Back Talk Far North Dallas

Cottonwood Art Festival

If you've driven down Belt Line anytime in the past few days, you've probably spotted the colorful flags at Cottonwood Park going up. If that weren't reminder enough, consider this your official notice: the Cottonwood Art Festival kicks off this Friday, Oct. 4.
If you've never been, you should. There will be more than 800 artists selling their work there, so whether you like those Pollock-esque conceptual pieces, or you prefer the pastel wildflower scenes, there's something up your alley. Plus there's all sorts of unique crafts, sculptures, vases, candles, etc. There will also be live music, tons of hands-on messy fun for the kiddos, and dogs are welcome, too. Last year I sampled the deep fried cheese cake which tasted a lot better than it sounds (think canoli), but I was sad to see it's not coming back this year. Oh well. I guess I'll have to settle for the old fashioned corndog and a frozen lemonade. And unlike a lot of other festivals in our neighborhood, there is no charge to get into this one.

Greek Food Festival this weekend

Just a reminder, the Greek Food Festival kicks off this weekend--which means good Greek food, and a lot of it. Don't get me wrong, the deep fried jelly beans and bacon you'll find at the State Fair are great and all, but you just can't beat those gyros and baklava. Plus, where else can you learn to cook authentic Greek meals, plus find all the groceries you need to make them? You can checkout the entertainment lineup and buy your tickets online. It looks like the weather is also going to cooperate. I know I'll be out at the festival this weekend enjoying that cooler weather, gyro in hand. Opa!

Christmas catalogues in September

This arrived in my mailbox on Friday. I don’t know that I have ever received a holiday book this early. Not much else to say, is there?

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: L.L. Bean,Christmas catalogues,shopping

Terr Costa fashion show this weekend

If you've got a daughter's who is in the thick of finding that perfect homecoming dress, then you should know about the Terry Costa Teen Board Homecoming Fashion Show. This Sunday, Sept. 14, head to the boutique at the southwest corner of Preston and LBJ Freeway at  7:30 p.m. and check out some of the 'it' dresses for the season. Now as far as compromising what's age appropriate and what's a reasonable price tag, you're on your own.

Birthday freebies: Take advantage of the deals

Growing up, my mother pulled out all the stops on my and my siblings' birthdays. The birthday banner was unfurled; the birthday tablecloth came out of storage; the birthday boy or girl received a free pass on any chores, and also got to choose that evening's meal.

All simple gestures, yes, but each one practiced every year taught me one thing: A person's birthday is her special day, and should be celebrated in any little way possible. Today happens to be my birthday, and being the queen of good deals (though I may have to share that title with editor Marlena Chavira-Medford), I have come to love the "little" celebrations offered by restaurants and retailers around Dallas. I'm always looking for the best place to spend my actual birth-day — what is great about these deals is that you can typically redeem them during your birth-week or even birth-month.

HomeGoods opens this weekend

That HomeGoods store right next to the new Sprouts grocery store opens this weekend. The grand opening will be Sunday, Sept. 7, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you thought that Pavillion East parking lot was crowded before, brace yourself.

Sales tax free weekend

And there were a lot of shoppers out over the weekend, taking that 8-plus percent discount. I made a couple of calls and sent some emails today to get a sense of what it was like, and the general impression is that, while many stores were busy, things were mostly under control. Many retailers brought in extra employees, and if checkout lines were long, they mostly moved reasonably.

My favorite story? A long-time Back Talk visitor reported that the employees at one Target were scurrying around the store, walkie-talkies in hand. Whenever there was a crisis, each raised the walkie-talkie to their mouth and scurried faster until the crisis was resolved.

Feel free to add your experiences. We take our shopping –and our customer service – seriously here at the blog.

Technorati Tags: tax free weekend,shopping,back to school

J. Crew opens at Galleria

If you're a fan of J.Crew you no longer have to make the trek to NorthPark for your shopping excursions. We just got our very own J.Crew at the Galleria. The store opened yesterday and is located on the first level of the mall, right next to Saks Fifth Avenue. And just a handy little FYI, J.Crew always gives 15% discounts to college students with proof of ID.

Soak up Dallas design trends with Design Sponge

Never know what the latest design trends are? Or where to shop in Dallas for hip furniture and home décor? Me neither. My solution is heading to Design*Sponge.

The website features city guides (not limited to the United States), before and after pictures, do it yourself guides and more. It's also very picture oriented, which enables you to see the design trends and then pick them out somewhere else on your own, or knock off the design and make it your own.

The best feature of the site (in my opinion) is the city design guides. With only 29 city guides so far, Dallas has made its way onto the list, with shops of all kinds featured under categories from furniture to gadgets to fashion.

For example, if you're looking for something contemporary, the guide points to shops like BoConcept on Alpha Road in the Village on the Green Center, where Denmark's global brand name offers customized, coordinated and affordable design furniture and accessories.

That's just a taste of what the Design Sponge site has to offer. Explore for yourself.

Dillard's is closing at Valley View Mall

The Dillard's at Valley View Center in closing. The Dallas Morning News reports the department store will close its doors by the end of August. Macy's moved out of the mall earlier this year. Now both department stores have plans to open new locations in Fairview, a 200-acre mixed use development that's being built off Stacy Road in Collin County.
Sears and JC Penny are the only remaining anchors at Valley View now. Macerich Co. owns Valley View, but no word yet on their plans for the mall.
But in the meantime, I think it's safe to say you can keep an eye out for a big closing sale at Dillard's.