Richard Rawlings' Gas Monkey Garage merch store revs up for Dallas taco party

It may not be the Grassy Knoll, but Dallas has one tourist destination that draws visitors from around the world: the Gas Monkey Garage Merch Store, part of the Richard Rawlings Gas Monkey Garage empire, located in northwest Dallas at 2330 Merrell Rd.

The store sits next to Gas Monkey Garage, the shop Rawlings launched in 2002 customizing classic and hot-rod cars for customers worldwide. The garage became the centerpiece of the Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud, with Rawlings' charisma leading to follow-up shows such as Garage Rehab. He also opened a restaurant, Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill, and live music venue, Gas Monkey Live, both now closed, although he has two new venues in the works.

The merchandise store, which opened in 2012 — "it used to be out of a Ford Econoline van," Rawlings says — features the T-shirts and ballcaps you might expect, but it's all rendered with the same kind of rock 'n roll edge and obsessive perfectionism that Rawlings applies to cars — some of which are on display inside the store.

It's half memorabilia store — half car museum, with the cherry on the sundae for Rawlings fans being that the man himself drops into the shop a few times a day to talk cars and whatever else is on your mind with whoever shows up.

"We get thousands of visitors — this morning alone, we had people from The Netherlands and Australia," Rawlings says. "Fast N' Loud has appeared in 100 countries and been translated into 20 languages, and now we have a big presence on YouTube, so they make Gas Monkey a destination."

"I'm usually here, so I try to come over and say hello," he says.

The store boasts 50-or-so unique T-shirt designs, plus hoodies, books, sunglasses, retro license plates, koozies, Gas Monkey Garage onesies for your baby, plus automative gear including wheels and car-detailing supplies.

There's a chill lounge area with a massive comfortably-worn leather couch, loveseats, and side tables featuring chrome fender lights.

"We make those tabletops — everything in the store, we fabricate ourselves," he says. That includes a wild Game of Thrones-style iron throne, made from dozens of wrenches.

There are always vehicles on display — motorcycles and vintage cars they've restored.

"Right now, we have a 1930 Model A, a '68 Coronet, and a '65 Mustang fastback, but we rotate those in and out," he says.

Behind the store there's an outdoor patio bar available for weddings — yes, people want to get married here — and private events. It's outfitted with a collection of beautifully restored vintage signs Rawlings has accumulated over the years, including a 20-foot-tall vintage gas price sign with a kooky lit arrow.

"I like old motor memorabilia," he says. "I saw that in Minnesota, I passed it when I was up there buying a car. It took me four years to talk the guy into selling it. What's cool about it is that the price of gas it displays is 23.9 cents a gallon."

On Saturday October 8, they'll be hosting an event called Tacos N' Tires, that's open to the public where they'll unveil Gas Monkey Garage's latest build: a 1952 Chevy Fleetline with some sentimental value.

"It's the first car we ever built, back in 2003," Rawlings says. "I think this is the fifth time I bought it back, we brought it from California, it had been just for decoration but we'll put it back on the road."

They'll be serving tacos from Primo's Gas Monkey Cantina, the limited-edition concept Rawlings is opening at the Boardwalk at Mercer Crossing this fall — a preview of his massive restaurant and live music venue, Gas Monkey Bar & Grill, which will open two locations in Lewisville and Farmers Branch in 2023.

Courtesy photo

Richard Rawlings Gas Monkey cap

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Movie Review

Andrew Garfield leads peasant rebellion in medieval film The Uprising

Photo by Betina La Plante/Focus Features

Andrew Garfield in The Uprising.

Writer/director Paul Greengrass made his name with a cinéma vérité style of filmmaking that brought immediacy and depth to three Jason Bourne films, United 93, Captain Phillips, and more. In The Uprising, he uses those skills to tell the story of the so-called Peasants’ Revolt in 14th century England.

Greengrass wastes no time starting the main plot as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield) and his fellow villagers object to onerous taxes put on them by the country’s nobility, led by the young King Richard II (Woody Norman), to fund an ongoing war. Ploughman initiates a violent response over the tone-deaf — and unseemly — way the king’s guard go about their business, and the rebellion soon starts to spread across the countryside, with the citizens looking for a degree of autonomy.

The ever-expanding group makes their way toward London to try to make their case to the king himself. Meanwhile, the king’s top advisors, including Archbishop Sudbury (Stephen Dillane) and Treasurer Hales (Tom Hollander), try to usurp power from the inexperienced monarch even as the king’s mother (Katherine Waterston) tries to get him to be more assertive.

The history of the English monarchy is long and lurid, as Shakespeare detailed in multiple plays, including Richard II. Though the events in the film took place almost 650 years ago, it’s easy to see parallels between what the peasants were fighting for and modern-day politics. Greengrass’ storytelling intent is solid, and the righteous anger the citizens feel is initially relatable and palpable.

But the populism theme of the story soon gets bogged down in drudgery and minutiae that is difficult to understand, especially when the details are lost in the thick regional English accents. The leaders of the rebels — including John Ball (Jamie Bell), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie) — are shown doing a lot of planning, but the strong feelings they have about their quest don’t come across well, leaving the audience as passive observers.

When there is action, Greengrass and his team employ a frenetic style that is not great for comprehension. While the gist of what is happening and what side is winning is legible, individual moments go by so quickly so as to be nearly meaningless. Save for Ploughman, any connection that has been made with various characters proves futile, as Greengrass doesn’t seem to have any time for emotion. Scenes that should feel thrilling or heartbreaking instead come off as empty.

Garfield is a two-time Oscar nominee who has done great work across multiple genres. He’s fine in this role, but whether it’s the story, the filmmaking, or something else, he’s not as captivating as usual. The same goes for other strong actors like Bell, McKenzie, Dillane, Hollander, and Waterston, who each seem to be giving their all to their performances but are somehow muted in the process.

Done right, The Uprising could have been a rip-roaring account of people standing up against their oppressors. What Greengrass has made, though, is a film that can’t translate its medieval story for a modern audience and concentrates too much on unexciting elements and too little on thrilling ones.

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The Uprising is now playing in theaters.

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