Antique & Vintage Finds
Readers’ Choice: Montgomery Street Antique Mall, 2601 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-735-9685
Critic’s Choice: Doc’s Records & Vintage, 2628 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 817-732-5455
Doc’s rows and rows of records are the main draw here, until you look to your left and see the maze of vintage vendor booths extending into the distance of its cavernous environs. This place is crammed from the floor on up with old, kitschy stuff, and each booth offers its own collection of 20th-century treasures. It’s very easy (and enjoyable) to get lost here.
Barbershop
Readers’ Choices (Top 3): District Barbershop, 400 S Jennings St, Ste 100, Fort Worth, 817-420-9552; Fort Worth Barbershop, 3529 Lovell Av, Fort Worth, 817-731-5252; South Barbershop, 129 E Daggett Av, Fort Worth, 817-380-8117
Critic’s Choice: Faded Art Barbershop, 5408 River Oaks Blvd, River Oaks, 682-255-5003
Those looking for a tight new cut should check out River Oaks’ newest barbers. Faded Art’s staff embodies the “art is in modern barbering” spirit, as the shop’s slogan proclaims. Faded Art opened earlier this year and is already getting rave reviews, and here’s one more.
Courtesy Faded Art Barbershop
Beauty Services
Readers’ Choices (Top 3): Acute Salon, 954 W Rosedale Av, Fort Worth, 817-405-4062; Frida Beauty Collective, 2707 Race St, Ste 105, Fort Worth, 682-683-7899; Melted Wax Studio, 463 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, 817-798-4187
Critic’s Choice: Perfect Touch Day Spa, 2525 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 817-870-3610
Well-known for its traditional day spa services like massage therapy, body care, and skin therapies, plus high marks in the happy customer department, Perfect Touch also offers some other beautification options. Treat yourself to a mani/pedi, tanning, and waxing with these folks and feel instantly beautiful.
Boutique
Readers’ Choice: Wildflower Intimates, 607 W Magnolia Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 817-900-9044
Critic’s Choice: Flea Style, 128 E Exchange Av, Ste 580, Fort Worth, 682-224-5887
The hat bar at Flea Style turns shopping for a lid into an unforgettable event. Customers pick one, then grab a tray and dig through the boutique’s accessory area for chains, feathers, leather strips, scarves, vintage brooches, hat pins, playing cards, and more. You’re encouraged to grab anything you like because you’ll have artisan assistance to narrow it down next. Step up to the bar with your amazing choices, and a professional hat stylist puts it all together. Owner Brittany Cobb is a Dallas native, and six of her eight locations are right here in North Texas. Along with a Flea Style, we are lucky to also have her Wide Brim shop right here in the Stockyards.
Car Wash
Readers’ Choice: University Car Wash, 3124 Collinsworth St, Fort Worth, 817-714-5290
Place To Buy CBD and THCa
Readers’ Choice: Smoke & Vape DZ, 1411 W Magnolia Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 682-707-9229
Critic’s Choice: Thrive Apothecary, 126 S Main St, Ste 100, Fort Worth, 817-480-7098
From edibles and tinctures to pre-rolls, beverages, and more, Thrive’s hemp-derived cannabis products are vetted and tested to ensure they exist within the confines of Texas’ marijuana policy and are sold in a vibrant atmosphere by staffers who know what they’re talking about. Great for people new to cannabis culture!
Place To Buy Cigars
Readers’ Choice: Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge, 426 Commerce St, Fort Worth, 817-887-9535
Critic’s Choice: Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge
It’s classy, it’s comfy, and, maybe most importantly, it’s well-ventilated (though you can’t escape the smoke completely — let’s be reasonable). Located downtown, Silver Leaf has been offering hundreds of cigars at fair prices to go with high-end quaffs like Scotch, whiskey, wine, and beer for years now. The service is also top-flight, meaning you won’t have to wait long to achieve major chill mode.
Place To Buy Coffee
Readers’ Choices (Top 3): Avoca Coffee Roasters, 1311 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 682-233-0957; Enduro Coffee Roasters, 400 Oakhurst Scenic Dr, Fort Worth, 817-773-8576; Cherry Coffee Shop, 1121 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-330-4301
Critic’s Choice: Black Coffee, 1417 Vaughn Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-782-9867
Black Coffee has a rotating menu of seasonal specialties, including a cinnamon-honey latte with local raw honey that’s amazing. In the summer, Black offers cold, non-coffee beverages, but it’s the bespoke Eastsider blend, a medium roast of Kenyan and Honduran beans, that’s the key to most of the deliciousness coming out of this small shop on the East Side. Black Coffee also has a dark roast, the Poly Blend, named unapologetically for the area owner Mia Moss calls home. If you want to drive through, get your java, and leave, that’s fine. If you want to sit awhile and work, or meet someone to plan to change the world, take a seat.
Comic Book Store
Readers’ Choice: Pastime Comics & Collectibles, 6120 Watauga Rd, Ste B, Watauga, 817-849-2295
Critic’s Choice: Pastime Comics & Collectibles
Along with thousands of back issues in neat aisles and assorted collectibles everywhere, Pastime has dozens of key issues, or “keys,” behind the counter for sale. Most of them come from the entre collections that the Watauga retailer also buys, so next time you’re at Grandpa’s, be sure to secretly raid his attic for that run of Brave & the Bold that includes #28 or The Incredible Hulk with #181 in it. If you visit Pastime during the week, ask for Ed. He’s there most days and is easy to chat with.
Courtesy Pastime/Instagram
Customer Service
Readers’ Choice: Brewed, 801 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-803-4753
Critic’s Choice: O’Brien Garage Doors, 5817 W I-20, Ste 430, Arlington, 817-330-1155
They’re friendly, knowledgeable, and capable of getting your garage door back into functioning shape in a matter of minutes and without charging you a ton. Covering all of North Texas, O’Brien has been in business for nearly four decades, and it shows in the hard-to-beat rates and the service techs’ skill and professionalism.
Day Spa
Readers’ Choice: Perfect Touch Day Spa, 2525 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 817-870-3610
Critic’s Choice: Perfect Touch Day Spa
The therapists certainly live up to the name of the place. Their touch really is “perfect.” We’ve been here dozens of times over the years, and it’s only gotten better. The packages are also lovely. From the Face and Body Package (2-hour facial, full-body Swedish massage, Paraffin foot treatment) for $165 to the Ultimate Indulgence Package (3.5-hour four-hands massage, ultra-facial treatment, seaweed or herbal body wrap, body polish treatment) for $375, Perfect Touch has the perfect treatment for your utter rejuvenation.
Farmers Market
Readers’ Choice: Clearfork Farmers Market, 4801 Edwards Ranch Rd, Fort Worth, 817-985-3773
Critic’s Choice: Community Link, 300 S Belmont St, Saginaw, 817-847-4554
Community Link’s three farmers markets in Saginaw, Azle, and Lake Worth all serve a dual purpose. By providing an outlet for local growers, makers, bakers, and other vendors, the markets up the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables in northeast Tarrant County. What isn’t sold at the end of the market day is purchased from the growers and vendors through community donations and put into Community Link’s Saginaw food pantry. In addition to the farmers markets and food pantry, Community Link also provides emergency assistance and mental health counseling.
Place To Buy Gifts
Readers’ Choice: Embodii Crystals, 7410 Blvd 26, Ste D, Richland Hills, 817-455-6148
Critic’s Choice: Town Talk Foods, multiple locations
Among the shelves of overstock from other grocery retailers that end up on the shelves of Town Talk, you will find the makings of some amazing gift baskets — and at a deep discount, as this is a “seconds and surplus”-type of place. On the super-cheap side are Himalayan salt grinders for 50 cents, random candy bars at $1-3 per shopping bag, jars of gourmet olives and cocktail onions for $3-ish, and much more. On the “high end,” there are bottles of wine, all less than $15, in colors and label themes that will make for a great anchor for your baskets. For this type of shopping, avoid Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Those are the produce market days, and there will be longer lines. Happy (gift) shopping!
Grocery Store
Readers’ Choice: Central Market, 4651 W Fwy, Fort Worth, 817-989-4700
Critic’s Choices (tie): Foodland Markets, multiple locations; H-E-B, multiple locations
The regionally owned Foodland Markets’ six locations in Tarrant County are lifelines in critically underserved areas where the chain stores fear to tread. The stores honor the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s Double Up Food Bucks, which allow families who need produce to buy some and get some free (up to $10 per day). And several of the locations participate in composting food waste to keep that out of our increasingly crowded landfills. When you realize that two of the largest grocery stores (the Kroger and Albertsons brands) are merging and that three companies control over 90% of the soda market and another three companies control about three-quarters of the cereal market, you start to appreciate the smaller, less glitzy grocery stores. … H-E-B has a well-deserved stellar reputation for so many things, including feeding Texans during times of flood, famine, and other disasters, but for several years, we were told we couldn’t possibly have an H-E-B store in Tarrant County proper. For one thing, we couldn’t have one anywhere near the company’s flagship, fancy Central Market –– even though the Austin area has both stores essentially about 2 miles apart all across Travis County. Turns out that 2024 was a banner year for expansion, and H-E-B stores in Alliance and Mansfield join the Burleson, Cleburne, and Waxahachie locations. For bulk items like chicken thighs and staples like rice, price points are comparable to the big box stores. H-E-B is also supporting Texas state parks when customers purchase ecologically friendly, biodegradable, plant-based Field & Future H-E-B brands.
Hair Salon
Readers’ Choices (Top 3): Acute Salon, 954 W Rosedale St, Fort Worth, @AcuteSalonFTW; Candace Maude Salon, 212 S Main St, Ste 110, Fort Worth, 817-653-2626; Collective Salon, 618 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, 817-420-9034
Critic’s Choice: Folklore Hair Studio, 1549 N Main St, Ste 107, Fort Worth, FolkloreHairStudio.com
As a collective of freelance creatives ourselves, for the most part, we respect the hustle at Folklore. Stylists Brenda, Cassadie, and Michelle share a cozy space in the Stockyards and offer effortlessly cool hair, all while keeping separate pages on the main website listing their individual services, pricing, policies, and appointment books. For good hair and good vibes, this is your go-to.
Photo courtesy of Shyann Weeks.
Place To Buy Jewelry
Readers’ Choice: Sovereign Jewelry Company, 207 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, 817-885-7848
Critic’s Choice: Trader’s Village, 2602 Mayfield Rd, Grand Prairie, 972-647-2331
There are several ways to hunt for jewelry on your next trip to Traders Village. As one of the state’s largest flea markets, you can obviously find some of everything, but unlike the Saturday morning flea markets at the drive-in theaters of old, this one is quite organized. Near the west entrance, as you’re entering from the parking lot, you will find individuals with garage-sale-style tables — great for hunting down used fashion pieces and vintage finds. Once inside, the traditional booths and garage spaces will have artisan pieces and fashion jewelry. Then, to the north of the midway, under a big tent, is where you will find the fine(r) jewelry, including gold chains, sterling silver medallions, and higher-end fashion brands. Every Sat-Sun, rain or shine, Traders Village makes for quite the treasure hunt.
Liquor Store
Readers’ Choice: Tricks of the Trade, 219 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-349-9266
Critic’s Choice (Top 3): Liquor Library, 7433 Oakmont Blvd, Fort Worth,
817-615-9500; Liquor King, 3000 W 7th St, Fort Worth, 682-999-7711; Tricks of the Trade
If you’re searching for that hard-to-find rum, allocated bourbon, low-stock vintage, or another exclusive or esoteric liquor to make your cocktails and/or bottle collection really pop, it really depends on what part of town you’re in. If you’re a Near Southside denizen, Tricks of the Trade is your stop, where the staff will steer you in the direction of the best small-batch booze for your buck. Closer to Cityview and Benbrook? Stop by the Liquor Library and check out the shelves for top-shelf hootch from your favorite labels as well as from distilleries you’ve never heard of. In the West 7th area, Liquor King is your go-to spot for rare barrel picks and bottles.
Local Grocer
Readers’ Choice: Roy Pope Grocery, 2300 Merrick St, Fort Worth, 817-732-2863
Critic’s Choice: Roy Pope
Part grocery store, part neighborhood hangout, the 80-year-old food outlet revamped in 2021 offers a modest selection of fresh, local meat and produce along with everything else you need to rustle up dinner for your family. It also does freshly prepared take-home meals, including a delicious smoked prime-rib special on Fridays, and a surprisingly large selection of gluten-free packaged foods along with homemade goodies like cake pops and banana pudding. Plus, Roy Pope has one of the best wine sections in the city and — pro tip — frequently holds free tastings from their selection, so when you’re finished with your weekly shopping, take a seat on their covered patio and wine down.
Metaphysical Shop
Readers’ Choice: Higher Purpose Emporium, 505 W Northside Dr, Fort Worth, 682-207-5351
Critic’s Choice: Higher Purpose Emporium
The best people always find a way to persevere. This is undoubtedly true of Ivy Aranaught at Higher Purpose. After three years on the North Side, her insurance carrier decided not to renew her contract after looking into the services she provides. Spells and Pagan rituals aside, this shop is a community gathering spot for the disenfranchised pagan LBGTQIA+ youth that attend her events, buy her wares, and utilize her Love Cart, full of free food, water, clothing, and toiletries. Ivy, we hope finding your new insurance carrier has given you a new lease on life. While no amount of sage will fix the fear and hate, just keep serving the community with love and keep being you.
Music Store
Readers’ Choice: Tone Shop Guitars, 4608 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth, 817-386-7717
Critic’s Choice: Tone Shop Guitars
The Tone Shop on Bryant Irvin is the Addison-based guitar retailer’s third store, and like its sister locations (also in Southlake), it’s a guitar geek’s dream of both new and vintage axes — if you’re in the market for a high-end acoustic guitar, this is the place for you — plus a great selection of amps and pedals and all the necessary little things like picks, strings, and cables that make that pre-CBS Stratocaster you’re eyeing sound like it’s supposed to.
Courtesy Tone Shop/Instagram.
Optical Shop
Readers’ Choice: Chroma Modern Eyewear Eyecare, 1700 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-737-6281
Critic’s Choice: That Eye Place, 4829 River Oaks Blvd, River Oaks, 682-266-4444
If you think there’s not much happening in the River Oaks area, you might want to get your eyes checked. But seriously, folks, for a straightforward approach to prescription eyewear, check out That Eye Place. Founder Anthony Perez will help you find something affordable. “Most glasses stores have confusing sales gimmicks to get you to overpay. At That Eye Place, we offer high-quality lenses without breaking the bank.” That Eye Place even offers same-day eyeglasses in about 30 minutes.
Pet Services
Readers’ Choice: Texas Coalition for Animal Protection, 2401 Westport Pkwy, Ste 140, Fort Worth, 940-566-5551
Critic’s Choice: Canine Companions, 7710 Las Colinas Ridge, Irving, 214-259-4700
Happy National Service Dog Month to Canine Companions! Established in 2015 to provide service to North Texas, the Lone Star Chapter empowers people with disabilities by providing expertly trained service dogs to adults, children, and veterans at no cost through a network of professionals and volunteers. To become a part of this great organization, visit Canine.org.
Record Store
Readers’ Choice: Doc’s Records & Vintage, 2628 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 817-732-5455
Critic’s Choice: Chief Records, 140 E Exchange Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-624-8429
In a city blessed with a bevy of vinyl record stores, picking the top one is tough. We like Big Chief in part because of its layout and atmosphere — long rows and an amiable, low-key vibe make for an engrossing vinyl-browsing experience. The store gets a lot of the new releases you’re looking for, and its selection of used vinyl is overflowing with the classics from the pop, rock, and country canons, plus plenty of other music you didn’t know you liked until you brought it home and dropped the needle on it.
Smoke or Vape Shop
Readers’ Choice: Smoke & Vape DZ, 1411 W Magnolia Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 682-707-9229
Critic’s Choice: World of Smoke & Vape, 2401 W 7th St, Ste 114, Fort Worth, 817-386-2720
If you recreationally inhale smoke and/or vapor, the Fort Worth locations of this chain (which also operates in Oklahoma and Florida) is packed with a huge variety of hemp products and the apparati with which to enjoy them. From pipes and other glassware to Elf, Geek, and other brands of vaporizers, this place has it all.
Tattoo Studio
Readers’ Choice: Crashlee Ink, 6201 Sunset Dr, Unit 650, Ste 141, Fort Worth, @Crashlee.Ink
Critic’s Choice (Top 3): Dark Age Tattoos, 2836 Bledsoe St, Fort Worth, 682-499-5734; Sleepy Hollow Tattoos, 3023 Bledsoe St, Fort Worth,
817-435-2960; Spider Lily Studio, 3418 W 7th St, Fort Worth, SpiderLilyStudioFW.com
The artists at Dark Age Tattoos work with both walk-in customers and by appointment, and you can get piercings and laser tattoo removal as well. Whether you’re looking for portraiture, black-and-gray realism, or photorealistic color pieces, Dark Age has an artist for you. … Sleepy Hollow offers a more traditional tattoo shop experience (and also does piercings), anchored by some of the city’s top tattooers and a shop philosophy that treats customers like family from their first visit. … Spider Lily is woman-owned and by appointment only, and its resident artists do great work — if you want an anime tattoo, make an appointment with co-owner Chel Pace post-haste — in a semi-secluded setting, making it great for first timers or people intimidated by typical tattoo shop culture.
Courtesy Dark Age/Instagram.
Thrift Store
Readers’ Choice: Berry Good Buys, 1701 W Berry St, Fort Worth, 817-921-2793
Critic’s Choice: Thrift for Good, 120 W Bedford-Euless Rd, Hurst, 682-292-8355
The concept of the proceeds from a thrift store going to charity is pretty common. In fact, some of the first ones started as church rummage sales. However, the folks at Thrift for Good are taking it a step further. This new kid in town helps multiple nonprofits and lets the consumer know exactly where their dollars are going. Each tag indicates which cause the sale of that exact item will benefit. A second location is also open in Denton, and a third will be built in Cleburne in February. Fort Worth proper can’t be far behind.
Place To Buy Wine
Readers’ Choice: The Holly, 305 W Daggett Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 817-420-6446
Critic’s Choice: Wines from A Broad, 317 Houston St, Fort Worth, 682-224-0056
Chef Dena Shaskan has spent the better part of two decades introducing us to interesting food and wines, and now she owns this lovely little wine shop in Sundance Square. Wines from A Broad offers wines from primarily women-owned or women-directed wineries. If you want 40 different choices for a cab or a chard, there are other locations in town. If you want interesting stories from wineries around the world –– including Cakebread, Lafite Rothschild, McBride Sisters, and La Crema –– sit right back, and they’ll sell you a bottle along with the story. On Sunday Fundays, you can enjoy $5 sips before you grab a bottle to get you through the week.
Wildcards
Auto Mechanic
Wildcard Winner: Brittni’s Automotive Repair, 5894 TX-114, Haslet, 817-350-7408
Florist
Wildcard Winner: The Flower Market on 7th, 2733 W 7th St, Fort Worth, 817-377-3660
Interior Design
Wildcard Winner: Haus of Blaylock, 3525 Lovell Av, Fort Worth, 817-773-5031
Waxing Services
Wildcard Winner: Melted Wax Studio, 463 S Jennings St, Fort Worth, 817-798-4187
