Shopping in South Central Texas
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Whole Foods Market
Austinites remember Whole Foods back when it was just a low-key hippie grocer, and look at it now, with more than 140 stores nationwide focusing on healthy, natural and organic groceries. There’s a great selection of takeout at this enormous flagship store, perfect for stocking a picnic.
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Half Price Books, Records & Magazines
A broad selection of excellent new and used books, with multiple locations around town.
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Melissa Guerra
San Antonio’s answer to Williams Sonoma, Melissa Guerra has upscale kitchen implements and table settings with a Latin flavor, layered in with Mexican craft items such as lotería jewelry and painted pottery. It’s one of the first stores in the new Pearl Brewery development.
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Uncommon Objects
‘Curious oddities’ is what they advertise at this quirky antique store that sells all manner of fabulous knick-knackery. The merchandise is displayed with an artful eye that makes browsing akin to visiting a rambling museum of memorabilia, all of which happens to be for sale.
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Room Service
Whether your style is ’70s moon chairs or art-nouveau fainting couches, this is the most fabulous place in the city for vintage furnishings. Plenty of smaller (and more portable) stuff is for sale, like gobstopping ashtrays, silk kimonos and more.
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Waterloo Records
Waterloo is a landmark and the best music store in town, with a huge selection and low prices on new and used CDs and vinyl. There are sections reserved just for local bands, and listening stations featuring Texas, indie and alt-country acts.
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Allen’s Boots
In hip South Austin, family-owned Allen’s sells rows upon rows of traditional cowboy boots for ladies, gents and kids. A basic pair costs from $50, while somethin’ fancy runs a few hundred dollars.
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Twig Bookshop
This great little indie bookstore located in the Pearl Brewery development specializes in regional interest, children’s books and author events.
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Arboretum
About 20 minutes northwest of downtown, the Arboretum is a parklike collection of high-end stores like Sharper Image and Restoration Hardware.
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Market Square
A visit to Market Square is a fair approximation of a trip to Mexico . Booths at this mercado sell all the handicrafts and foods you could find in a border town: Talavera pottery, paper flowers, authentic Mexican vanilla, etc. Buy a Tecate beer or a pineapple aguas frescas and be prepared to bargain.
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Austin Art Garage
This cool little independent…well, we hesitate to call it a ‘gallery’ because that would needlessly scare some people off. Anyway, it features some pretty great artwork by Austin artists. (Hey, Joel Ganucheau: we’re fans.) Check out the website to catch the vibe, and definitely check out the ‘gallery’ if you like what you see.
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Alamo Quarry Market
Making fine use of an old 19th-century cement plant, this outdoor mall has plenty of top-brand stores, a multiplex cinema and restaurants. A few Austin-based chains here include Whole Foods Market for groceries, Amy’s Ice Creams and the outdoors outfitter Whole Earth Provision Co.
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Buffalo Exchange
The Austin branch of this nationwide used-clothing chain has an impressive selection of vintage clothes and shoes for men and women, including Texas styles and Western wear. A retro T-shirt matched with a simple skirt or jeans will instantly achieve that alternative Austin look.
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Blackmail
Black is the new black at this color-challenged store that unites Goths, punks and urban sophisticates. That means gorgeous black dresses and guayabera shirts, black-and-silver jewelry, black beaded handbags, black shoes and even minimalist black-and-white home decor.
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Hogwild Records
With an expert selection of vinyl, Hogwild also vends tapes and CDs. If you’re after alt-country, punk ’zines or rare drum ’n’ bass records, this independent music store is the place. Just look for the front door, plastered with band flyers and deep layers of stickers.
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Dave Little’s Boots
This high-quality bootmaker’s shop established in 1915 now caters to country music stars, actors and locals alike. Get your custom pair with a belt to match made from calf, crocodile, ’gator, lizard, eel, ostrich or even kangaroo skin. Allow a few months for delivery.
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Rivercenter Mall
It’s the most accessible megamall in town, and its setting on the Riverwalk isn’t bad at all. Because of the cinemas, IMAX theater, comedy club, restaurants and dozens of shops, you’ll probably end up here at some point in your stay.
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Antone's Records
North of UT, legendary Antone’s was founded in 1972 and has a well-respected selection of Austin, Texas and American blues music (with plenty of rare vinyl), plus a bulletin board for musicians, and vintage concert posters for sale.
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Emeralds
Almost a minidepartment store for trendy women, Emeralds sells racks of spirited clothes that instead of being separated by designer are grouped by color. You’ll also find jewelry by Texas artisans, handbags and, oh, the shoes.
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Blue Velvet
Western wear, vintage T-shirts and even oddities such as all-American bowling wear hang on the racks at Blue Velvet, where you’ll find an equal number of men and women eyeing the goods. Summer fashions are stocked year-round.
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Dragonsnaps
Presided over by a jolly green dragon, this kids’ clothing store is perfect for comfortably outfitting your young ’uns with a dash of panache. Prices may be high, but most of this well-made clothing will last a long time.
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Electric Ladyland
Colorful and over the top, this South Congress staple has been outfitting Austinites for years. You can rent or buy costume pieces, which is this place’s specialty, but you can also find everyday vintage duds as well.
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La Villita
A few artisan craft shops exist among the tourist-T-shirt filled Riverwalk. The old buildings of the city's first neighborhood, La Villita, house the largest concentration of galleries and boutiques.
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Amelia’s Retrovogue & Relics
Austin’s queen of vintage high fashion, Amelia’s brings together Vogue-worthy dresses, retro ’50s bathing suits and other old-school glamour for both men and women. It’s a favorite with film industry folk.
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Cheapo Discs & Dvds
Though not as much of a bargain as the name suggests, it does have racks of used CDs, including Texas and alt-country music. Free in-store performances are often scheduled for the first Friday of the month.
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