We love a good garage sale, but nothing tops a garage sale featuring high-end brands that otherwise might be out of reach for most shoppers. Enter Snider Plaza's Luxury Garage Sale. It's not actually a garage sale; it's more like a boutique shopping experience. The store's well-edited selection of clothing and accessories from designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Hermès and Céline, to name a few, is sold at a fraction of its original price. Frugal fashionistas, if you're not already hip to Luxury Garage Sale, add it to your list. You won't be disappointed.
Finding good-looking, affordable eyeglass frames is a snap. Between online sellers and countless brick-and-mortar shops in Dallas offering all sorts of buy-one-pair-get-another-cheaply sales, a little shopping about can score you a deal. But wait, you say you need lenses with those frames? Ruh-roh, Shaggy. Lessee, with your super-light polywhatever space-age plastic, your UV coating, polarizing coating, anti-scratch coating, rust-proof undercoating, floor mats ... wait, you want no-line bifocals? Can you get a second mortgage on your home? Luckily, there's perennial reader favorite Warby Parker, with two local shops and a huge online selection with complete sets, including lenses, starting sub-$100. You can even take five frames home to find that perfect look. Yeah, progressive lenses still aren't cheap, but you don't want to look like your grandpa, do you?
Lots of people buy gifts, but there are a few people who are great gift-givers. These are the people who have the ability to home in on a seemingly insignificant statement made in passing and turn it into a gift you didn't even know you wanted or needed. Those gifts that make you ask, "How did you know?" or "Where in the world did you find this?" We Are 1976 is the type of shop these folks frequent. It is both a print shop and a gift shop. It is vintage and fresh, eclectic but inspired. We Are 1976's selection of homewares, journals, art prints and elevated tchotchkes is fun to browse without being overwhelming. Aspiring to be a great gift-giver? Start here.
It's hard to walk into Urban Spools without being drawn to the colorful fabrics lining the walls. But past the bright, quirky patterns is a classroom with sewing machines where beginner, intermediate and advanced students work on quilts, embroidery, clothing and more. Classes often teach trending projects, such as the atomic starburst quilt or the jelly roll rug, but there are also introductory lessons for various techniques, as well as classes and camps for kids. If you'd like to learn a new craft but had a bad experience in middle school, home, etc., patient, friendly teachers are there to help.
Whether you're a new photographer or someone who started shooting film decades ago, Don Puckett's shop stocks nearly every available film worth loading into your vintage or new cameras. Don's Photo Equipment started selling new and used photographic equipment to Dallas professionals and hobbyists nearly 20 years ago, and while most camera shops in Dallas went all in with memory cards and megapixels, Don and his son Todd have continued to serve the film photography community in North Texas. Don and Todd never shy away from answering questions and will happily talk shop with amateurs and professionals alike. The shop stocks cameras, lenses, camera bags, studio lighting, darkroom equipment and much more.
When Macklemore rapped about thrifting in 2012, suddenly the act of buying used and outdated clothes became a cool thing to do. Whether you're on the search for some old Levi's to cut into Daisy Dukes or a really ugly sweater that you think can make you look like a trendy work of art from Urban Outfitters, Thrift Giant has it all. There are racks upon racks of women's and men's and kids clothing. On top of all of that, there is furniture that looks good worn down or looks like a nice DIY project. And then there are baby dolls sitting on top of the racks of clothing just staring you in the eye, asking you to give them a nice home.
Instant film and other analogue photography are having a serious moment right now, but it can be tricky figuring out where to find your next vintage camera without spending a fortune. With a massive, ever-revolving assortment of cameras from which to choose, as well as darkroom services, camera equipment and a wide assortment of films and instant-film cameras, Denton Camera Exchange is the perfect place to tap into your analogue side. The small shop, located just off Denton's Downtown Square, was once a pharmacy in the 1950s, with old pharmaceutical equipment serving as decoration throughout. Like other used camera shops, you never know what gear will be in stock, but Denton Camera Exchange typically carries everything from digital and film camera bodies, lenses, camera bags, tripods, filters, film and more. They also develop black-and-white, color and slide film, from 35mm up to 4x5, with some scanning and printing services.
Paper may be the most underrated substance known to man. But maybe not for the reasons you're thinking, because there's something soothing about good paper. Smooth, peaceful, solid and comforting — perhaps like the tree from which it came. All paper is not good paper, but good paper is always worth it. The folks at Missing Q get this because they are paper people. Paper people can spot each other in the greeting card aisle. We are not reading, we are rubbing. We are weighing. We are smelling. We are not just buying stationery for a friend or loved one; we aim to enrich their whole life with one small stack of quality stock. If you recognize yourself, this is your place. Missing Q's generous selection of custom cards, invitations and other paper goods are designed and produced in small batches with custom ink colors and finishes. The shop uses four old-school letterpress and engraving machines to create chic, luxury designs for all occasions. Studio visits are by appointment only, but we can assure you that if there is a heaven for paper people, it is Missing Q.