South Congress in Austin, Texas: Where the Cool Kids Hang Out
We've been browsing the local small shops this week, especially those on South Congress. SoCo, for those not from Austin, is the ultra-hip, ultra-funky, ultra-happening spot south of downtown.
There is stuff in them thar stores you won't see any where else - ranging from very urban, locally-made wares, to throw-back stuff cleared out of grandma's attic that is now all hip again.
Which reminded me - sometimes one person's trash is another person's treasure.
Sometimes, one person's individual thing can become part of a really cool collection when it finds other things of it's kind.
Where to Find The Most Interesting Junk in Austin Texas
uncommon OBJECTS | 1512 S. Congress Avenue | Austin, Texas 78704 | (512) 442-4000
uncommon OBJECTS is one of those stores you are inexorably drawn to, perhaps by the fascinating stuff in the windows, or the fact that people are swarming in and out, all day every day. One might call it an antique mall in another town, but on SoCo, it is anything but.
In s store packed to the gills with old stuff, the art and history, and nostalgia run rampant. Displays are meticulously arranged, showcasing antiques and old glassware, and collections of vintage cameras and all sorts of other stuff.
And that is coming from someone who HATES CLUTTER.
On the website for uncommon OBJECTS, they refer to the shop as a "one-of-a-kind emporium of transcendent junk".
That description is spot-on.
No Photographing the Good Stuff
I had to get special permission to take photographs, since they generally do not allow photography in the shop. Probably because they've been mentioned in the NY Times, Elle Decor, Country Home, Harper's Bazaar, and of course, Texas Monthly.
I can see why photography is forbidden - the aisles are narrow, stuff is stacked up everywhere, and the place is crowded, really crowded.
Crowded with people just as fascinated with it as we were. People just standing there mouths agape, or calling out to their friend in the next booth over to come check something out. People who thought they'd just poke their head in for a quick look and found themselves spending an hour just browsing.
Seriously, this is some crazy cool stuff.
Go Visit, Decorate Your Space
If you live anywhere near Austin, you need to go visit.
The shop is open daily from 11 to 7, and Friday and Saturday from 11 to 8.
Do You Have Stuff That Should Find A New Home?
If you're in real estate, or helping someone get their home ready to sell, you might be tasked with helping clean out the attic, the garage, the travel trailer parked behind the house covered with cobwebs.
When you find yourself in that position, keep places like uncommon OBJECTS in Austin Texas in mind. You might find a new home, or a buyer for some of the better stuff.
What To Look For When Clearing Out The Attic
Keep an eye open for stuff that might actually be pretty cool, if it were in a different setting.
Things like:
- Old photos
- Vintage postcards
- Colored glass jars and jugs
- Matched sets of really old books in glorious condition
- Weathered things made of leather that evoke another era
- Silver flasks
- Silver anything really, like candle sticks and tea sets
- Hand-carved chess sets
- Matching china, perhaps from a child's tea party set
- Antique jewelry - rings, necklaces, brooches
- All sorts of nifty containers, especially if they are in sets and have a lot of character
- Quilts, especially quilts from the turn of the century (1900) or from the 1930's (think bubble gum pink)
- Vintage cameras, especially if they have fitted cases and instructions
- Things is sets, or where there are lots of the same thing - even old tool boxes of stuff, especially if the things are shiny or have an interesting texture or color
The less mass-produced, the better.
And, of course, the better the condition, the better your chances of sending it to a new home other than Goodwill. That being said, sometimes even ratty tatty stuff can be valuable, if it finishes off a set, or was not as commonly available as other stuff from an era.
About the photography:
These photos were taken with a Canon 5D Mark II and a 24-70mmL lens. The shop is fairly dark, so all of the photos were taken a really high ISO, like 5000 and the lowest shutter speed I could do while hand-holding (1/50 or 1/60). It wasn't possible to set up a tripod.
Where to Find South Congress (SoCo)
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There is always so much to do in Austin. If you are ever headed toward boredom in this city, there is something seriously wrong with you. There is no excuse. We have buses that are free, bike lanes specifically for your riding pleasure, walking and running trails, cabs, trains, automobiles and even a “bike rickshaw”, that’s right, you can hitch a ride on the back of a bicycle pulling a little cab, for lack of a better term, that will hold up to 4 people. What better way to tour Austin than being pulled on the back of a bike, hair blowing in the wind on a warm summer night….you get the idea.
