Taking shopping to a higher level KRISTEN KAUFFMAN
Special Contributor / The Dallas Morning News
It's no big secret that Dallas-Fort
Worth is the Southwest's shopping mecca, with top-notch
malls and shopping centers such as NorthPark (the nation's
first air-conditioned indoor shopping mall), the Galleria,
Highland Park Village, hip new West Village and, of course,
the 2 million-square-foot outlet-heaven, Grapevine Mills.
But if mall crawling doesn't satisfy your need for shopping
adventure – whether you're hunting for a bargain or
just something out of the ordinary – we want to tell
you about some enclaves for can't-miss shopping.
Mckinney Town Square
Just north of Dallas on U.S.
Highway 75, McKinney is worth a day's visit. More than 100
unique shops surround the charming, historic town square,
which is anchored by the old Collin County Courthouse, listed
on the National Registry of Historic Places. Shops include
19 antiques malls, along with locally owned and operated
clothing, jewelry, home accessory, book, card and gift stores
featuring new, vintage, imported and antique items. Also
worth noting is the Third Monday flea market, billed as
the largest in North Texas, with 800 booths.
Downtown Grapevine
Though it has become known
to shoppers for its gigantic Grapevine Mills outlet mall,
Tarrant County's oldest settlement, Grapevine, has a historic
downtown worthy of all-day shopping, dining and entertainment.
Main Street features dozens
of shops where you can find original art, vintage clothing,
antiques, crafts, home furnishings and all kinds of whimsical
home and gift items. Be sure to check out the Heritage Center,
where you can watch artisans demonstrating crafts that are
more than 150 years old.
Knox-Henderson
Just off Central Expressway
a few exits north of downtown Dallas is the Knox-Henderson
area, where you can find one-of-a-kind items, expensive
antiques, bargain vintage items, unique clothing, handmade
jewelry, made-to-order sofas and a lively restaurant/bar
scene.
Oh, sure, the area boasts
more than a few stalwarts of the home and garden furnishings
industry, such as Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration
Hardware and Smith & Hawken. The high tide they create
lifts all the boats, like groovy little toy store Froggy's
5 & 10, with all the toys you remember from childhood,
and Iota, a craft-oriented home accessory and gift shop.
Across the freeway, where
trendy Knox gives way to funky Henderson, are more one-of-a-kind
stores, including Another Time and Place, Urban Home and
longtime neighborhood gem Emeralds to Coconuts. At those
stores, chances are the owners will be on hand to help you
with your purchases. Several stores showcase handmade jewelry,
metal sculpture and glassware from local artisans, and others
feature interesting, well-priced imports.
Lower Greenville
Nearby, Lower Greenville
Avenue (south of Mockingbird Lane) also boasts one-of-a-kind,
owner-operated shopping landmarks that have lasted for decades.
Nestled in a 1910 building painted pink, fashion-forward
Avant – owned by Donna Chalker – has featured
arty, contemporary women's apparel and new designers for
25 years. In fact, Ms. Chalker was the first retailer in
Dallas to carry Betsey Johnson, among others.
Up the street is HD's Clothing
Co. and HD's Women's, where owners Harry and Vicki DeMarco
have offered unique sportswear (they order only four of
an item and don't reorder) for more than 20 years. Next
door is legendary Ole Moon, a "contemporary craft gallery"
filled with handmade jewelry, greeting cards and glass,
ceramic, metal and wood decorative items.
On Lowest Greenville (south
of Richmond Street), World Service UK has offered food,
beer and gift imports from England, Scotland and Ireland
for a decade and is a citywide destination for UK natives
living in Dallas and anglophiles alike. Ragwear, one of
the city's longest-standing vintage clothing stores, features
apparel from the '40s though the '80s, with a wide selection
of menswear. Locally owned, Ragwear last year opened a Preston
Road location.
Bishop Arts District
Tammy Theis/DMN
Zola's
Everyday Vintage store is in Oak Cliff's Bishop Arts
District, which is becoming a top spot for shoppers.
The Bishop Arts District
in Oak Cliff (on Bishop Avenue between Jefferson Boulevard
and Davis Street) is on its way to becoming the hippest
shopping scene in Dallas. Check out its galleries, antiques
stores, interesting gift shops, growing restaurant scene
and "the world's most famous soda pop and tobacco shop,"
Ifs, Ands & Butts. The place has more than 300 kinds
of bottled sodas.
The Bishop Street Market
features candles, soaps, home accessories and jewelry from
more than a dozen local artisans. Oak Cliff Mercantile offers
unique architectural salvage from older homes, along with
interesting gift items, while Eclectic Ideas showcases new
and antique home furnishings and accessories at or below
wholesale prices.
Wynnewood Village
African-American culture
is celebrated at Oak Cliff's Wynnewood Village, anchored
by Ashira Tosihwe and Emma Rogers' legendary Black Images
Book Bazaar. Frequent author events at the latter have featured
such luminaries as Maya Angelou, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight
and Isaac Hayes. Located at Zang Boulevard and Illinois
Avenue, the sprawling center includes authentic African
fashions at Ifeoma, along with other black-oriented salons
and shops.
Harry Hines Boulevard
If it's trendy, inexpensive
jewelry, clothing, fragrances and accessories you're after,
head for Harry Hines Boulevard near Interstate 35E and Royal
Lane. Sam Moon (now at Harry Hines and Forest Lane but moving
about a half-mile north on Harry Hines in the fall) and
Shopper's Alley (Harry Hines and Royal), along with a host
of surrounding wholesalers, practically give such goods
away!
And here's some great news
for Collin County shoppers: Sam Moon recently opened a second
location, at Preston Road and State Highway 121.
While some of the Harry Hines
shops require a tax ID number and are not open to the general
public, many welcome anyone who seeks items such as $3 turquoise
bracelets, $5 sterling silver earrings, $8 purses and $15
watches. You may have to dig through some tacky stuff to
find your treasure, but many of the items are almost identical
to those you might find for quadruple the price at a department
store or mall boutique. Return policies at most shops are
fairly strict (or nonexistent), but with the incredible
prices, you probably won't care.
