime Austin staples that have shaped the city’s culture for decades.

Preservation Austin is honoring 10 longtime businesses this month as part of its third annual Legacy Business Month.

Among them is Mr. Natural, a vegetarian and plant-based restaurant and natural food store that has been a fixture on East Cesar Chavez since 1988. Owners Maria Luisa Mendoza and her husband Jesus opened the business nearly 40 years ago to share their holistic way of life with a Mexican twist.

“We make everything from scratch, so we can modify anything that we want,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza says they opened their store at a time when vegetarian and plant-based foods

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