downtown Austin's neighborhood and real estate blog
Looks like FLOR will be opening in downtown Austin’s 2nd Street District (209 W 2nd to be exact, where Mercury Design Studio was – they’ve now moved 2 doors down).
They’ll be opening a day before SXSW 2013 starts, just in time for the crazy crowds. We suspect they’ll do well in the area with DWR and Mercury Design Studio nearby – as well as several high-end downtown austin condos and apartment buildings, and look forward to doing a little shopping there ourselves.
One more unique and wonderful 
thing to do with friends and family this holiday season…
Head on over to the 2nd Street District for another edition of the Holiday Window Walk! Twenty retail windows have been done up by design and fine arts students from our area colleges in beautiful themes on classic fairy tales. It all kicks off tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 8th and will be up through New Year’s. Come by and join the festivities!
Here’s a nice little story on Amanda Ivarra’s blog, Miss A, that tells how this all came to be.
Probably not the most urgent of news, but I got really excited about it none-the-less.
The pharmacy at CVS on 5th street, the only pharmacy in downtown Austin proper (the now closed Live Oak Pharmacy used to the closest next best thing), is now, finally, open on weekends!
For those living in downtown Austin condos like the Austonian or the Brazos Lofts, especially…your prescription filling life just got a lot easier.
And, just to be clear, this is NOT a plug for CVS, simply a plug for convenience.
I already live, work, and play in downtown Austin, which means that I know a lot about this area. However, one element that I’m not really that familiar with is the hotels in downtown Austin.
Recently, I was lucky enough to receive a complimentary stay at the Omni downtown. I decided to take advantage of the free stay and do a mini stay-cation with a couple of fun girlfriends. I figured this would be a different way to get to know the city, and have [Read more...]
This past Sunday, I had the best manicure / pedicure that I’ve ever had. I had the service at Hiatus Spa + Retreat, a spa concept headquartered in Dallas, but with a location on the ground floor of the Gables on West 5th – just a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from Downtown Austin.
The whole experience there is top-notch from beginning to end, actually – but the actual service is just different enough from the other places that I think it deserves to be called the best.
There are two things that make it different than any other manicure / pedicure I’ve every had. The first thing is [Read more...]
Oh, Glee. I sometimes enjoy you, but often I am overcome with shame for watching you. But, last week – you actually accomplished something useful. Because of you, Glee, I finally recycled my big ol’ bag o’ batteries.
Okay, let me explain. See, up until last week, I had been keeping this huge Ziploc bag stuffed with used up AA batteries under my kitchen sink. I didn’t know where to take them and I always seemed to forget to Google a nearby location. So, the bag o’ batteries just kept getting bigger.
And then I started seeing this Glee PSA about recycling batteries. Over. And over. And over again. [Read more...]
A unique boutique is opening its second location on May 10th, 2012, right across the street from The W Hotel and Residences on Lavaca (the first location is in The Arboretum, and opened in 2009) in Downtown Austin. No, it’s not another fancy dress store or whimsical gift shop. This time, it’s a niche [Read more...]
Next Sunday, April 22, 2012, from 11am-5pm, is the 2012 Downtown Living Tour. The Tour is a showcase of homes located in Downtown Austin, and is put on by the Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association (it’s DANA’s only fundraiser, and helps keep the organization chugging throughout the rest of the year). A portion of proceeds this year will also go to The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM).
The 2012 Downtown Living Tour has [Read more...]
A Cash Mob is the same premise as a flash mob, but people all show up at a local business and spend money. It’s a simple and fun way to encourage people to support small local businesses by spending their money en mass.
How can I participate?
Just show up! Bring $20.00 to spend, a few friends and come to the Congress Avenue Card and Gift Shop to give a local business an “economic stimulus”. It’s a win/win, spend some money locally with friends and buy some cool stuff!
Event Details:
When: Thursday, April 5th 12-2pm
Where: Congress Avenue Card and Gift Shop (615 Congress Ave. bw 6th & 7th St.)
Why: Help a local business!
Bring: $$$ and Friends
We wrote about the changing face of the Railyard district not too long ago, and one of the new establishment mentioned was Wanderlust, a new Yoga Studio and Live Music Venue that’s opening soon on the northeast corner of 4th and Brazos.
Well, we’ve recently learned a bit more about the concept and wanted to share…..
So a short summary of the back-story – apparently, Austin locals Ashley Spence Clauer and Joanna Kutchey were so inspired by the Wanderlust Festival, that they decided to bring it to Austin!
And here are some excerpts from a press release sent by their marketing department directly to our office:
Located in a revamped historic warehouse in the heart of the entertainment district of downtown Austin, Wanderlust LIVE’s impeccably designed space is not your average yoga studio. Featuring two studios—one for regular classes and one with a built in stage and top of the line sound and lights—the 6,000 square foot Wanderlust LIVE will offer Austinites a new place to rock out, consciously.
……
Truly bringing the festival experience home, Wanderlust LIVE will feature organic eats by Austin’s Blenders and Bowls—serving healthy and delicious organic acai bowls, natural fruit smoothies, coffee, tea and more. The studio’s outdoor patio seating will provide ample space to eat, relax after class or sip a beverage at Wanderlust happy hour. At all live music and other special nighttime events, attendees also may enjoy organic beer and hand picked biodynamic wines. And inside, the Wanderlust LIVE Boutique will offer specialty yoga gear and apparel.
It looks like this place is going to have a few uses – retail, restaurant / bar, live music venue, and yoga studio. What’s not to love? And, they’ll be hosting an open house on April 13th, the Friday before they open to the public.
I know that I’m getting a little excited about it after reading about it – and will definitely want to check it out!
Contact Jude Galligan, REALTOR, Broker and publisher of Downtown Austin Blog (aka. "DAB"), spends his time matching remarkable people with remarkable properties in Austin’s urban core.
A long time downtown Austin resident and business owner, Jude serves on the Board of the Downtown Austin Alliance (DAA) and the City of Austin Downtown Commission.
 Jude Galligan |  amber gugino |  Fred Schmidt |  @JacobDirr |
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