Editor’s choice, Best Place to Shop and Dine:Bishop Arts District
The Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff began in the 1980s when a couple of restaurants opened in the trolley garages on Seventh Street. Shops and more restaurants came and went for about 20 years until the city invested in lighting, crosswalks, trees and sidewalks.
Finally, the neighborhood took off.
Stores and service establishments along with a variety of new restaurants filled every cross street off Bishop Avenue. Old houses became antique stores. New construction kept within the architecture of the neighborhood. Coffee shops in Bishop Arts became the bike ride destination in Oak Cliff.
And the gays have been a major part of the development in the area, with as many gay-owned galleries, bars, restaurants and shops here as you’ll find in Oak Lawn.
For all these reasons, Bishop Arts District is our editor’s choice of Best Place to Shop and Dine in Dallas.
— David Taffet
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Best New Business: Pryde Fitpire
“Providing equal access to health, wellness and leisure services for the LGBTQ community and its allies” — that is the mission for Pryde Fitpire, an LGBTQ-owned and -operated business founded in 2020 by visionary entrepreneur and passionate LGBTQ advocate Rachel Hankins.
Rachel was spurred on by “the frustration of seeing companies and brands continually miss the mark” when it came to adequately and properly representing the vibrancy and diversity of the LGBTQ community. Recognizing that glaring gap, she said, a decided it was time to take action.
Seeing the discrimination happening around the country targeting LGBTQ+ athletes, Rachel knew she had to take action to help support her adaman belief that “sports and fitness should be inclusive, safe, and celebratory spaces for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.”
To do that, Pryde Fitpire set out on its mission to “empower LGBTQ+ athletes and fitness enthusiasts by providing them with high-quality athleisure and sportswear that not only met their performance needs but also resonated with their identities and expressed their authentic selves. This is how Pryde Athletics was born.”
For that reason, and in recognition of Rachel’s success in “redefining the world of athleisure and sportswear apparel” and her company’s position as the first federally trademarked LGBTQ-, Black- and nonbinary-owned sportswear apparel business in the United States, Pryde Fitpire is our 2023 winner for Best New Business.
— Tammye Nash
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Best New Business
Pryde Athletics
1900 Jay El Drive, Richardson
844-972-3424 • Prydefitpire.com
Best Gay Apparel (tie)
Skivvies
4001 Cedar Springs Road, Ste. C, Dallas
214-559-4955 • SkivviesDallas.net
Best Gay Apparel (tie)
RAMRODD Swimwear
Ramrodd.net
Best Eyewear/Optical
Fashion Optical
3430 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas
214-526-6006 • FashionOpticalDallas.com
Best Furniture Store
Dulce Interior Consignment Showplace
1208 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas
214-219-5656 • MyDulce.com
Best Thrift Store
Out of the Closet
3920 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas
214-599-2173 • OutOfTheCloset.org
Best Collectibles
Lula B’s Design District
1010 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas
214-749-1929 • Instagram.com/LulaBsDD
Lula B’s Oak Cliff
1982 Fort Worth Ave., Dallas
214-824-2185 • Instagram.com/LulaBsOC
Best Vintage/Antiques
Lula B’s Design District
1010 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas
214-749-1929 • Instagram.com/LulaBsDD
Lula B’s Oak Cliff
1982 Fort Worth Ave., Dallas
214-824-2185 • Instagram.com/LulaBsOC
Best Book Store/Comics
Zeus Comics
1334 Inwood Road, Dallas,
214-219-8697 • ZeusComics.com
Best Store for Gaymers
Common Ground Games
1314 Inwood Road, Dallas
214-631-4263 • BoardGamesDallas.com
Best Domestic Auto Dealership
Sewell Cadillac of Dallas
7310 Lemmon Ave., Dallas
214-350-2000 • SewellCadillac-Dallas.com
Best Import Auto Dealership
Toyota of Irving
1999 W. Airport Freeway, Irving
972-395-5090 • ToyotaOfIrving.com
Best Garden Supply/Nursery
North Haven Gardens
7700 Northaven Road, Dallas
214-363-5316 • NHG.com
Best Florist
McShan Florist
10311 Garland Road, Dallas
214-324-2481 • McShanFlorist.com
Best Grocery Store
Kroger
4142 Cedar Springs Road, Dallas
Various other locations throughout
the Metroplex
214-599-9859 • Kroger.com
Best Liquor and Wine Selection
Total Wine & More
3810 Congress Ave., Dallas
Various other locations
throughout the Metroplex
469-804-6345 • Totalwine.com
Best Adult Shop
Alternatives
1720 W. Mockingbird Lane, Ste. B, Dallas
214-630-7071 • Facebook.com/AlternativesNFAdfw
