1 Treat Yourself.
Now that the holidays are over, you can take a break from kid-friendly fare and return to the land of adults. Rajan Patel and Jeffrey Lee can make that transition a snap with their expanded Grange Hall. Completed last fall, their in-house restaurant offers a fancy, seasonally inspired menu created by chef Chad Martin and consulting chef Sharon Hage. That’s lucky because you’re sure to work up an appetite selecting the right floral arrangement, taxidermy, artwork, and jewelry from a host of designers including Lynn Ban, Valentina Kova, and Fernando Jorge. Might we suggest the Snob Sandwich, a smoked salmon open-faced masterpiece served with egg salad and caviar. You might as well have a glass of Champagne or two, too.
2 House of Cards
Chelsea Carpenter, owner of custom stationer Southern Fried Paper, has joined forces with event and floral designer Maxine Owens of The Southern Table to open a 4,500-square-foot showroom and meeting space in the Design District called Studio 2524. “Paper by itself is boring,” Chelsea explains, though we might beg to differ. “It goes much better with flowers.” The duo gutted an industrial-style warehouse and transformed the space to include unique meeting rooms and workspaces that speak to their respective businesses and personalities. (Oh, and they also invited their friends from Layered Bake Shop, Ben Q. Photography, and Birds of a Feather Events to host meetings out of the space, as well.) “We work together a lot,” Chelsea says. “We have a similar aesthetic, and we all get along really well.” Chelsea is also excited to relaunch her line of paper and party supplies in a 350-square-foot retail store at the front of the building. Products include thank you notes, stir sticks, coasters, and cake toppers. She and blogger Susie Oszustowicz of Susie Drinks Dallas are also launching a cocktail-inspired line of cards, drink accessories, and a calendar featuring seasonal cocktail recipes.
3 Sweet Shop
Chef Andrea Meyer has always had a sweet tooth, but it wasn’t until a honeymoon trip to Paris that she realized her true calling: French pastries. Ten years later, in 2013, Meyer made that dream a reality when she launched Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie. Meyer has spent the past two years selling her delicious treats around Dallas (such as at the Nespresso café at NorthPark Center and White Rock Local Market) and via delivery. But with the opening of her West Village storefront, she finally has a place to call her own. “It’s been our goal since we established Bisous Bisous Pâtisserie,” she says, “and we’re finally seeing it come to life.” The 1,200-square-foot space, designed by Tiffany Nichols of NexSpaces, features an open kitchen, retail shop, and full coffee bar. Selections include tarts, éclairs, croissants, cakes, gourmet doggy treats, and of course, Chef Meyer’s signature French macarons. The shop’s design is modern, with clean lines that place the focus on the food. Although it’s not an eat-in establishment, Meyer plans to set up café tables outside during the warmer months.
4 Moving on Up
James McInroe’s eponymous store’s location may have changed, but not much else has. And that’s a good thing. “We continue to stock the type of merchandise that we carried in our original location,” the designer says. “But this space is more accessible to customers and has a more pristine finish-out.” Indeed, the new location—a 5,500-square-foot space in the Design District located just around the corner from their old digs—boasts the modern and midcentury furnishings that McInroe has become known for. For 2015, McInroe looks forward to introducing a collection of 20th-century European sconces and chandeliers, which he and his team worked to restore during the holidays.
5 New Groove
David Grover has wanted to open a vinyl store since 2007. Eight years later, with a burgeoning local music and art scene and rising interest among his friends, the former musician and DJ finally felt it was the right time. So he found a quaint, 1,800-square-foot spot in Oak Cliff and opened Spinster Records last October. The 1920s building once served as a garage and has a warm and repurposed vibe that feels right for vinyl shopping. The showroom-style layout makes it easy for customers with varying experience and interest to feel comfortable shopping. Five listening stations are set up around the store that allow customers to test out the turntables, which range in price from $100 to $1,200 (though he can get turntables and accessories of any price point for his customers). His curated selection of new and vintage records include everything from Pink Floyd and Aretha Franklin to up-and-coming bands like St. Vincent and Iceage. But why take a break from your iTunes? “It’s amazing what good vinyl sounds like on a turntable,” Grover says. “But it’s also the nostalgia part, too. Vinyl represents a great time in American history and art.”
6 Pop Art
February will see the debut of “Earth: Water/Mountain,” the second exhibition at 33 at 2133, a new pop-up gallery in the Design District. Produced by Jan Keeton-Yeung and her husband, photographer Ka Yeung—who together run Tinkerboxstudio, a commercial photography group, out of the same space—the exhibit features 33 works of various mediums by artists from all over the globe. Each piece represents the artist’s reflections on the organic world. Featured artists include photographers Lynn Davis and Michel Kenna, woodworker George Nakashima, photojournalist John Loengard, and local jewelry artist Julie Cohn. For Keeton-Yeung, culling together works on such a global theme has provided an interesting link to history. “As Chinese scholars tried to create the essence of nature in their ink paintings, I see that after a thousand years, we are still looking for what captivates us in nature,” she says. A preview will be held Feb. 6 from 6-9 p.m., with the exhibit subsequently available to view by appointment from Feb. 7-9. Items can also be viewed or purchased online. While the next show has not yet been announced, Keeton-Yeung expects to curate several a year.
