Austinites go vintage at Austin Influential Group’s Secret Society Ball!

We’ve covered a lot of the crazy dress-up events in Austin. Carnaval! The Mad Men Soirée! The Secret Society Ball (article coming soon)!

If there is one thing that Austinites LOVE, it’s dress-up parties.

So how do you get ready for one of these wild fêtes? I’ve found that there are lots of places to go in Austin to find vintage glamour and easy ways to make your night well-coifed!

Vintage Sass

Austin is filled with stylish vintage stores to make your night feel authentic. To prepare for the Mad Men Soirée, I went to Venus Envy, a consignment store in North Austin on West Anderson Lane. They specialize in costumes, formal wear and plus-sized things. I figured it would be a great place to start (and it might happen to be right around the corner from my house). [Read more…]

Few Austinites can avoid nostalgic recognition when the famed name of Toy Joy is spoken. It’s an Austin icon that has been exuding weirdness and evoking happiness for decades.

But Toy Joy’s reach is most definitely not limited to Austin. Shipping worldwide, Toy Joy has throngs of fans across the globe. [Read more…]

Dave Lowe, Uberpong Founder

This guest blog article is by Rachael Edwards.

Many people are unaware that ping pong is the second most popular sport in the world. Most of us do know that it may also be the most visually unappealing game out there.

That was the case until Uberpong came onto the scene right here in Austin. And it’s literally changing the face of the game forever.

Changing the Face of Ping Pong a Paddle at a Time

Uberpong started out as an Origin of Cool Kickstarter project. The project quickly exceeded the original funding goal of $10,000 in August 2012, which helped launch Uberpong three months later in November. Let’s face it, the second most popular sport in the world shouldn’t be resigned to black and red paddles, right? That just ain’t gonna cut it, especially not in a city like Austin. [Read more…]

Austin Reptile Shows’ Michael Foux teaches school children with Titus the Tortoise on the floor

This guest blog post is by Michael Foux.

The final school bell rings. Minutes later, children start arriving in the science lab. They scan the room, faces beaming with wonder.

A man wearing a t-shirt that reads “Keep Austin Scaly” invites them to take a seat near a table holding a number of plain brown plastic totes. Except these totes have dozens of air holes drilled in their sides. This is what the kids are here to see. This is Discovering Reptiles!

“Are those the reptiles?” they ask. Yes, indeed. Those are the reptiles. The next hour is spent discussing what reptiles are: scaly, cold-blooded, air-breathing vertebrates, most of whom lay eggs.

The dry erase board is filled with lists of characteristics and examples of reptiles. But this is where the similarity to a regular classroom lesson ends. [Read more…]

Co-founder Jay Panchal demonstrates the Goodybag system with a card and tablet

You’ve probably walked into a local business and seen an iPad by the register, giving you the chance to earn points or save money by swiping a rewards card. There are a handful of these loyalty programs on the move in Austin, but only one of them was founded here: Goodybag.

If you’re the one oddball Austinite opposed to our mantra of “keeping it local,” Goodybag has something else going for it. Every time you “tap in” at a business through Goodybag, 5-10 cents is donated to a local charity of the business’ choice. Ten cents is donated if your Goodybag account is connected to Facebook, five cents if it isn’t.

To date, Goodybag has donated more than $3,000 to Austin Pets Alive!, HAAM (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians), Austin Children’s Shelter, Austin Humane Society, Please BE KIND to Cyclists, and Meals on Wheels and More. [Read more…]

Amanda Dimova in her local jewelry shop

Amanda Dimova liked to make things as a kid. While her friends aspired to be singing stars or ballerinas, she was inspired by the hands-on creativity that she saw in her parents.

As college students, Amanda’s parents started making homemade children’s shoes out of their apartment. They used scissors and hand-sewn needlework. Like other self-made Americans who we love to champion, they eventually expanded to a 20,000 square foot business in Brownwood, TX.

Vinca Gets Its Start

With a heritage like this, Amanda believed that she too could build a business from the ground up. Though her creative interests began with fashion design, she began making jewelry out of the leather scraps from her parents’ shoe factory. She founded an Austin jewelry company called Vinca, after a flower that her parents used to sew onto their children’s shoes. [Read more…]

Joshua Bingaman, HELM Boots Founder

The Old Man and the Sea. Marlon Brando. Neil Young. Lobster fishing. Growing beards, smoking pipes, riding motorcycles, wearing dirty blue jeans.

These all-American, working-man images have inspired HELM Boots founder Joshua Bingaman to pursue the difficult task of producing a boot that is made entirely in the U.S.A. The quality of his work has earned the partnership of a generations-old shoe factory in Maine. More recently, Nordstrom picked up the brand to sell online and in stores nationwide. [Read more…]