Today, there was a feature in The Oklahoman on the holiday pop-up shops and cafe at the Myriad Botanical Gardens.

Temporary eatery, pop-up shops are set to open at Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City

"I would live here," I say in nearly every city that I visit. But, in reality, there are only a few cities that I would actually follow through on that threat. 

Austin, Texas is one of those cities. 

My OKC friend Brigette tweeted at me while I vacationed there a few weeks ago, "I have an irrational fear that @shopcrawlr is moving to Austin. 2nd time there in as many weeks. Remember your OKC love, Allison." I did, and I came home.

OKC will always be my home, but Austin can be my roadtrip destination of choice.

Austin is completely populated with local business, making it a playground for local shopping lovers like me. Each restaurant or shop has a very individual quality to it, obviously a spawn of some young entreprenuer's dreams. My itinerary was packed so intensely with local shops that I wasn't able to visit all of them. 

uncommon OBJECTS ranked 1st on the list. I had attempted to visit them in the past, but missed their store hours. So, after a quick breakfast at the Magnolia Cafe, we headed down South Congress.  

uncommon OBJECTS greets you with a massive entrance, I presume an old theater of some kind, adorned by a roping cowboy riding a pink bunny with a blue eye. That pretty much sets the mood for what you will find inside. Although the store is divided up into booths, it maintains an aesthtic of quirky found objects with a warm industrial vibe.

English ironstone, next to old grain bags, next to a vintage air force sign...

Followed closely by large metal sign lettering...

My personal style leans a little industrial and there were several pieces that I wanted to immediately pack up and bring back to OKC with me. These lockers would be perfect for storing linens in, right?

Amazing vintage signs were everywhere inside uncommon OBJECTS, but I thought this booth had an exceptional collection. 

The back corner booth was a mid century motherlode. 

Wonderful little nooks of goodies were every direction that I turned...

uncommon OBJECTS is definitely a winner. Visit soon!
1512 S. Congress
Austin, Texas 78704
(512) 442-4000 

Before descending upon a destination, I heavily investigate its local shopping venues. More often than not, shopping is not my primary reason for visiting a new city (shocker!) and mapping out shopping destinations ahead of time can prove to be very valuable when I'm presented with unexpected free time. In the case of my last trip, I actually planned an entire afternoon of local shopping into my schedule, a luxury that was highly rewarding.

During the trip, I stayed in Salt Lake City. However, after polling several times on twitter, I hadn't developed a lengthy list of local SLC shops. I did, however, find several shops in Park City, a 45 minute drive from SLC. So, I rented a car and drove straight out to Park City when I landed in SLC.

It was two days prior to Sundance Film Festival, so the downtown streets of Park City were a little chaotic. I loved it. At one point, I sat on a bench and watched crews load in the Kenneth Cole & Acura pop-up shops into small museum-like spaces. The only downside of this timing is that several small retailers were also doing individual designer pop-up spaces within their shops. I received comments like, "my shop is so empty until tomorrow." It really didn't bother me though, I can tell if a shop is a good shop.

And, Prospect is a good shop.

Prospect was not only the first shop that I found online leading up to my trip, but it was also the first shop that I visited when I arrived in Park City. I actually used its address in my GPS. It didn't disappoint. 

Prospect has a dry goods feel to it, but with a little glamour. They sell beautiful semi-precious jewelry (like the necklace pictured above) but paired with utility boots and rustic bags.

In the back, you'll find both a men's and women's rack filled with apparel: some architectural, some soft and cottony for layering. Kathleen would love the muted tones and textures of their pieces. I did.

If Prospect had intentions of the cold dry goods vibe, they didn't succeed. Their shop is absolutely welcoming and warm and the owner was captivating to chat with. They were preparing for a Nixon pop-up shop while I was there and I almost drove back up to attend the next day.

Spaces like this give the shop a great amount of character.

Although I captured no photos of their adorable children's counterpart, Prospect Youth, I can attest that it is undeniably cute. If you enjoy a good adult outfit, shrunked into child size, you'll love the place. It's just down the street from Prospect and I encourage you to stop there too!

Prospect
509 Main Street
Park City, Utah 84060
(435) 655-3250

Prospect Youth
523 Main Street
Park City, Utah 84060
(435) 322-0012 

Black Optical is, undoubtedly, an innovative business. Whether gathering one-of-a-kind eyewear for their locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa or creating thoughtful window displays (Oklahoma City holiday 2011, Tulsa early fall 2011, Black Optical gravitates toward good design. I'm always impressed. 

Their latest signature product, however, may be their best design yet... the Eyewear Sleeve.

These eyewear sleeves are designed by Black Optical using a single piece of leather and crafted by Makr Carry Goods. Sleeves are available in three colors: navy, saddle tan and black. Their slim design is comfortable to slip in a shirt or jacket pocket and fits most pairs of glasses (sorry, Rachel Zoe... I don't think yours will fit).

Available for purchase at Black Optical.