An Insider’s Guide to
Shopping in South Congress
Words by Kit Warchol
Photo by Stefan Merriweather
Step outside of the LINE Austin, and you’ll find yourself in South Congress, a neighborhood populated by quintessential Austinites — creative, intelligent, and impeccably dressed with an innate sense of Texas ease. You’ll also find countless things to do, from hiking trails to lauded cocktail bars to the Blanton Museum of Art. That’s the beauty of South Congress — it’s always abuzz with conversation and live music, a proper day-to-night stomping ground for people with taste.
One of those people is Jane Hervey, a sixth-generation Texan who grew up on the South Texas border before landing in Austin 13 years ago. Jane is the founding executive creative director of Future Front, a cultural space and nonprofit that produces community-led exhibitions that platform women and queer artists and creatives in Austin. (Among its many projects, Future Front is behind the mini-exhibitions in the LINE’s East and West Galleries and our wildly popular summer Swim Sessions.)
We’ve long admired Jane’s sense of style — she’s a former rodeo queen and avid thrifter with a penchant for throwing the city’s best parties — so when the time came to write up a guide to the best shopping in South Congress and beyond, we knew whose brain to pick.
Here’s Jane with her best recommendations on the stores worth patronizing while you’re in town.
Shopping in South Congress
Allens Boots — As a former rodeo queen (literally), I’ll head in there for the smell of leather boots alone. We’ve also got a mural with local artist and illustrator Steffi Lynn Tsai up on the street-facing side of the building right now, so that’s really fun.
Ganni — I love this shop! They’ve partnered with a few of our artists in the past to make custom goods unique to Austin. They’ve got a delightful high-brow, low-brow sort of thing going on that I can appreciate.
By George — Stop by this shop just to get a peek at VADA sunglasses. Some of the best independently designed shades to come out of Texas.
First Thursdays on South Congress — From pop-up makers’ markets to live music, South Congress is at its finest on the first Thursday of every month.
(The LINE editor’s note: South Congress also has a Makers Market on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays if you’re in town for a weekend.)
Any and all thrift stores — My ideal weekend in the city is a slow morning at the thrift store, an afternoon at the art galleries, and an evening of live music. Austin’s still got the best of all three, in my opinion.
(Editor’s note: If you, too, live for a day of thrifting, there are multiple Salvation Army locations around the city, among other options. Here’s a guide from Visit Austin.)
Elsewhere in Austin
All of the spots I’m mentioning are somewhat central, but it’s easiest to group them in the following areas:
East Austin — Explore 11th and 12th Street for a bit of Austin’s history, as well as unique local shops, restaurants, and cultural spaces. (You can also stop by Future Front’s workshop studio and gallery on 12th and Chicon while you’re there.)
West Austin — West 5th and 6th are interesting daytime spots for art and local goods! I recommend brunch at Walton’s, then a western walk to West Chelsea Contemporary or an eastern stroll to BookPeople and Waterloo Records.
South Austin — Plug in “The Yard” on Google Maps and just walk around once you get there. It’s all good and primarily local!
North Austin — Head to North Loop. We Luv Video, Epoch Coffee, Breakaway Records, Room Service Vintage — you’ve got to visit them all. This street has remained surprisingly untouched by most of Austin’s growth over the last decade, so it feels like a contemporary time capsule. To me, at least.
Beyond all that, I highly recommend stopping into our season finale this fall, The Front Market, which is happening downtown just a few blocks from the hotel on November 23 and 24 at Waterloo Park. We’ll be open for one weekend only with more than 100 pop-up shops per day from Texas-based artists, makers, and creative small businesses. It’s incredible. Head to futurefronttexas.org/comethrough for more details.
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