Downtown Denton has really hit its stride. On any given day, you can find great coffee at West Oak, an award-winning burger at Barley & Board, handmade local goods at the Dime Store, and now, you can find ethically-made Turkish textiles from OddBird Company — at least until May.
Originally launched as an online shop four years ago by Australian-native Ceren Lee and her husband, actor Jason Lee, when they moved from Los Angeles to Denton, OddBird was immediately embraced in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “It was so amazing that people wanted the textiles and the story,” says Lee. “I could have easily drowned in Los Angeles, because of the high cost of everything. Launching here, I was able to maintain our ethically-made and ethically-priced platform. That’s what’s been most important to me: to be able to afford to pay our weavers what they need to live. And our customers can afford to purchase.”
In 2018, just before the holidays, Lee stumbled upon a small, temporary space in Denton’s downtown square, tucked between West Hickory and West Oak Street, and used it as an opportunity to test out physical retail. “We were like, okay, let’s see what we can do in six months,” says Lee.
As it turns out, it was something beautiful. The little shop (deemed Common Wealth as a nod to Lee’s Australian roots) is warm, styled with simplicity, and filled with the scent of whatever woodsy incense happens to be burning. OddBird textiles (all crafted by a family of weavers in Turkey) are stocked, of course, and Lee is usually on hand to show you how to wear their robes as streetwear, or use a towel as a shawl, blanket, and even a breastfeeding cover.
You’ll also find cool lifestyle brands such as Tea.o.graphy from Taos, Incausa incense out of Brooklyn, unisex cosmetics brand NOTO, and local chocolate from Dude, Sweet. “We wanted to bring in items that we use personally and are all made in small batches,” says Lee. “I love the conscious purchasing element of everything.”
Common Wealth will likely move on to more spacious digs after the pop-up closes, but the initial iteration is well worth a visit through the spring.
