The Chronicle has posted a nice story by Ashley Harris on the (walkable!) shops of lower Westheimer:
Buffalo Exchange is one of a cluster of resale or vintage product shops on lower Westheimer.
The grouping helps draw buyers and sellers to the stores, some of which have operated for as long as 15 years.
“I come here because it has a lot of nowadays fashions that are really trendy and not that expensive,” said Hultman, 15, a student from Cypress.
“I don’t mind traveling out here to get what I want because it’s the only one in town.”
Besides customers like Hultman looking for bargains, the area also draws people in the market for something exotic, perhaps white linen men’s Prada shoes from Leopard Lounge or the Big Boy statue outside Flashback Funtiques.
The shops, nestled among tattoo parlors, where burly men sport colorful sleeves of body art, and small clothing boutiques, rely on a central location with a Bohemian reputation.
Bill Howard, owner of Flashback Funtiques, said he benefits from that. “Being on Westheimer, you don’t have to pay for advertising.”
That must be one of those parts of Houston that “urbanist” Andres Duany missed while he was in town visiting fellow elites and complaining about Houston’s faults.
Then again, it may be hard to see all that Houston has to offer when your destinations are 801 Texas Avenue and the residence of Peter Brown, Architect.
