Best Shop for Rethinking Your Choices 2014 | Elluments | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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Best Shop for Rethinking Your Choices

Elluments

Have you ever found yourself out for a night on the town hating the outfit you squeezed into on your way out the door? Or maybe your little black dress just isn't as exciting as the night ahead of you. Elluments is the perfect store for a costume change. Grab some jewelry or a sequin jacket and head out for the evening, with just a little more sparkle than when you started.

  • 2642 Elm St., Dallas, 75226 Map

Best Nail Salon

Castle Nail Spa

Sure, there are plenty of nail salons in town, and while most of them will get your nails looking their best, Castle Nail Spa in Mockingbird Station takes your manicure experience to the next level. The spa is perfect if you're looking for a basic mani-pedi or want to indulge in a full-blown spa treatment. There are so many treatments to choose from your classic manicure ($15), to full acrylic sets ($30). Pick from hundreds of nail polish colors, and if you're lucky you'll receive a brief complimentary shoulder rub at the end of your session. Oh, and there's free wine.

Best Blowout

Pouf Blow Dry Salon

We never thought that we'd be able go a full seven days without washing our hair — well, not since that Ani DiFranco dreadlock phase in college, anyway. But it's happened a lot lately, saving us untold amounts of time and energy — and nobody's been the wiser. In fact, thanks to Pouf, our 'do gets more compliments than ever. The dedicated stylists there scrub your scalp, massage your head and neck, then give you a choice of several styles before they turn on the hair dryer and work their magic. The results: shiny, smooth and perfect hair that lasts for days with just a squirt or two of dry shampoo along the way. The locally owned salon specializes in blowouts, and they've got the service down pat. But what really sets Pouf apart from other blow-dry joints is their attention to detail: complimentary beverages served with twee striped paper straws; retro décor; easy online booking; and stylists who don't treat you like the next part on the assembly line. Pricing is super reasonable, too, with discounts for services Mondays through Wednesdays.

Best Furniture Store

Salvation Army Family Store

We all know that furniture shopping can be expensive, especially when seeking out the latest trends. The mid-century look is so hot right now, but you'll spend a pretty penny to re-create the look for your home. So, instead of shelling out $5,000 for that vintage-looking dining table, why not pay a fraction of that for the real thing? The Salvation Army Family Store is always stocked full of furniture, some of which is shaggy, but there's also the occasional chic piece. While it can be hit-or-miss, chances are if you frequent the second-hand shop enough, you'll find the perfect piece for your home.

Best Home Decorations

Life of Riley

One of these days, we're going to show up at Life of Riley — Deep Ellum's fantastic interior design spot — with a suitcase and just live there. And not because it's so close to Pecan Lodge. Well, not entirely because of that. Mostly, we just want to stay in the homey, gleefully curated space surrounded by old-school maps on the walls and the store's signature scent — a zesty mix of frankincense, myrrh, Indonesian teak and spice available in the form of locally poured candles. Owners Billy Milner and Jerod Dame have stocked the Main Street spot with quirky trinkets, timeless furniture and lush decor that would live out a lifetime in our homes. On a recent visit, we spotted houndstooth upholstered chairs out of a mid-century dream, glass lamps with vintage contours we're still salivating over and an antique wooden toy train that we had to restrain ourselves from taking for a spin. Bottom line: We want it all.

Best Frame Shop

Art & Frame Expo

Five full-time experienced framers on staff handle framing jobs from $25 to $2,000, mostly in the $50 to $150 range, with most jobs completed within three days, a maximum of seven days for the most challenging work. Their ample staff allows Art Frame Expo to specialize in emergency rush jobs. In several visits they have always been open to whatever modification the customer wanted done, including some to get the work done cheaper. In one case they agreed to salvage an old frame that a lot of frame shops wouldn't have messed with. Obviously getting it framed by professionals costs more than doing it yourself, but at least the difference is plain to see when you get it done here.

Best Place to Furnish Your Vintage Apartment

Lula B's (Riverfront)

This gigantic thrift-store-slash-antique-mall is excellent for perusing wares of all kinds, but the furniture selection is unparalleled. The styles of furniture range from traditional to contemporary, but you'll have the best luck if your style is more mid-century. There are dozens of couches, tables, chairs and knickknacks that will make your space feel exactly like the set of Mad Men. Each booth is run by an individual vendor, which occasionally means that you can do a little haggling.

Best Place to Find Weird Vintage Goodness

Curiosities

There could be no name more apt for this Lakewood shop than Curiosities. Those among us who find design inspiration in the quirky and utterly weird will certainly come across something to love in this well-curated collection. As you shop, you'll find buckets of random goodies like old coins, political campaign buttons and a seriously good selection of vintage jewelry. Stay alert, though — the occasional stuffed animal may scare the bejeezus out of you while you're sifting through one of the stacks of old postcards.

Best Place to Feel Nostalgic about Your Childhood

B4

Geeks who grew up in the '70s or '80s will be in nostalgia heaven as soon as they walk through the doors to B4. The front of the store looks like a Toys "R" Us that has been time-warped back to 1986. Among the Star Wars figurines, metal Ninja Turtle lunchboxes and random old toys (Stretch Armstrong, anyone?), the back of the store is sort of like a music museum, full of reasonably priced vinyl and weird old music memorabilia. The selection is impressively large, and you'll also be able to find the next up-and-coming trend in vintage analog music: cassette tapes.

Best Thrift Store

Genesis Benefit Thrift Store

This is the kind of thrift shop where serious thrifters do their shopping. The clothing racks, surprisingly filled with lots of brand new, brand-name items, are perfect for building wardrobe basics on a budget. Genesis Benefit Thrift store also has a deceptively good collection of books, and a nice selection of charming decorations for that dose of kitschy character your apartment desperately needs. Best of all, the few bucks you will be plunking down go to benefit victims of domestic violence. Win-win.

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