Dallas Shopping Guide — Highland Park Village, NorthPark & Local Boutiques

Highland Park Village opened in 1931 in the Town of Highland Park. The center quotes the Urban Land Institute calling it the first planned shopping center in the United States with a unified architectural style. It is an open-air, Mediterranean Spanish-style center whose directory lists about 70 shops, restaurants and services, including Chanel, Hermès, Loro Piana, Valentino and Christian Louboutin. It is a working luxury shopping street rather than a tourist attraction, but even if you are not buying, it is worth one visit as a piece of American retail history.

NorthPark Center, about 7 miles north of downtown, is Dallas's big indoor mall. It describes itself as home to 200 retailers, with Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy's and Dillard's in its directory, and it displays nearly 50 works of 20th- and 21st-century art from the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Collection, plus pieces on loan from the Nasher Sculpture Center; Jonathan Borofsky's Five Hammering Men is one of them. Parking is plentiful, with valet stands. Without a car, take DART's Red or Orange line to Park Lane Station, which lists a NorthPark Center shuttle. For newcomers setting up a home or a wardrobe, it is the practical starting point: Apple, Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma are all in the directory.

H-E-B, the Texas chain many newcomers from Houston or Central Texas already know, has expanded into Dallas-Fort Worth: its DFW page lists stores in Frisco, Plano, Allen, McKinney and Alliance in north Tarrant County. H-E-B's upscale Central Market brand has three stores inside Dallas (Lovers Lane, Midway at Northwest Highway, and Preston Royal) plus Plano, Southlake and Fort Worth, and the Lovers Lane store is a destination grocery trip. Elsewhere in the city you will find Tom Thumb, Kroger, Whole Foods and Sprouts Farmers Market.

The Dallas Design District sits about two miles northwest of downtown. Visit Dallas describes it as antique shops and upscale art galleries next door to high-end interior design showrooms, with plenty of restaurants and breweries in between. It is less of an everyday retail stop than a place to browse when you are furnishing a new home, and a meal or a beer nearby makes an afternoon of it.

Two Simon centers cover most outlet shopping. Allen Premium Outlets, in Allen north of Dallas, lists more than 120 stores, including Kate Spade New York, Michael Kors and J.Crew Factory outlets. Grapevine Mills, in Grapevine next to DFW Airport, lists more than 165 stores, including Saks OFF 5TH, plus an AMC theater, and calls itself North Texas' largest shopping destination. Tenants change, so check each center's directory before the drive.

Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff is Dallas's neighborhood boutique hub, centered on Bishop Avenue and Davis Street. Visit Dallas describes it as full of boutiques, antique shops and jewelry stores alongside restaurants, bars, coffee shops and galleries, and names shops such as Spinster Records, Bishop Street Market and M'antiques. The district is just as known for dining and nightlife, so a browse pairs easily with a meal.

IKEA has two DFW stores, in Frisco and Grand Prairie, and is the obvious starting point for furniture and basics. For a step up, NorthPark Center's directory includes Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma, and Legacy West in Plano has a West Elm. Off-price chains such as HomeGoods, TJ Maxx and At Home have locations across the metro for decor and basics. Estate sales in established neighborhoods are another good source of used furniture.