Julie McCullough is the owner of Harkensback, a small store that she operated in the Bishop Arts District for years.
Her store, once a beacon in the Bishop Arts community, now shines bright in Oak Cliff — but with a lot more space.
Like many, the government mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic forced McCullough to shutter her business until she was able to reopen at another larger location in Oak Cliff.
“I said if I’m going to do this, I really want it to be something special, something that brings emotion,” said McCullough. “For us, it’s about creating an experience.”
At Harkensback, that experience is decidedly Texan, as the goods on offer are locally sourced.
The store’s collections include vintage apparel and jewelry, western home goods, personalizable leather accessories, earthy apothecary products, and much more.
In addition, McCullough showcases an impressive vintage glassware collection that she harkens back to a time when women of the Great Depression sought the aesthetic of expensive place settings for a fraction of the cost.
“If you know the history of Depression glass, it was created during the Depression for housewives to bring color into their homes and to bring happiness into their homes,” McCullough explained to The Dallas Express.
The glassware isn’t alone. All of Harkensback’s products have a history — from an early 20th-century humidor to a vintage camera.
“Their story isn’t over; I feel like somehow I’m a part of their story continuing,” McCullough explained. “For me these things have stories and they’re not done.”
Her interest in history extends into being a part of writing it.
Civic-minded McCullough has been a longtime supporter of the city and has played an active role in laying the foundations of its fashion industry. For 15 years, she spearheaded The Pin Show, one of the largest indie fashion shows produced in Dallas.
“What I do isn’t just about fashion, I love to design, period, from homes to events, to spaces and experiences,” McCullough added.
Even the store’s website demonstrates this by highlighting different design aesthetics, including a vintage edit called Sans Nouveau and a western edit called Colt Following.
Harkensback is located just off the Sylvan/30 Exit just off Beckley-Oak Cliff/West Dallas area behind the Main Post Office on Hwy 30.
Hours of operation can be found on their website.
