Every great city has its go-to locales for perfecting a remodel or new home design, whether it’s fixtures, flooring, textiles, lighting or whatever. Dallas certainly has those places, but when it comes to accessorizing with fine antiques, Slocum Street is the place to go.
“We are the antiques district in Dallas. Go up and down the block and you’ll find lots of great dealers with excellent selections,” says Chris de la Croix-Vaubois, who with his father, Bruno, a native of Versailles, France, runs Country French Interiors. The store has been a consistent anchor on Slocum since 1986, specializing in 18th- and 19th-century French antiques. Father and son make buying trips to France to handpick pieces and gather details on their provenance.
“We have just very, very fine antiques and probably more smaller decorative accessories than some of the shops on the street,” says de la Croix- Vaubois. The showroom also offers the best selection of Aubusson tapestries, chandeliers and country French pieces.
Le Louvre Antiques is another great source for French antiques, including furniture, lighting, tapestries and hand-carved stone fountains. The showroom features furniture made of walnut, oak, fruitwoods and more, as well as doors, large oil paintings, gothic pieces, chandeliers and architectural items.
Led by French native Annick McNally and her son, Patrick, Le Louvre also features a back garden, with carved limestone fountains, unique cast statuaries and iron gates.
At Farzin Rugs, history is under foot with more than 5,000 antique and vintage rugs and hall runners, including oversize rugs as large as 20 by 26 feet.
“We make it easier for designers, because everything starts from the ground up,” says founder Farzin Ghalibaf. “Choosing quality rugs makes it easy to select your furniture and accessories.”
In addition to the gallery’s exhaustive selection, clients depend on Ghalibaf’s passion, knowledge and keen eye, reflecting his family’s four-generation history of making, selling and restoring rugs.
Tomlin Fine Antiques has been on Slocum for four years, after burnishing its reputation for 26 years in Highland Park Village. With the move it expanded its selection of fine French and English antiques, with special focus on investment pieces by renowned 19th-century cabinetmakers, such as Francois Linke.
“This is the store to visit if you’re looking for important, signed French pieces,” says Edward Tomlin, one of the second generation of Tomlins now running the business.
The flavor is more English at Joseph Minton Antiques. “English—that’s what Joe likes the best,” says manager Judy Cross, but the store also carries French and Continental furniture as well as decorative objects, including stone mantels, murals and some art deco pieces.
“We have a mix of styles as well as many unusual and unique items,” says Cross.
Around the corner from Slocum on Cole Street is Pittet Architecturals, which specializes in French marble and stone fireplace surrounds as well as doors, fountains, and reclaimed flooring in stone, tile and wood.
“We have one of the largest selections of stone and marble mantels in the United States,” says Raymond Pittet, the company’s Swiss-born founder.
As impressive as the selection is, the staging of massive pieces, such as a 15th-century Loire Valley mantel and a 13-foot-tall 19th-century limestone fountain, helps to show off their exquisite details.
“We can’t just show it stacked on a pallet. We have to erect it,” says Pittet. “The fireplace is still the focal point of many homes, and these pieces make a very strong statement.”
Step into Legacy Antiques and the first thing you may notice is what’s hanging from the ceiling. “We have the best selection and finest quality chandeliers in Texas,” says Jeff Garrett, who started the business in 1997. Legacy carries a variety of styles of furniture and decorative items, but its staples are chandeliers, mirrors, consoles and commodes. “We pride ourselves on a great selection.”
Garrett says there’s no pretense at Legacy, and the cooperative spirit up and down Slocum Street bodes well for shoppers.
“We’re all friends; we all help each other out. It’s just a good group of dealers who enjoy friendly competition,” he says. “Slocum Street is the best street in Dallas for antiques—perhaps in Texas.”
