New Clothes

Sweet boutique lends millennial touch to evolving Dallas center

Look for cute clothes at affordable prices.

Photo courtesy of Kittsona

The intersection of Preston Royal keeps getting hotter, and there's a cute new boutique to raise the temperature. Kittsona is a baby chain from North Dakota that is opening its first shop in Dallas, in Preston Royal Village, at 6025 Royal Ln. The store comes stocked with women's apparel, shoes, accessories, spa, baby, wedding, kitchen, barware, home decor, and special occasion gifts.

The chain opened its first retail store on Main Street in downtown Fargo, North Dakota in 2011, with a winning formula of doting customer service, fashionable looks, and best of all, inexpensive pricing.

Their priority is to offer many style options — slouchy sweaters, easy shift dresses, floppy hats, and wallet-friendly prices — sort of like an indie version of Urban Outfitters.

What differentiates them from Urban is that, in addition to the clothes, they also do all the lifestyles items and gifts. They also make a point of customizing their merchandise to fit each branch, with locally-focused and city-themed items such as pillows embroidered with the name of the city where the shop is located.

They are just on the brink of getting bigger. There are seven locations, four of those in North Dakota, plus stores in Minneapolis; Charleston, South Carolina; and Austin, which opened in October 2016.

Another part of their appeal is the appeal of their founders. Tessa Hiney and Nicole Johnson are a pair of almost-identical millennials who sort of represent their target customer. Hiney got her feet wet by selling goods on her own Etsy shop, and the two launched Kittsona after they met.

The Dallas store opens November 10.

shopping openings

Yoga News

Pioneering Dallas Yoga Center slain by pandemic to close after 35 years

Courtesy photo

Dallas Yoga Center has closed.

A pioneer in the world of Dallas yoga center is closing, after 35 years. Dallas Yoga Center, which blazed a trail when it opened in Dallas in 1989, will close on August 25.

According to owner David Sunshine, the studio was never able to recover from the pandemic.

"It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that after much soul-searching, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our Lemmon Avenue studio and discontinue all classes on Sunday, August 25," Sunshine said. "The challenges since Covid have made it unsustainable to maintain our class offerings."

The DYC was originally founded in 1989, then taken over a decade later by brothers David Sunshine and Daniel Sunshine. The center was founded before yoga and mindfulness became the mainstream practice it is today.

Back in their heyday, they would host dozens of classes per week at their longtime location at 4525 Lemmon Ave., across from Whole Foods Market. Their role as a leading practitioner of yoga — introducing yoga to many first-timers as well as offering classes to aspiring yoga teachers — earned them multiple awards for Best Yoga Studio in Dallas.

"Since 1989, we strived to create a warm and friendly learning environment (both in-person and online) with expert instructors to guide your practice with a mission to educate, enrich and inspire the community to lead more mindful, meaningful and healthier lives," their manifesto said. "Whether you're starting to dip your toes into the practices of yoga and mindfulness, or are wanting to expand your knowledge with our teacher trainings, we have a variety of offerings that nourish your body, mind, and spirit."

The pandemic dealt a major blow, uprooting the studio from its fixed home to nomad status. Throughout 2021-2022, the center did classes digitally and in temporary spaces such as the Sammons Center for the Arts, a studio on Lovers Lane, and Klyde Warren Park on weekends.

In 2023, they moved into their current space at 4140 Lemmon Ave., taking over a space abover Gloria's previously occupied by Yoga Sport — a challenging location with limited drive-up parking.

In recent years, Sunshine was hosting yoga retreats at idyllic locations, something he'll continue to do.

For those seeking classes in Dallas, they're recommending Balanced Being Yoga & Wellness on Greenville Avenue who will also honor current DYC memberships, and who will host classes taught by many of DYC's cherished teachers.

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