Jul 2, 2025
Back in 1991, Berna Macías was just trying to make ends meet when she started selling cowboy hats at a local flea market.
“It was very cheap,” she recalled to KHOU News, but that simple choice laid the foundation for a family-run brand that has lasted more than three decades.
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At 73 years old, Berna, a great-grandmother of 14, is still working seven days a week. Retirement? Not even on the horizon.
And Berna’s not the only one: more and more seniors are working into their golden years.
From humble flea market to Texas fashion fixture
Today, the Macías name is synonymous with handcrafted hats and rodeo-ready fashion. Her son Raul still mans the original flea market stall on Airline Drive, shaping hats with the same precision his mother taught him.
In fact, Berna brought all six of her kids to the stall, turning the hustle into a hands-on masterclass in entrepreneurship.
“I am the baby of the family. I'm the sixth one,” said Alfredo Macías. “Just trying to feed the family.”
Building a business hasn’t come without challenges. When thieves once wiped out an entire store’s inventory, Berna considered walking away.
“I thought I'd close it all, because I lost everything,” she shared.
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Instead, she doubled down.
The family now runs four brick-and-mortar stores under the brands Indomable and Silver Back Rodeo, alongside the original flea market location. They sell everything from custom-shaped hats and leather belts to traditional cowboy boot repair, serving ranch hands to Rodeo Houston showstoppers.
Nearly 30 employees keep things running, about half of whom are family, including grandchildren.
The Macías family proves one thing: never underestimate the power of a cowboy hat and a hardworking mom who won’t quit.
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The new retirement plan might be no plan at all
Retirement used to be a finish line. Now? For millions of Americans, it's a pit stop or something they skip entirely.
In 2024, nearly 1 in 5 Americans aged 65 and up were still clocking in, nearly double the rate from the 1980s, according to U.S. labor data.
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The average retirement age in the U.S. has climbed from 57 in the 1990s to 67-plus today, and is still rising.
So, why aren’t folks retiring yet?
About 80% of older workers say they still need the income, and 64% are scared they will outlive their money, according to a survey by Transamerica Retirement Studies.
A 2023 Pew study found workers 65-plus are more satisfied with their jobs than their younger peers.
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Retirees are un-retiring, coming back to work for passion, not just pay. Whether it’s consulting, freelancing, or running their own gig, retirees are becoming retirees on their own terms.
This generational shift isn’t small potatoes. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics says the number of Americans over 65 has grown 457% since 1950, with life expectancy now hovering around 79 years.
Meanwhile, participation rates for those 75 and older are expected to nearly double by 2030, a demographic trend with big implications for the economy, housing, and even job design.
While some older Americans are still on the clock out of financial necessity, a rising number say it’s about identity, impact, and joy.
Retirement isn’t dead. But the old idea of sitting back on a porch and watching the world go by may become outdated for those who want (or have to) keep clocking in.
For today’s older Americans, the new retirement plan might just be no plan at all. And for many, that’s exactly how they like it.
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Freelance writer with an economic development and consulting background.
