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| Merry Vose photography by Vanessa Gavalya |
Merry Vose: 35, mother of Alden, Gardiner, and Harrison and owner of Cabana.
Vose always dreamed of opening her own store. Little did she know that she would first give birth to three boys before opening one—right in her back yard. Situated in a pool house behind her Dallas home, Cabana stocks a well-edited assortment of women’s accessories and hip lines such as Johnson, Paul & Joe, Seaton, Steven Alan, Samantha Tracy, Thread Social. Vose also supports local designers and often carries one-of-a-kind items. Due to high demand, this once appointment-only hot spot is now open Wednesday and Friday mornings to the public. Although Vose’s focus is often on her kids, she says, “I feel having my own business keeps me interesting and is a good diversion.” 9115 Devonshire, Wednesday and Friday 9 am-noon or by appointment, 214-674-9928.
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| Nicole Musselman Boykin photography by Vanessa Gavalya |
Nicole Musselman Boykin: 36, mother of Henry and founder of Koch Handbags.
This California girl came to Dallas by way of SMU, where she earned a master’s degree in liberal arts. Boykin, an avid traveler, was inspired by the unstructured bags that she had seen the women of Thailand toting around local markets. She started Koch Handbags five years ago, and the functional-yet-fashionable bags were originally made from fabrics Boykin brought back from Thailand. Her offerings have expanded to include a variety of leather and hand-painted canvas carryalls, and son Henry motivated her to create a line of sleek baby and weekender bags. “Baby bags don’t have to look like baby bags,” Boykin says. She also has plans to incorporate her son’s and other children’s painted canvas projects into a line of custom beach bags. “It’s always a balancing act. You have to be very organized and love what you are doing, but I love what I do.” $20-$800, available at Forty Five Ten and Cabana, www.kochhandbags.com.
