Courtney Dabney
The popular home decor and furnishings store, WRARE, has been on the move since it first opened in the West Seventh District back in 2011.
Now, you can find WRARE in the University Park Village at 1612 S. University Drive, No. 506A, most recently vacated by Bandits clothing store. WRARE opened July 1.
The new 1,000-square-foot space is smaller, but it's visually stunning as a go-to place for fabulous finds with a vintage, urban loft feel. WRARE is brimming with finds at several price points, featuring statement pieces for your own abode and unique gifts for all seasons and occasions. The store is stocked with an ever-changing assortment of products with nostalgic appeal, some created by local artisans.
With a background in branding and marketing, co-owner Doug PlesKovitch touts the retention rate of the new location. "We have customers walk in the store and spend a good deal of time looking around," he says.
In just the first couple of weeks at University Park Village, PlesKovitch and fellow owner Adrian Wright have seen about 60 to 70 percent of customers as "new eyes on the brand." The rest are loyal customers who have followed WRARE with each move.
In 2016, Wright and PlesKovitch moved the original store from Crockett Row to Camp Bowie next to Wright's other home design and interiors shop, Wright at Home. WRARE spent about a year on Camp Bowie before landing a deal to return to its original location in Crockett Row, where it reopened in November of 2017.
"I don't think the current mix of restaurant and retail is what developers of the area had envisioned," PlesKovitch says. With the addition of more and more nightlife options to the Crockett Row landscape, the retail foot traffic has been somewhat weeded out. The duo closed that store at the end of May.