Photography by Owen Jones – Pictured above: Art from Curiosities
Skip the crowds at the big-box retailers and find one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your shopping list without leaving the neighborhood.
ROOTED IN LOVE
Flowers wilt in a week, but nothing says, “My love for you will never die” quite like a cactus. Find the perfect cacti and succulents from The Glass Roots Co. The arrangements are rooted in love in repurposed wine bottles, beer cans and El Pato sauce cans. Get into the holiday spirit with a succulent Christmas tree or an arrangement potted in a pair of ceramic winter boots. A gift from the women-owned business can bring a smile to the most prickly person in your life. Plus, you’ll be giving a low-maintenance gift that’s nearly impossible to kill.
Cost: $25-$150 facebook.com/theglassrootsco
CURIOSER AND CURIOSER
From crocodile handbags and Viking pipes to face jugs and mola art, Curiosities has antiques and oddities to suit any interest. Browse from the ever-changing selection of vintage clothing, jewelry, garden signs and more. With such a wide array of unique products, shop without fear of giving the same gift as everyone else.
Cost: $54-$1,200 facebook.com/curiositiesdallas
DO YOU WANT TO PAINT A SNOWMAN?
JulieAnn Bever has made handprint and footprint ceramic ornaments at her East Dallas studio since 2012. But with folks less likely to venture out this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, she’s offering take-and-make ornament kits for families to complete at home. The kit includes a 5-inch bisque snowman with three glaze colors, glazing tips and a paintbrush. Bever will fire it to a glossy finish, tie it with a ribbon and return it ready to hang on your Christmas tree for years to come.
Cost: $24 pintsizedprints.com
SMELLS LIKE POLITICS
Neighbor Shannon Alexander’s hand-poured Democrat and Republican candles are the perfect gift for any political junkie. Whatever your political opinions, light your candle with pride. If you’d rather not rile your family after an exhausting election season, diffuse the tension with one of her signature holiday scents: “Son of a nutcracker!” or “Santa! I know him!”
Cost: $12 alexandercandles.com
GOODBYE 2020 — HELLO 2021!
When Nancy Ellis was furloughed from her interior design job in March, she started going to White Rock Lake at sunrise to take pictures. They were such a success on Facebook, she turned them into a coffee table book that has sold more than 400 copies. Now, her prints are on a variety of products from greeting cards to calendars. Say good riddance to 2020 and usher in 2021 with tranquil photos of the lake each month. Maybe next year you can actually put that calendar to use.
Cost: $20 for calendar, $50 for book
Find her products at Talulah & HESS and Toasted Coffee + Kitchen Place orders at designellis@gmail.com
PERFECT FOR THE PANDEMIC
Masks are the 2020 accessory you can’t have enough of. Is your mask permanently stained with makeup? Is the nose wire poking you in the face? Time for an upgrade. East Dallas is full of mask suppliers with a variety of prints and patterns to choose from.
Cost: $10
Renee Roberts: renee@reneerobertshandbags.com; Nancey Hernandez: nanceyhernandez@gmail.com
LOVE THY ’HOOD
Show some love to your neighborhood wherever you are with a hat from Neighborhood Supply Co. The family run business designs and sells custom and stylish goods for several Dallas neighborhoods, including Lakewood, Junius Heights, Little Forest Hills and White Rock Lake. The hats come in a variety of colors and styles.
Cost: $25-$30 neighborhoodsupplyco.com
HANDCRAFTED HATS
Zahra Darwish was stuck in Mexico City at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. She fled to the hills of Taxco, where she saw artisans devastated by the economic recession. She began marketing their handcrafted hats and products on Facebook and was overwhelmed with demand. Darwish supports about 40 milliners, silversmiths, leathersmiths and painters. She buys the paint and invites artists to work in her Taxco studio, where adorning the hats can take up to 16 hours for the most ornate designs. She pays the artists whatever they think the hat is worth — no negotiations. Choose from a variety of styles dedicated to Talavera pottery, Frida Kahlo,
Dia de los Muertos and more.
Cost: $90-$175 artesaniaszahradarwish.com
TEXAS GOODS CO.
When you shop at Texas Goods Company, you’re supporting more than 20 other Texas-based small businesses. The antiques and decor store opened its second location in the Hillside Village shopping center in August. It sells these cowhide handbags, plus souvenirs, gifts, home decor, furniture, jewelry, clothing and more.
Cost: $18.50-$120 texasgoodscompany.com
UNBREAKABLE
If you never got your hands on a film festival ticket to watch neighbor Josh Jordan’s hit movie, “This World Won’t Break,” it’s now available on DVD. The film follows broke- down, middle-aged Texas troubadour Wes Milligan as he pursues his musical dream. He longs to be remembered as a country legend, but his failings and self-doubt frustrate his career. The film was shot in Dallas and includes several scenes from our neighbor- hood, including White Rock Lake, Good Records, Swiss Avenue and Johnny’s Liquor Store. Look for Hollywood Heights neighbor and “The Magnificent Seven” actor Matthew Posey and Lakewood musician Tim DeLaughter.
Cost: $30 thisworldwontbreak.com
Find the DVD at Good Records
