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Casual youthful shop from Houston goes forth to Dallas' West Village

Forth and Nomad

A youthful Houston fashion concept has expanded to Dallas: Forth & Nomad, a fashion and lifestyle brand that sells clothes and home goods, has opened a storefront in the currently very buzzy West Village, at 3699 McKinney Ave. #317C, a space previously occupied Paw Tracker pet supply store.

They'll host a grand opening on Small Business Saturday, November 25, but will begin their low-key soft opening on Saturday, November 18 from 11 am-7 pm.

West Village is the first store in Dallas as well as the first outside Houston, where it was founded in 2019 by Morgan Sommer, who quit the corporate world to open a small 500-square-foot storefront. It has since grown into a 4000-square-foot location that houses the brand today.

She runs the company with her husband, Andy Sommer.

“It’s similar to Goop in that we are a lifestyle brand built around mindful consumption, with timeless quality goods that are meant to live with you and grow with you,” Andy says. “My wife picks out everything in the store and we stand by the quality."

Forth & Nomad offers a variety of women’s clothing and jewelry, as well as a skincare line and an eclectic mix of accessories and home décor items. Best-sellers on their website include a Mother of Pearl Initial Gold Necklace, a puffy mini tote bag, and a variety of tops ranging from tube to tank.

“There’s nothing in our store that you will find on Amazon or anything like that,” Andy says.

The vibe is youthful with non-designer prices. There are jeans and oversized sweaters for $150 each and a pair of gold-tone earrings for $44.

Forth & Nomad’s flagship store in Houston now includes hundreds of brands, complimentary personal styling services, as well as a craft coffee shop and custom candle bar.

The Sommers hope to one day bring these additional concepts to the West Village store.

“We looked for the right space for over a year and a half,” Andy said. “One thing we really liked about the West Village was the walkability of it. Plus, there are many of the same tenants in the Heights that are also nearby in the West Village, so it just felt like home already.”

shopping openings

Retail news

Just one Saks Off 5th store in DFW survives company's nationwide closures

Saks OFF 5th/ Facebook

Saks Off 5th is closing most of its stores.

Saks Global, parent company of Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, is closing most of its discount designer stores as it tries to wiggle through bankruptcy. In Dallas-Fort Worth, three Saks Off 5th and Neiman Marcus Last Call stores will shutter, and one will remain open.

According to a release:

The Saks Off 5th in Grapevine Mills mall will survive as the only remaining Saks Off 5th in Texas.
A Neiman Marcus Last Call store in Grapevine Mills will close.
The Saks Off 5th store in Dallas (8040 Park Ln.) will close February 2.
The Saks Off 5th location in Grand Prairie (2950 W. I-20 #125) will close February 2.

In total, 57 Off 5th stores and all remaining Last Call stores will shutter nationwide. (A complete list of closures can be found here.)

The mass closures come after Saks Global filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections on January 14. The conglomerate has been buckling under the strain of $2.5 million in debt it acquired with the 2024 purchase of rival retailer Neiman Marcus.

"As we advance on Saks Global's transformation, we are taking decisive steps to realign our business to better serve our luxury customers and drive full-price selling across our core luxury businesses," says Geoffroy van Raemdonck, chief executive officer of Saks Global, in a release. "With these actions, we will be well positioned to seize the greatest opportunities for long-term growth and value creation. We sincerely thank our Saks Off 5th and Last Call colleagues for the important role they have played in serving our loyal customers."

In good news for shoppers, many of the U.S. stores, including those in DFW, will kick off closing sales beginning January 31. Additionally, saksoff5th.com will wind down its operations with an online closing sale beginning Friday, January 30.

The select Saks Off 5th stores remaining open, including the Grapevine Mills location, will serve primarily as a selling channel for residual inventory from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, the company says.

The overall primary market for luxury goods has been declining in recent years due to changing customer preferences, a perceived decline in quality in top brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, and a growing resale market led by sites like The RealReal and Vestaire Collective.

luxury retail designer shopping chains closings neiman marcus