Retail Therapy
Encore! isn't getting one: Designer label paradise shutting down with one lastmega sale
The circle of life is rolling right along in the Houston retail scene. A new green boutique is set to open its doors, a local favorite is shuttering and a Galleria-area accessories shop is out to prove bigger is better.
Houston has fared better in the rough-and-tumble economy than other cities, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been casualties. Encore!, a designer resale store owned by Terry Rambin tried to make it through the not-so-great recession, but she's decided to shut down. It’s ironic and sad, since the store truly is a designer label paradise, a perfect place to shop when watching the bottom line.
“I loved my little jewel, but the economy had other plans for my small business,” Rambin said. “Life throws a lot of curves, I just wasn't ready for this one, but I’m moving on and forward.”
After Wednesday, Encore! shoppers will find Rambin back at Tootsies, where she has worked for many years, helping women put together wardrobes for every occasion. Shoppers can scoop up deals marked up to 80 percent off through Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Over on Westheimer and Dunlavy, there’re still paper bags covering the glass windows of the shop next to Duo (where Edin used to be) but rumor has it that soon it will be christened Moss, a organically-gifted clothing boutique. The women’s clothing store is slated for a July opening and will fill a much-needed void for fashionably green clothing and accessories
It's always slow-and-go on 610 by The Galleria, but sometimes being stuck in traffic isn’t such a bad thing. I spied the sign for XpoZher while stopped along 610 and put it on my mental to-do list.
Designer Yolanda Green’s second floor shop is an ode to “more is better” with oversized cocktail rings, chunky necklaces, wide colorful bracelets and shoulder-grazing earrings. The jewelry is set among African vases, Indonesian masks, animal print foot stools and other home accessories. Mind the hours when you go: Xpozher is open from 10:30-7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10-6:30 p.m. Saturday.