When it comes to shopping, January is all about incorporating winter pieces into your wardrobe and taking advantage of deep savings as shops discount their wares after the holidays. This month, we’re mixing it up by highlighting a few boutiques where you can update your home and wardrobe as you ease into the new year.
Busy-Being and Solid Gold
Busy-Being and Solid Gold are two businesses with separate identities that share the same cool East Side location. Busy-Being owner Amber Abramson curates and sells handcrafted jewelry, fine art and home goods — pieces you can’t find anywhere else in Austin — such as the richly hued prints of horses by Alexandra Valenti and the “friendship bracelet” wall hangings made by local artist Anna Klausmann. Busy-Being also hosts rotating workshops. The next one will be a Reiki Level 1 Certification Workshop on January 19.
Solid Gold carries contemporary women’s clothing and accessories designed by American and European labels, including Mary Meyer, Study NY and Scotch & Soda. This winter, Katie Friedman, Solid Gold's owner, will be expanding the shop’s collection by carrying Blue — a French “ethnic hippy chic” collection by Juan Les Pins. Friedman also plans to debut a few pieces for her in-house ready-to-wear collection later this year.
If you made a resolution to get in better shape this year by running laps around Town Lake, pay Luke’s Locker a visit. You'll find huge discounts on fitness gear right now, and the dedicated staff will help you test out a pair of sneakers that are right for you. If you need some more motivation to get moving, try the shop's regularly scheduled social runs, walks and workouts. This month there’s a Running Form Clinic on Monday, January 13, at 7 pm. Call 469-845-6244 to make an appointment.
Walking into Golden Bones is an experience. Customers often go home with a free golden ring! What sets this boutique apart from others in Austin, besides the fact that it's connected to a salon and an events space, is its steady rotation of contemporary glam and rock 'n' roll attire. This winter, the boutique is exclusively carrying UNIF, a youthful and rebellious label out of Los Angeles. Some of the new lines include Morning Warrior, Lip Service and Crowned Bird. We think Golden Bones' snuggly The Fuzz Oversized Sweater by Outerwear is perfect now that the temperature's dropped. Get an additional 25 percent off when you sign up for the Golden Bones newsletter or by shopping online with the code WINTERSALE.
Sikara & Co. Modern Fusion Jewelry
Need some new jewelry? We adore Sikara's bestselling Classic Swirly Earrings. Sikara & Co. founder Mousumi Shaw draws inspiration from her travels when coming up with concepts for her jewelry. Take, for example, the Desert Print Ring; a gorgeous sterling silver and citrine ring influenced by the camel footprints Shaw saw in Western Rajasthan’s Thar desert. Oh, and Sikara has the perfect gift for men who love the Lone Star State: Silver Texas Cufflinks with Diamonds. The diamonds are placed strategically where Austin is located, but you can custom order them and choose the Texas city where you want the diamonds to be set! Yeehaw!
Feathers is going through some changes! Co-owner Masha Poloskova is leaving the high-end vintage boutique to open a new women’s store, Garment, and Christina Simon, one of the designers behind Alchemy, will join Emily Hoover as new co-owner. The two plan to expand Feathers' in-house retail line, and this month they are rolling out Feathers Home, a mix of vintage and retro-inspired interiors. The home collection includes rugs, ethnic throws, colorful batik pillows and brass trinkets from the Far East. Stop by and pick up a few things to spruce up your home – and grab a pair of suede platform heels while you’re at it!
Co-Star is introducing a designer consignment program this year — just in time for spring cleaning! The South Congress shop, known for its trendy men and women’s clothing, is looking for in-season contemporary lines that fit with Co-Star’s aesthetic. In other words, bring in your gently worn duds by Alexander Wang, Chloe and Jill Sander and leave the mall brands at home. Employees will appraise each piece and keep it for a total of 90 days, selling it for full price during the first month and reducing the price over time. Participants can choose to either receive 45 percent of the selling price in cash or receive store credit for 55 percent of their product’s sale. Even if you can't afford to buy a secondhand pair of Chanel shoes, it's definitely worth popping in to try them on!
This delightful wine bar and home decor shop carries a range of contemporary home furnishings, the kind of items you might find at CB2. This season, one of the cutest items on Aviary's shelf is an oversized lounge rabbit by Fatboy, says owner Marco Fiorilo. He's also excited about carrying local designer Tom Fisher’s side table, hand-joined and made with mixed wood in a natural finish. On the oenophilia side, Fiorilo is touting Camino de los siete lagos gran reserva, a red wine from Argentina; and Domaine berangeraie cuvee maurin cahors, a red wine from France. Every Wednesday, the shop hosts the musical group Continental Graffiti and discounts all of the bottles. Later this year, it'll roll out Cork Dork Nights, which focuses on pairing a specific wine with a complimentary food. “It's a great way to learn about wine and have fun," Fiorilio says.
This vintage men’s shop carries everything a guy needs to layer up this winter. You’ll find shearling-lined vests, pea coats, heavy Pendleton flannels (very of the moment), high school letter jackets á là The Brady Bunch and a boatload of sweaters. Pro tip: While most people know New Brohemia as the place to get cool pearl snap shirts and leather cowboy boots, they don’t know about the shop’s large selection of plus-sized and extra large clothing. Now you know.
With the change of season comes dry air, and that can wreak havoc on skin and hair. Not to worry; Luxe Apothetique has you covered. The ample boutique and apothecary is now carrying Kerastase's newly reformulated Nutritive products, which conditions dry and parched hair. Another great product for the winter is Lalia Hand & Body Cream, a rich moisturizer lightly scented with Norwegian wildflowers. Want to get complexion glowing? Luxe employees rave over GlamGlow, an at-home mask that’s becoming a popular cult product.
Solid Gold
