On our Saturday excursion to The House of Dang to search for vintage goodies, Andrew (the proprietor) suggested that we should visit Dolly Python. It’s a combination vintage clothing/antique store/junk store located in the same area of Dallas, at 1916 Haskell Avenue. We slithered on over and look what we found (actually, this is not but a fraction of it).

By the time you drive there, probably most of this will be gone. We found the place as packed full of people as it was of merchandise. The Dallas Observer voted Dolly Python the “Best Treasure Trove” earlier this month. If you go there, you will immediately see why. With fourteen vendors who restock their wares daily, there will always be something new to catch your eye.

The proprietor, Gretchen, was buzzing around trying to keep up with everything, but she still took time to answer questions and point us toward items that might interest us. Of course, everything did.

I sent my husband one direction with the camera while I went the other. I’m looking at these pictures realizing that I missed seeing a lot of things—there is so much in Dolly Python that it is almost overwhelming. I’m also realizing that my husband didn’t tell me about these things! My money was burning a hole in my pocket that day, and I guess he knew I would want to bring it all home.

I did find a couple of treasures that made it home with me. In an earlier post I talked about faux vintage lampshades. I found two shades that were “the real deal.” They now grace my living room.

Dolly Python has a website on MySpace. Visit it to see more slides of their wares. But, if you love browsing through stores like this, nothing beats a visit to the location. You can spend hours there. It’s better than your grandma’s attic.

All I can say is Wow! You have to check it out if you are anywhere near. We went to visit it yesterday after reading about it in the Dallas Morning News several weeks back. It sounded intriguing.

The paper had named it THE best new independent store of 2006. The article said that it was a mix of retro furniture, vintage accessories, and colorful home decor pieces. As you can see from the slideshow, it’s a wonderful eclectic mix. Just what I want in MY house! Everywhere you turn, there is a new treasure. The prices are extremely reasonable. The owners, Andrew Bayer and Doug Voisin, have a clothing line, and they also sell on consignment for local artists and designers.

We loved the uncluttered feel to the place. All the little “tchotchkes” get the opportunity to really showcase. Although I reeeally wanted the gold mannequin, and fully believe that the black table and chairs belong in my house, I only left with a wonderful green pottery bowl, a wooden salad fork and spoon with deer horn handles, and a gold handbag.

I’ll go back, though, and bring home the rest one piece at a time.

Located near the intersection of Peak and Bryan, at 4219 Bryan in Dallas, Texas, the store is open 11-7 Tues-Sat and 1-5 on Sundays.

If you get hungry on the trip, there is a Vietnamese restaurant across the street. I can vouch for it. There is also a Thai restaurant. Maybe go to both. I know that shopping makes ME hungry. I’ll see you there.

My new apartment had no overhead lighting, and I didn’t get custody of many of the lamps I had owned. My Momma said, “Honey, I have some lamps in the garage.” I went over to scavenge what I could. All of the lamps seemed unbearably ugly to me, but beggars can’t be choosers.

I chose two of the least offensive and brought them home. The more I looked at them, the more I fell in love with them. That was several years ago, and I’ve acquired other lamps. But, this one with the vellum shade is still my favorite lamp of all. If you don’t like it at first, look at it again. It grows on you.

A couple of years ago, I lucked into finding a pair of turquoise and chocolate ceramic lamps from the 50’s at a garage sale for $10. They had no shades, so I began a search. Wal-Mart and Target didn’t have anything that suited me. It had to be a shade that was just right for the lamps.

Fortunately, a young woman who worked at a local vintage store told me where I could shop online. Moonshine Shades, a company in Spring Branch, Texas, offers delightful vintage reproductions. I went to their website and ordered a pair of them in a color called “nicotine.” I’m in the process of re-arranging the house, and am using one on the original lamp and one on a “freebie” that my sister gave me.

The shades aren’t made out of vellum, which is fortunate for the critters that supply this material. Vellum is a parchment-like material created from calfskin or sheepskin. I’m not sure of the material that Moonshine Shades uses, but it has a similar texture to the vintage vellum on my other shade.

Was it cheap? Well, no — not really. For the two shades, I paid a little over $100 with the shipping, and I had to wait several weeks to get them. Each shade is hand-made and high quality. Quality and durability aren’t inexpensive. For me, at least, “vintage” will never go out of style. I would have spent much more on two lamps of equal quality at a furniture store, so I’m happy.

Moonshine Shades offers 47 different styles of shades that range in price from $48 to $118. Most are in the lower end of that price range. They have 22 different colors, 3 textures, 23 different hand-applied patterns, and you can even add photos or images to your shades. By the time you have designed your custom lampshade, you can rest assured that no one else on the block will have one like yours.

Moonshine Shades also offers vintage screen door inserts, pillows in retro fabrics, lamps, and 50’s-style “boomerang” tables. And like a boomerang, I’ll be going back to Moonshine Shades again!