It wasn’t all just 16oz beers and bands at SXSW, I managed to sneak in some shopping as well. Mr. Don Weir of the very well done Detour blog pointed me toward the newish men’s and women’s boutique Bows + Arrows. I was pleasantly surprised to find another top notch shop in the Texas capitol. The owner Lauren (who is pictured below), was kind enough to let me snap some pictures. The shop sells a bunch of different labels including ACL favorites like Apolis Activism, Organic by John Patrick, Shipley & Halmos and Alexander Olch (who is a Paul + Williams client). Austin is such a great city with cool restaurants and shops like By George and now Bows + Arrows. I think it is only a matter of time before I am forced to move down there. More shots of Bows + Arrows after the jump.
Bows + Arrows owner Lauren.
Bows + Arrows // 215 S. Lamar Austin, TX 78704 // (512) 579-0301
Don’t move there. Austin is a great city but the rest of state is full of bigots. Keep it cool and stay in NYC. Or move to Toronto :)
Andrew — that is a massive generalization and honestly, surprising to hear from a Canadian.
ACL
ooh is that WALLPAPER? love it, want it.
Some of the hippest clothing racks I’ve ever seen. Lauren, I’d love to know where you found them.
where’s the Archery equipment?
I don’t know, I’ve encountered my fair share of bigots from Canada….
@ Andrew – Austin’s cool. The rest of Texas is gigantic and quite diverse. Sure, there are people and entire towns that are very far right, but that is their choice. See? Liberalism is a matter of choice, and they choose to be how they are. I know people in other parts of Texas too – Dallas, Commerce, Cumby, Houston, Friendswood, Gruene, Lubbock, Beaumont, and McAllen down by the Mexican border who are all very different, and cool and open minded. I’d rather be around a lot them instead of some of the douchebags I meet here in NYC – and I’m a true-blue NYer. But I digress.
Mike – your posts are always entertaining. Great photos! I hope you had the chance to sample some authentic Texas BBQ.
Michael — those shoes on the right in the third picture are amazing, do you know what brand they are??
Alex — I would guess Rachel Comey but you should call the shop. They are nice and I’m sure able to assist you.
ACL
Being born and raised in Texas I’m the only one here who can rightfully talk shit about it. Yes Texas has more than it’s fair share of bigots. For every bigot there’s just as many cool ass people. The thing about Texas is you have to scratch the surface to find the gems and I assure you they’re there. I doubt I would ever move back but I still got mad love for Texas and the old friends still holding it down.
dos centavos aquis! I have lived in four countries, and six states and have lived in between in Texas for my whole life. After suffering the innumerable masses of generic open minded liberal hipsters in SF and PDX, and then living on the east coast (specifically philly- which I adore) I found my way back to Texas and am finally putting down roots. The thing about Texas is… you can be whoever you want, (the more eccentric the better) and Texas lets you be just that… I am happy in Houston now with more culture and ethnicity and authentic goodness in this city than I ever experienced in boring Portland, Oregon. And to boot- I can be an artist here, a designer a writer, an entrepreneur and while I have lots of other friends and acquaintances here with similar sensibilities and interests, there is not so many of “me” that I too, am generic.
been here 9 years. nothing beats it. at least, not in texas. but i agree with the above “let you be who you want to be” sentiment. of course, i wish i had the means to travel as much as yourself. getting away now and again is always nice. i’m doing the cape cod thing this summer. what beer goes best with the cape?
Andrew is from Toronto…they’re like that there.
Just like Nicole at Blackbird it seems women open the best men’s stores.
@Andrew, with that kind of attitude, I am sure you feel people are bigoted in a lot of places. It’s a cloud that follows you around innit? Is treating someone like a douchebag, when they are, in fact, a douchebag, acting like a douchebag, really bigotry?
As a minority from South Texas, I honestly felt more racism in the East Coast than I did in Texas. Sure, people can be ignorant, but they are generally mean well. Come by for another visit, you would be surprised how much cable tv has civilized us…
plaidout,
the clothing racks were custom made by a local metal worker. i can get the name if you like.
and thom,
they also carry women’s clothing. the store is split down the middle into men’s and women’s.
Andrew: Don’t be rude. It’s uncalled for.
Thom: It’s so true, we’re all like that.
The clothes look wonderful. I’m sure there are plenty of nice Texans, as there are plenty of nice Torontonians. And plaidout, I agree with you on the racks. That finish is great, and the clean lines really agree with the style.
Ya great rolling racks ! Where’d she score those !
Ahhh, custom. Makes sense. Very nice
Toronto is slowly turning from “New York run by the Swiss” to a total wasteland. I’d move to Austin any day instead of this too-cold, too-taxed third-rate metropolis.
The thing is I’ve been to Texas, maybe I met all the wrong people. Sorry if I offended anyone.
apology accepted, andrew. we know it’s not a perfect state. come back now, ya hear?
As another Andrew from Toronto I’ll offer another opinion. I went to school in Texas and I say it’s the best state in the union, full of incredible people and incredible things.
Damn this name is too common… :(
I’ve lived in Dallas for a little over two years and can assure you that only the cops here are bigots.
I wish we had more stores like Bows and Arrows here. There’s only one I can really think of, and it’s mostly geared toward women’s fashion.
Which store in Dallas are you talking about Daniel?
Forty Five Ten on McKinney.
Whether you move there or not (and I loved living there, btw), I think you have to rock one of those great seersucker suits. The NYC summer warrants it as well, and nothing keeps you cool..and cooler.
I’ll take one of those 60 cent suits…
ita-darling, I live in Houston too, what kind of design work do u do?
Fort Worth is the best city in the whole damn state…..We are in DESPERATE DESPERATE need though for mens clothing, trust me, its a gold mind waiting to be mined.
Houston and Dallas are stuffed with pretentious posers.
Austin is becoming that way more and more as the days go by.
*I mean gold mine
Way to Goss it up, Andrew #1…