Located off Guadalupe Street across from the University of Texas, the 23rd Street Renaissance Market began as a spontaneous sidewalk gathering of artisans 1969 and today has evolved into a landscaped plaza maintained by the City of Austin with approximately 90 local artists and artisans selling handcrafted originals including jewelry, original art, apparel, candles, leather goods and whimsical items. The Market is open every day with the best selection on weekends. The market mural, painted by local artists in the early 1970s including Kerry Awn, Michael Priest and Jim Franklin, offers a humorous pictoral view of the strange and wonderful people and places that are the cultural history of Austin. Refurbished in 2002, the mural has been updated to include caricatures of more recent celebrities, including a Michael Dell selling computers on the sidewalk and Matthew McConaughey running naked through the streets with his bongo drums.
The Arabic Bazaar in the Hyde Park area of Austin is a direct importer of gifts, clothing, antiques and furniture from Syria, Egypt and Morocco. The Arabic Bazaar sells belly dance costumes, jewelry, jewelry, clothing, glass and ceramic ware, music CDs, DVDs and other unique gifts from the Middle East.
The Austin Independent Business Alliance (AIBA) is a nonprofit organization of locally owned and operated independent businesses that have joined together to promote the cultural and economic benefits of shopping locally. AIBA distributes a directory of members, provides networking and business development opportunties for members and sponsors local business districts designed to create shopping destinations, social gathering places and centers for neighborhood culture. A searchable database with website links to member businesses is available on the AIBA website.
Though there are plenty of places to buy bras, Petticoat Fair is one of the few places in Austin that offers professional sizing and bra fitting. Family owned and operated in Austin since 1964, Petticoat Fair carries pre-teen, bridal, maturnity, nursing, plus size, every day and speciality bras with sizes ranging from AA to JJ cup and 28-56 band. They also stock other hard to find items like year-round swimwear, maternity support belts, bed jackets and hospital gowns. Petticoat Fair also specializes in turbans, bras and support garments related to women's surgery issues including mastectomy, lumpectomy, biopsy, reconstruction, radiation therapy, compression therapy, augmentation and reduction.
Located in South Austin, Roadhouse Rags features men's vintage western shirts, cowboy boots, vintage women's party wear and jewelry and 1940's to 1960's California pottery. Besides, being a retro wear clothing store, Roadhouse Rags is also a performance space with regular Sunday afternoon shows and potluck in their backyard setting.
Located on South Congress Avenue in the heart of the SoCo District, Tesoros has an wide selection of folk art and gift items from around the world, including jewelry, clothing, purses, bags, magnets, posters and household decorative items. Items from over fifteen countries fill the store. Among the treasures are handpainted bamboo curtains, colorful oil cloth by the yard, mexican wrestler collectables, tin ornaments and religious medallions.
