Vintage Rules

East Dallas vintage toy store takes shoppers on a trip down memory lane

A new store in East Dallas may have you yearning for your childhood. Opened in July, Piranha Vintage sells toys, collectibles, home decor, and oddities dating from the 1960s to the ’80s, in a location that has a throwback appeal of its own: Casa View Shopping Center.

The center itself dates back to the 1950s and currently houses an eclectic mix of shops ranging from an excellent fruteria to an elaborate dollar store. Piranha is an appropriate addition, filled with things you might have had as a kid, from vintage clothes and pencil sharpeners to horror film memorabilia and comic books.

If you go through life collecting stuff — all things Wonder Woman or Breaking Bad, perhaps — this is your spot. If you can't find what you're looking for, just tell the owners what you want, and they'll be happy to call you when it comes in.

The name comes from the 1978 Roger Corman-produced B movie Piranha. After the massive success of Jaws in 1975, several films with similar plots followed, and Piranha was a particularly unapologetic and campy example. A poster for the film hangs on the wall.

“When I was a kid, I went to a sleepover and we watched the movie,” co-owner G. Noel Gross says. “It scared me to death.” He runs the shop with his wife, Karri Stover Gross, and Piranha was also the first scary movie she ever watched.

As a vendor, Noel brings Piranha toys to comic book shows. He even created the logo art using the eyes and teeth of a piranha. But as a couple, their preferred leisure activity is scouring yard sales, flea markets, and estate sales.

Collectors often visit the store after spotting it on social media. Some are there to buy toys for their kids, while others show up to sell. Piranha Vintage is not particularly expensive for a vintage toy store; even five bucks will get you something here. A G.I. Joe Cobra Night Raven from 1986 will set you back $120, but that’s actually a pretty competitive price.

Although the shop focuses on conversation-worthy items, there are also plans to showcase handmade items and works from local artists. On Saturdays, the quirky little shop offers free matinees, projecting VHS movies on a screen.

Films are for kids one week and adults the next. So far they have shown E.T., Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Princess Bride, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Screening at 4 pm on Saturday, September 24, is Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

Piranha Vintage is located in East Dallas' Casa View Shopping Center.

Photo by Eli Luna Noel

Piranha Vintage is located in East Dallas' Casa View Shopping Center.

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Swedish Fish News

Popular Ikea furniture chain to open 4th Dallas store in Rockwall

IKEA

Ikea sign - instantly recognizable

Dallas-Fort Worth is getting a new Ikea store in Rockwall. Located at Stodghill Road and I-30, it'll be the third Ikea in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and is due to open in December 2025.

Ikea is the world's largest furniture retailer, founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, and known for its simple, modern approach to interior design at an affordable price, its ready-to-assemble furniture, and its amusement-park-like stores.

Ikea will be the anchor in a 65-plus acre mixed-use development with a location chosen for its accessibility not only to the east side of DFW but also to major highways that connect to faraway towns like Texarkana and Little Rock. Rockwall to Texarkana is 155 miles or a 2-hour-and-22-minute drive — surely doable if you're hot to get a great quality mattress at a good price or stock up on Swedish gummy red fish.

According to a release, the store represents Ikea's intention to become more accessible, affordable, and convenient for the many here in the U.S., even those who live in places like Casa View and Mesquite, and the store will offer a new way of reaching customers both in-store and digitally.

The store's footprint is 108,000 square feet — almost a third smaller than the existing locations in Frisco and Grand Prairie, which both span 293,000-plus square feet (although Grand Prairie is one story while Frisco is two-story). There's also a pickup-style store in Southlake that's 10,809 square feet.

“Our expansion goal is simple. We will be where people are, whenever and however they want to experience Ikea," says Ikea U.S. Ceo and Chief Sustainability Officer Javier Quiñones. “We have been testing different store formats to increase customer convenience, make home delivery more cost-efficient, and reach our customers where they live, work, and socialize. IKEA Rockwall represents a key milestone in this ongoing journey.”

Though smaller than the other area behemoths, Rockwall will nonetheless be serving Ikea's trademark meatballs at a new Swedish Deli concept, a Swedish cafe to enjoy meals onsite, and a Swedish Bistro for quick takeaway items that can be enjoyed in the outdoor seating area or at home.

The space will include multiple fully furnished room settings that showcase “local living” solutions reflecting the unique needs of the residents of the local community. Rockwall embroidered pillows, maybe?

Additionally, Ikea Rockwall’s design will include features for improved sustainability, specifically solar power, LEED certified construction, EV chargers, onsite recycling and native plant materials to reduce water consumption.

“We are strongly committed to the communities in which we operate. IKEA Rockwall provides an even more seamless omnichannel shopping experience throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and we look forward to welcoming residents and surrounding neighbors to this new Ikea experience,” says Ikea U.S. Area Market Manager Rob Parsons.

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