Coming Full Circle
At 15 years old, Benny Hinkle landed a job at the storied White Elephant Antiques on Riverfront Boulevard and spent the next 17 years there, learning the tricks of the vintage trade. In 2016, he finally struck out on his own and founded Benny Jack Antiques. The 1,800-square-foot store located on Haskell Avenue—next to his wife’s, Gretchen Hinkle Bell’s, legendary Dolly Python—is essentially a shoppable extension of the mustachioed gentleman: rich leather chairs, mounted deer heads, and malachite obelisks, with antique vendors carefully chosen by Hinkle himself.
In July, when White Elephant’s nearly 11,000-square-foot building in the Design District became available, he couldn’t let it go to anyone else. Hinkle completely restyled the store, branded it as a second location for Benny Jack Antiques, and filled it with lots of new vendors—a luxury afforded by the considerable square footage. He approached the new venture with a different outlook than the first store (which will remain open), laying out the space with designers and decorators in mind. “The one on Haskell is more about the oddities, which I love.
When you walk in there, you know you’re going to see some taxidermy,” Hinkle says. “The new space will be more focused on art and furniture, as well as that one-of-a-kind piece for the home.”
Tile Style
Riad Tile is now at Design District’s Purveyor Home, marking the first brick-and-mortar representation for the locally based manufacturer. “We feel that they are just the perfect fit to the aesthetic of our inventory,” says designer Angeline Guido Hall, who owns and curates Purveyor’s selection of (largely local) decor, art, and accessories. Stop by to view the range of colors and patterns that Riad manufactures, in materials from cement and zellige to terrazzo and marble.
That Much Sweeter
You may be familiar with Dulce’s existing Oak Lawn location, but lovers of this upscale interiors consignment shop have reason to rejoice: The showroom has moved to the Design District, allowing more space for furniture, lighting, art, and accessories. The space also doubles as an art gallery—including works by Scott Dykema, Jessica Medina, and Patrick Lewis, to name a few—creating a personality all its own with a relaxed vibe.
