Best Extremely Expensive Landfill Antiques 2016 | B Gover Ltd. | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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Best Extremely Expensive Landfill Antiques

B Gover Ltd.

Looking for a paint-peeling chicken-farm egg rack with dodgy looking substances still stuck in the cracks for $1,800? No, didn't think you were, but it might be an interesting field trip for you anyway to visit this shop on the far outer edge of the antique-o-sphere, way beyond primitive, light years past shabby chic, in the land of antique deconstructivism where a French fainting couch can look, well, sort of deconstructed, with all the upholstery peeled off and springs sticking out and a price that makes you faint all over again. This is the place to go if you want to see where it's all headed. Landfill chic? Dystopian dope? Who knows? But it's all right here and not really anywhere else — a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your point of view.

Best Fancy Rain Barrels

Barrels by Lisa and Avelino Jimenez at Northhaven Gardens

Note that we did not say cheapest or best buy or anything. Handmade in their studio at Regalos de la Tierra Pottery in Silver City, New Mexico, these rain barrels are terra cotta sculpture, so prepare yourself for a little bit of sticker shock. But the other way to look at it is this: Those big ugly green and brown plastic rain barrels look sort of like emergency septic tanks. The rain barrels from Regalos de la Tierra are truly beautiful complements to the garden plants around them.

Best Florist with a Lunchroom

Grange Hall

Grange Hall itself is a florist, gift and decoration shop specializing in quirky juxtapositions of flowers, minerals, small antlers we don't want to know too much about and that sort of thing. The restaurant occupies an elegant intimate room decorated sparely with floral arrangements and whatnots from the shop. It's definitely not the right place to watch a Cowboys game, but it might be exactly the right place for some shopping and a long conversation over lunch.

Best Wine/Liquor App

Drizly

Drizly is like your favorite liquor store without leaving the house. Depending on where you live within the app's large service area, a few taps will summon your favorite suds or bottle from shops like Goody Goody or Pogo's Wine & Spirits in under an hour. The prices are just about what you'd pay in store, so, for the cost of a tip and a $5 delivery fee, you can avoid the shameful eye the liquor store casts on you every time you buy Taaka instead of Tito's.

Best Wine/Liquor Store

Spec's

There are a number of Spec's in town, but this one is a destination liquor store. It's cavernous — about as big as a Target — and filled with all the alcoholic goodies one's heart could desire. Some liquors stores specialize, featuring maybe a great whiskey selection, a wide variety of local beer or several unique bottles of wine. Spec's has all three and a lot more, including a surprisingly decent party food selection. It's a one-stop shop.

Readers' Pick (tie):

Spec's

Total Wine & More

Best Place to Buy Letterpressed Cards

We Are 1976

We Are 1976 is the shop in Dallas to discover cool, internationally sourced designer-created gifts and artist prints. Abundant in obscure treasures from San Francisco,Tokyo and Dallas, these objects are begging to be gifted to your coolest friend. But We Are 1976 also carries a trove of unique letterpressed cards from their own studio and other print shops. Each card is a work of art. We Are 1976 understands the draw to precious paperie and can indulge your enthusiasm with a variety of printing, calligraphy and letterpress workshops in store.

Best Inspired Accessories

Spark of Change Jewelry

Local fashion stylist Lisa Slusher stumbled into her crystal obsession when she was searching for a little positivity in her life, and she quickly found that her collection of quartzes, amethysts and moonstones gave her a real boost. Soon she was designing necklaces that combined different crystals to address specific issues. Need a little self-awareness? "Nice to Meet Me" has the perfect combo of turquoise, quartz and adventurine. Want to access some inner strength? Try "Mighty Me" and its will power-inducing amazonite. Regardless of whether you think the power is in the stones or just in your ability to accessorize, the message behind Spark of Change inspires and reminds you to set your intentions and keep on the pathway to happiness. And Slusher's beautiful, Western-tinged aesthetics don't hurt either. Her pieces make magical conversation starters and joyful sartorial experiences. Find them locally at Gypsy Wagon or online.

Best Lifesaver

DryBox

Unlike all the home remedies to fix a waterlogged phone, DryBox's eponymous boxes actually work. The next time you lose your phone to a puddle or a toilet or the condensation from the lunch in your messenger bag, take it to one of the San Antonio-based company's kiosks. Swipe your credit card, put your device inside and come back a half hour later. The box doesn't work all the time, but it works often enough that its $35-per-use price tag seems more than reasonable.

Best Stop for Fancy Kid Stuff

Madre Dallas/Little Bean

Sometimes we need to gift a kiddo with something a little more substantial than whatever a dash through Target 10 minutes before party time yields. In those cases, Madre is our go-to. Technically, it's an interior design boutique aimed at the Highland Park set. But the cozy little space also houses Little Bean, which brings in noteworthy trinkets, toys and togs that make memorable gifts. Our favorite finds: Gunner and Lux dinosaur necklaces, GAIA mini kitty purses, and a magical Maileg Princess and the Pea playset. Madre also monograms chic baby blankets, carries colorful children's cutlery, and stocks whimsical prints from artist Caitlin McGauley and photographer Gray Malin — there's no shortage of giftables in the cheerful West Lovers bungalow.

  • 4715 W. Lovers Lane, Dallas, 75209 Map

Best Way to Get Your Teeth Cleaned

Dental Loft

Going to the dentist isn't the nightmare that it used to be. Case in point, if you go to the Dental Loft at the Shops in Park Lane, after they lean you back in your chair they'll hand you a remote so you can watch the new David Cross stand-up special on a large flat screen dangling overhead. While you watch they'll still use that sharp, pointy metal thingy to scratch at your gum line — they haven't innovated away from that unpleasant task — but you're much less likely to fixate on it when you're busy binge-watching. And perhaps even better than the Netflix, if you can believe it, is the time and care Dr. Rekha Reddy takes to explain the state of each of your teeth to you. The X-rays the hygienist takes at the beginning of your appointment also go up on the TV and Dr. Reddy walks you through every one, laying out all of the options for addressing any issues she discovers. Visits to the dentist used to be mysterious and boring at best and painful at worst. Now they don't have to be any of the above.

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