The One Retail Rule The Pioneer Woman Never Breaks

Ree Drummond — better known to many as The Pioneer Woman thanks to her blog, television show, and subsequent cookbooks — has built quite an empire for herself over the years. Just like Chip and Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper" did in their home base of Waco, Texas, Drummond opted to transform her Oklahoma town with a full retail experience called The Mercantile. The retail store, restaurant, coffee shop, and bakery combo came about when Drummond and her husband purchased an old building right in Pawhuska, Okla. and renovated it until it was exactly what they needed (via The Pioneer Woman).

While Drummond has plenty of experience with crafting delectable recipes to inspire her followers to spend a little more time in the kitchen whipping things up from scratch rather than just getting takeout, many may wonder how she goes about deciding what to stock at The Mercantile in terms of merchandise. It turns out, she has one rule that functions essentially as her guiding star, helping her with any retail decision she needs to make — anything she stocks at The Mercantile has to make her smile. Seriously, that's it.

It may seem like a bit of a silly rule, but it has apparently worked for Drummond. As Drummond confessed on her website, her friends were initially skeptical with her offbeat purchasing strategy, but that the items she selects because of their smile-provoking qualities always end up flying off the shelves of The Mercantile.

To get the full experience, many "The Pioneer Woman" fans may want to actually visit The Mercantile in Oklahoma and make a day of it, shopping and dining at the restaurant. However, if you simply want to get your hands on a few of the popular items that Ree Drummond has selected to stock the shelves, you're in luck — The Mercantile also has a digital storefront where fans from further afield can make purchases.

Many of the digital storefront's bestselling items are tied to Drummond's show and brand in some way, including cookbooks, a baseball cap with the Drummond Ranch name embroidered across the front, and even t-Shirts and journals with The Mercantile logo on them. However, there are also quite a few whimsical items that were likely chosen because of the reaction they provoked in Drummond herself. Looking to spice up your salt and pepper shakers? You can purchase a set that features a dog with a fire hat and a fire hydrant, or one that dispenses seasoning from two ears of corn. Or, to meet all your cooking needs, a cast iron skillet shaped like Oklahoma.

While you may have lovely aromas wafting through your house after making one of Drummond's recipes, should you want to light a candle, The Mercantile sells several unusual scents including gasoline, iced tea, whiskey, and dirt.