Summer 2008

Best Sellers in Austin, TX By Lyssa Myska Allen

Extraordinaire

Extraordinaire’s owner Steve James often greets customers with a cup of tea. Most of the lines this shop carries are small companies for whom producing goods is a labor of love. Extraordinaire too is a labor of love for James, who opened the shop after realizing there were few places in Austin to find goods that were valued for their intrinsic design qualities.

The store places a special emphasis on clean, contemporary design. Here, straws with attached re-freezable plastic ice cubes share shelf space with beautiful displays of body lotions and scrubs. Home fragrance, a category James says has received little attention until recently, is now his biggest seller. He says that buyers are turning to scents because they relax people and create a pleasant home environment.

Best Sellers
Overall: Alessi home products
Home Fragrance: Seda France candles, Antica Farmacista
Baby: Zutano, Le Petit Enfant
Home: Fred home items like silly serving ware, Pylones
Stationery: Waste Not Paper
Body care: Roger & Gallet

Steve James, Owner
512.542.9400

Lyssa Myska Allen

Lyssa Myska Allen is a writer based in Austin, TX. Her work has appeared in a variety of regional and national magazines including Texas Home & Living, HOUSTON Modern Luxury, and Concrete Homes.