It’s really very hard to describe. What do you call a shop that sells a silk tie with a hula girl on the front and packaged candy, coated in white chocolate, called “White Trash”?
Then there’s the Book of Filth, a thesaurus of “cuss” words with examples of how they might be used in accordance with the appropriate scenario.
If you’re a little more conventional, how about a denim jacket with a mink collar, or a handbag made from an antique Japanese kimono of the 1920s? Or a great antique-looking, handmade clock with the State of Texas seal in the middle? How about the bird house made out of barnwood and barbed wire?
Welcome to Preston Center’s TieCoon. And here’s the inside scoop on how those amusing, unique and colorful items ended up in one shop.
A little more than 15 years ago, entrepreneur Leon Morrison, a longtime buyer at Neiman Marcus, began to notice what he felt was a missing niche in Dallas. While there were plenty of classic men’s stores, there were none that had classic appeal with an “edge.”
Morrison knew Neiman’s was passing on what he believed were a large number of great “things.” And he believed our area offered a market for those unique items he was constantly turning down. And so it was that TieCoon was established in 1985, across the street from its present location at Villanova and Preston Center Lane.
“I remember going there as a kid in high school, and it left a big impression,” says Michael Garza, currently the shop’s buyer.
Garza has been working at TieCoon for the past seven years, and he says it originally catered to men only. As men have changed over the years, so has the shop.
“There’s now a casual workplace and, consequently, we’ve cut down on the number of ties we carry, opting for more casual attire.”
A year and a half ago, Danna Sessler and her husband, Ryan, purchased the shop from Morrison. Sessler says she has tried to keep the store much like it was when she bought it, except she says it is a little more “gifty.”
“I’ve added a more feminine touch. We have a lady’s perfume line and more jewelry and handbags,” she says.
“What makes the merchandise so unique is that we try to find local artists and designers when they are first getting started before their careers really explode,” Garza says.
“The trick is to find them before their designs are offered in lots of other shops. We try to stay one step ahead of everyone else. Right now, we offer merchandise from 13 local artisans. Eight design what I call large gifts – like pillows, handbags, sculptured pieces for the wall, clocks and those types of things. Plus there are five local jewelry designers.”
One such artist, a favorite of both Sessler and Garza, is Jasper Smith.
“He’s a Lake Highlands artist who makes art pieces out of barn wood and barbed wire and old pieces of tin.” Garza says, recalling when Smith as first getting started.
“Jasper came into the store and saw some things that he thought he could do. He had made an entertainment center out of old barn wood, and he wanted me to come to his house to see it. I did, and I thought his talent was incredible. So I encouraged him to bring a few things into the store and see how they would sell.
“From sculptures and wall hangings to birdhouses, all done in barnwood with what I call a ‘Texana’ theme, his creations have been very popular. Jasper was a hair designer before this, so he obviously had a creative flair. But his work has become so successful that he has now quit his job to do this full time,” Garza says.
Another successful artist popular with TieCoon customers is John Borin.
“When I first met John, he was doing mainly nautical clocks,” Garza says. “But Dallas is a landlocked area. And I thought he would have more success with his clocks here if he designed something with a Texas theme.”
“His company is now known as the Lone Star Clock Company, and he makes these amazing clocks that have Texas motifs and look like they are about 100 years old.
“I also suggested that he make something with the State Seal. We were fortunate to be the very first shop to market this clock, because sales have exploded,” Garza says.
The list goes on.
“Mary Munday is a local artist who calls herself an amateur blacksmith,” Sessler says. “She makes handbags out of flat sheets of sterling. Then there’s Tyleen Housewright, who makes exquisite bracelets. Dallas’ own Linda Vega of Vega Designs makes incredible jewelry.”
TieCoon’s average customer is a woman between 35 and 40 years old, Garza says, but customers come in all ages and sizes, he says.
“I have a little boy in the neighborhood who’s around 10 years old, and he comes in regularly to buy gifts for his dad,” Garza says.
“He saves his money and usually pays with a lot of change.”
The buyer attributes much of TieCoon’s success to Morrison’s original concept: “I hear every day that men are hard to buy for. Guys always get for themselves what they need or want. But the odds are very good that they are not going to have what’s in our store, which is why it’s so hard to describe the shop. We have such unique things that most people don’t even know to ask for them.
“We are definitely straight-laced with a twist.”
