Antique & Vintage Finds
Readers’ Choice: Montgomery Street Antique Mall, 2601 Montgomery St, Fort Worth, 817-735-9685
Critic’s Choice: Flipstone Vintage & Thrift, 2702 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, 682-431-1456
While Flipstone is the newest addition to the local thrifting and vintage landscape, this small store is already making a significant impact in the marketplace. Its “two-room” concept offers two distinct sections for shoppers to choose from: thrift items usually priced at $10 or less, and a curated vintage section featuring higher-end and more unique pieces, including furniture, accessories, and home decor. The store is also Native American-owned and operated, promoting Indigenous culture through its business.
Barbershop
Readers’ Choice: Local Barber of Fort Worth, 115 W 2nd St, Ste 108, Fort Worth, 817-615-9040
Critic’s Choice (Top 3): At The Barber’s shop (3015 Hemphill St, Fort Worth, 817-336-7333), owner Rudy Avitia combines his experience — he’s been cutting hair since middle school — with a traditional barber-shop vibe to make you look your best. On Sylvania, just east of Oakhurst, you can walk into Mend Barbershop (1418 N Sylvania Av, Fort Worth, 817-834-6363) and get a great cut with hardly any wait time, as the barbers and stylists are as fast as they are affable, shooting the breeze with regulars and new customers as if everyone had gone to elementary school together. At South Barbershop (129 E Daggett Av, Fort Worth, 817-380-8117), barbers and shop-owners Laleh Rezaie and Jorge Gonzalez will get you looking good in their vibrant two-chair shop that also doubles as a mini-art gallery, showcasing a different artist every month.
Beauty Services
Readers’ Choice: BMC & Company Nail Lounge, 2005 8th Av, Fort Worth, 682-224-0460
Critic’s Choice: Sloan Beauty Bar, 6040 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ste 31, Fort Worth, 817-266-1993
Anyone who has known the therapeutic benefits of spilling your whole life story to the stylist at a routine hair appointment will appreciate the wonderful specialists and technicians of Sloan Beauty Bar. Whether you arrive put together and ready for a touch-up or a hot mess in need of a vent session along with your full-body wax, mani/pedi, or lash enhancement, these warm, accepting, and attentive women will get you all fixed up and feeling better than when you came in — mentally and physically. And the studio is stylish and calming to boot.
Boutique
Readers’ Choice: Colección Mexicana, 406 Houston St, Fort Worth, 214-893-4409
Critic’s Choice: The Market at Ridglea, 3400 Bernie Anderson Av, Fort Worth, 817-744-8630
Need a new gameday dress? Vintage tee? Gifts for Mom, Sis, or bridesmaids? How about a package of slow-cooker broccoli and cheddar soup mix? You can find it all at The Market at Ridglea, a cooperative space housing multiple mini boutiques by local vendors. Plan to spend some time browsing the large space and try not to come away with a gift for everyone you know.
Courtesy Colección Mexicana
Car Wash
Readers’ Choice: Slappy’s Car Wash, four area locations
Critic’s Choice: Red Carpet Car Wash, 5829 Curzon Av, Fort Worth, 817-732-8651
If you’re a victim of Murphy’s Law like us, then anytime you wash your vehicle, it’s guaranteed to rain a day later. At Red Carpet, they have you covered with a free exterior cleaning if it rains within 24 hours after your wash. One of the only touchless carwashes around, Red Carpet has decades of experience, proving they care about your ride.
Place to Buy CBD or THC
Readers’ Choice: Thrive Apothecary, 126 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-480-7098
Critic’s Choice: Emerald City Dispensary + Lounge, 937 Woodward St, Fort Worth, 817-238-3025
Like the fictitious metropolis for which it is named, Emerald City sounds like a fantasy: a Fort Worth hemp dispensary and consumption lounge — from which you can take your unused purchases home with you, along with a “doctor’s note” of sorts that identifies the products’ source and legality — that is also within sight of a police training facility. If that feels like a pretty unreal thing to experience in the Fort Worth of 2025, you can ponder that and other thoughts while puffing on Emerald City flower out of an in-house gravity-hookah-thing. The product selection is plentiful, and the budtenders are happy to guide you. They also have some nice alcohol-free THC-cocktails.
Place to Buy Cigars
Readers’ Choice: Underground Cigars, 6409 E Lancaster Av, Fort Worth, 817-507-3640
Place to Buy Coffee
Readers’ Choice: Ampersand Coffee, three area locations
Critic’s Choice: Town Talk Foods, three area locations
Since 1954, Town Talk has focused on providing a place for the community to purchase groceries at extreme discount prices by buying and selling items from closeouts, insurance claims, and overruns. The deeply discounted prices not only appeal to people with limited budgets but also to anyone who enjoys the hunt for bargains or trying new gourmet items on the cheap. For coffee hounds, there are two unique options. On one aisle, you will find an array of brown paper bags with white labels that simply read “ground coffee” or “coffee beans.” Our theory is that either these repacked mystery bags are filled with brands so premium that the sources cannot be revealed or that Town Talk has a direct deal with an excellent coffee grower. Like all the other types of food items in the store, the actual coffee aisle has every brand imaginable. The best part? Pricing is typically $4.99 of less.
Courtesy Town Talk Foods
Comic Book Store
Readers’ Choice: The Multiverse Comics, Games, & Collectibles, 931 Melbourne Rd, Hurst, 817-616-3052
Critic’s Choice: Generation X Comics and Games, 3504 Hardwood Rd, Fort Worth, 817-540-5556
Today’s geek tastes are more varied than reading the latest Amazing Spider-Man or some hard-to-find rarity like Action Comics No. 1 (which, if you actually own it, you should think about retiring and buying an island or something). Generation X doesn’t just offer an amazing selection of the latest comics and graphic novels. The place is packed with everything your geeky heart could want, like board games and all the accessories you’ll need to vanquish your enemies, toys and collectibles, and pretty much anything you need to express your growing fandom.
Customer Service
Readers’ Choice: Renaissance Tattoo Collective (formerly Dark Age Tattoo), 2836 Bledsoe St, Ste 200, Fort Worth, 682-499-5734
Critic’s Choice: Rex’s Bar & Grill, 1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-968-7397
Is it a bar or a restaurant? Yes. Are you watching sports or live music? Yes. Whether it’s date night, a meeting, or a watch party, during brunch, lunch, or happy hour, Rex’s can accommodate you with or without an Open Table reservation. If you’re looking for a closed-door meeting, please schedule it in advance. However, Rex’s is also happy to accommodate you in the H817 private room if it’s available. They’ve got you! And are glad to do so.
Day Spa
Readers’ Choice: Perfect Touch Day Spa, 2525 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 817-870-3610
Critic’s Choice: Ash Spa, Bowie House, 3700 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 855-683-4092
Along with the Deep West Treatment, which combines deep tissue work, cupping, pressure point release, and stretching to provide a distinct therapeutic experience, Ash Spa offers a variety of massage options and skincare sessions. Guests can create custom products for an even more personalized experience at the Made-to-Measure Apothecary. Sounds like the best spa day ever!
Farmers Market
Readers’ Choice: The Clearfork Farmers Market, 4801 Edwards Ranch Rd, Fort Worth, 817-985-3773
Critic’s Choice: Cowtown Farmers Market, 8901 Clifford St, White Settlement, CowtownMarket.com
Visit this market when you want a farmers market. That is, a market that focuses on vendors of food products that they have grown, raised, or produced within a 150-mile radius. Cowtown is the city’s oldest farmers market and next year will notch 40 years of connecting Fort Worthians to home-grown foods. Clearly, with that kind of tenure, they’re doing something right. That something is giving city dwellers an opportunity to buy farm products straight from the farmers themselves.
Place to Buy Gifts
Readers’ Choice: Higher Purpose Emporium, 505 W Northside Dr, Fort Worth, 682-207-5351
Critic’s Choice: Roadrunner Stop, 1455 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 361-816-7622
Roadrunner Stop began as an online resale business and introduced itself to the community at pop-up markets around town. Now, it’s a thriving shop IRL with an adorable storefront on the Near Southside. The boutique features custom jewelry and trendy clothing with a vintage flair, plus a variety of eclectic items perfect for gift-giving.
Grocery Store
Readers’ Choice: H.E.B Alliance, 3451 Heritage Trace Pkwy, Fort Worth, 682-708-1623
Critic’s Choice: Fiesta Mart, six area locations
Fiesta Mart is committed to providing the freshest products and the best value for the communities it serves. Along with great prices, customers experience an ongoing celebration of food, life, and Texas pride. You can pick up prepared Mexican food to go at their in-store Pepe’s Kitchen, including $99 tacos on Tuesdays. As for delivery, groceries from Fiesta are available at the same low price as in-store through DoorDash, Instacart, and Uber Eats.
Courtesy Fiesta Mart
Local Grocer
Readers’ Choice: Roy Pope Grocery, 2300 Merrick St, Fort Worth, 817-732-2863
Critic’s Choice: Roy Pope Grocery
Along with your staples — wine, high-end meats, fresh produce, and more wine — Roy Pope offers all sorts of extra goodies. There’s a full bakery and kitchen with low-key some of the best burgers and sandwiches inside the 820 loop, delectable take-home meals that are up there with those from that other, large grocer across I-30, and a surprisingly vast collection of THC seltzers. There are also daily events, including wine tastings, live music, and food specials. Once you’ve experienced Roy Pope, you may not want to return to a grocery chain again.
Hair Salon
Readers’ Choice: Rock N Roll Hair, 4340 Western Center Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-581-7625
Critic’s Choice: Acute Salon, 2914 Stanley Av, Ste 108, Fort Worth, @AcuteSalonFTW
Acute is special due to its strong commitment to inclusivity, especially for the LGBTQIA+ community, and its focus on a personalized, comforting guest experience. Along with being known as the first gender-neutral salon in the area, it also has an excellent reputation for its talented stylists and diverse service offerings.
Place to Buy Jewelry
Readers’ Choice: Kubes Jewelers, 2700 W Berry St, Fort Worth, 817-926-2626
Critic’s Choice: Sovereign Jewelry Company, 207 S Jennings, 817-885-7848
One of Fort Worth’s local, a’hem, gems. If you’re in the market for a new piece and don’t know what you’re looking for, you can browse Sovereign’s collection of estate and vintage jewelry in the adorably cozy shop on the Near Southside (complete with sleepy guard dog). Otherwise, craftsman Branden Smith will use his 20 years of experience to make something unique for you or your affianced. Want a full-size replica of Taylor Swift’s old-mine brilliant cut engagement ring? He can probably make it happen. The shop also offers all the usual services, like ring sizing and watch repair, at reasonable prices — and jewelry cleaning is always free.
Courtesy Kubes Jewelers
Liquor Store
Readers’ Choice: Tricks of the Trade, 219 S Main St, Fort Worth, 817-349-9266
Critic’s Choice (Top 3): Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods (2750 S Hulen St, Fort Worth, 817-923-2700) has all the fine brands you can imagine, all that plus lots of tasty bites. Total Wine & More (3101 Texas Sage Tr, Fort Worth, 817-741-9415) doesn’t have the food but does have a splendid selection of crafts and NA products. In SoMa, Tricks of the Trade is a high-end bottle shop without the high-end prices. The outpost of veteran beverage maven Megan McClinton specializes in hard-to-find labels, with an expansive selection of amari and liqueurs for cocktails at home. And there’s not a lot of junk filling up the aisles, only the good stuff, including a massive array of mezcal/agave and lots of Texas craft brands.
Metaphysical Shop
Readers’ Choice: Higher Purpose Emporium, 505 W Northside Dr, Fort Worth, 682-207-5351
Critic’s Choice: Maven’s Moon Apothecary, 8341 White Settlement Rd, White Settlement, 817-367-9235
If your chakras are out of line or your crystal collection needs an upgrade, find friendly experts at Maven’s Moon, a soothing supplier of herbs, teas, and oils as well as spa services for those who prefer a more natural way of living. More than just a store, Maven’s Moon hosts events on their property to heal and help bring the community together, especially during the full moon, with drum circles, sound therapy, and meditation.
Music Store
Readers’ Choice: Tone Shop Guitars, 4608 Bryant Irvin Rd, Ste 448, 817-386-7717
Critic’s Choice: Music Go Round, 6006 Southwest Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-763-8188
Even though we live in an age where technology can alter the pitch of our singing voices in a recording and create awkwardly themed country songs with a line of text, humans still rely on fellow humans to make music the old-fashioned way. Music Go Round doesn’t just offer a wide and varied selection of the best brands in musicmaking. They even buy your old instruments, so you can upgrade your project’s sound, whether you’ve got a kid in the marching band or are trying to score a spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Optical Shop
Readers’ Choice: That Eye Place, 4829 Green Oaks Dr, River Oaks, 682-266-4444
Critic’s Choice: Adair Eyewear, 3550 W 7th St, Fort Worth, 817-377-3500
For Alyce Adair, wearing glasses is about more than seeing well. It’s about looking good. And her selection of high-quality, high-fashion frames from labels like Cartier, Versace, and Dior ensures customers can do just that. Adair Eyewear has been fitting Fort Worthians with luxury glasses for more than 40 years. If you want the best in optical products and services, and you want it from a local, Black-owned, female-owned business, it’s Adair Eyewear all day.
Pet Services
Readers’ Choice: Wild at Heart Canine Academy, 11401 Ridgeview Cir, Fort Worth, 817-765-5280
Critic’s Choice: Purrfect Paws Mobile Pet Spaw, 214-444-4249
All we’ve got to say is that Purrfect Paws makes our high-anxiety mini-Aussie feel so comfortable and taken care of she doesn’t even bark between the handoff from her family to the friendly tech. Nails? Done. Teeth? Sparkling. Fur? Fluff-nugget-tastic. Give ’em a ring today.
Courtesy Wild at Heart Canine Academy
Record Store
Readers’ Choice: Doc’s Records & Vintage, 2628 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 817-732-5455
Critic’s Choice: Born Late Records, 2920 Race St, Fort Worth, 817-984-1255
Shopping at Born Late Records is an adventure, the sort where the journey is always at least as interesting as the destination, where you might end up ditching your original quest for some rare, underground find you didn’t know you needed. Even if you’re just a hands-in-pockets guy, drifting around the shelves on a Saturday afternoon like some indecisive ghost, merely wandering through the store feels like you’re exploring some archetypical, stoner uncle’s record dungeon, as each successive room reveals a new vault of vinyl and vintage treasures, from the heaviest of metal to the bands that reigned on Solid Gold.
Smoke or Vape Shop
Readers’ Choice: Smoke & Vape DZ Bloom, 1411 W Magnolia Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 682-707-9229
Critic’s Choice: World of Smoke & Vape, 2401 W 7th St, Ste 114, 817-386-2720
Good vibes, plenty of flower, a ton of pipes and other glassware, and all the vape flavors from your favorite elves and geeks.
Tattoo Studio
Readers’ Choice: Renaissance Tattoo Collective (formerly Dark Age Tattoo), 2836 Bledsoe St, Ste 200, Fort Worth, 682-499-5734
Critic’s Choice (Top 3): If you’re looking for a traditional tattoo, check out the artists at Heart in Hand in Arlington (1730 W Bardin Rd Ste 200, Arl, HeartinHandArlington.com), who all specialize in bold customs wrought in old-school style. The shop’s vibrant atmosphere makes the experience pretty fun, even during Hour 3 of your sleeve. If you’re spending an afternoon strolling around Magnolia, mosey into Monarch Tattoo (1510 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, @MonarchFWTX) and get a permanent souvenir of your visit, courtesy one of the studio’s resident tattooers. The shop’s vibe — good tunes, fun artists, and a lot of art on the walls to focus on while you’re getting zapped — make it a great walk-in spot, especially if you’re after your first tattoo. Its resident artists are all great at custom pieces as well. Get a piercing while you’re there, too! In Haltom City, pop into TNT Tattoo Co. (5230 Denton Hwy, Ste 20, Haltom City, @TNTTattooCo) for a consult on a custom piece, some fun flash, or to schedule some photorealistic black-and-white portraiture or stunning, surreal colorwork from one of the shop’s owners, husband and wife Danny and Kristal Tarron.
Thrift Store
Readers’ Choice: Flipstone Vintage & Thrift, 2702 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, 682-431-1456
Critic’s Choice: Indy Clover, City View Towne Crossing, 5900 Overton Ridge Blvd, Ste 110, Fort Worth, 972-802-6898
A thrift store with lots of personality, Indy Clover supports others with their Saturday sales. That’s when sellers can sign up to bring their items and sell in their own booths, so the variety of people, characters, and styles is infinite. Pricing varies Saturdays as it is set by the sellers, but vintage, unique, and even new items can be found here, a little something for everyone.
Courtesy Flipstone
Place to Buy Wine
Readers’ Choice: The Holly, 305 W Daggett Av, Ste 101, Fort Worth, 817-420-6446
Critic’s Choice: Neighborhood Wine, 1257 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-993-2696
If you don’t know the difference between a cabernet sauvignon or sauvignon blanc, or struggle to pronounce those words, Neighborhood Wine has educated sommeliers and wine pourers who will gladly, and patiently, walk you through varietals and differences of regions. With a daily happy hour, a calendar of events, live music, and a wine club you can join, there’s plenty to do. Neighborhood Wine also offers beer and seltzers and a small food menu to ensure a leisurely stay.
Getting & Spending Wildcards
Auto Repair
Readers’ Choice: Brittni’s Automotive Repair, 5894 TX-114, Haslet, 817-350-7408
Book Store
Readers’ Choice: Monkey & Dog Books, 3608 W 7th St, Fort Worth, 817-489-5747
Courtesy Monkey & Dog Books
Dog Trainer
Readers’ Choice: Wild at Heart Canine Academy, 11401 Ridgeview Cir, Fort Worth, 817-765-5280
Frame Shop
Readers’ Choice: Gallery One Frames, 217 Foch St, Fort Worth, 817-737-9566
