Window Shopping: Dallas

As you might expect from the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country, Dallas has much to offer: It boasts the largest urban arts district in the country, scores of fine dining and hotels, and, of course, endless shopping. Residents love to welcome guests into their homes, so they search out shops that offer the finest in home furnishings and tableware. Check out these three establishments, whose owners combine the city’s entrepreneurial spirit with its reputation for Southern hospitality.

At My Table
A shared love of entertaining inspired owners Claudia Armstrong, a 35-year veteran of the retail business, and Charlotte Browning to open At My Table. “It’s all about the dining room, friends, and food,” says Armstrong. As its name suggests, the University Park store centers around tableware -- hot items include Mary Carol china, feather place mats, pewter deer and moose salt and pepper shakers, and vintage linens.

But it doesn’t stop there -- arrangements of well-edited antique and reproduction home accessories and furniture allow customers to envision the tableware in a room setting. Armstrong and Browning travel overseas and around the United States seeking one-of-a-kind finds, from a Swedish settee and an African zebra rug to transferware found in Park City, Utah. A big part of the store’s appeal is its atmosphere. “People say that they come in to walk around and get inspired,” says Armstrong. 6816 Snider Plaza, 214/691-6816,  www.at-my-table.com.