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Studs, a new ear piercing and ear accessories shop, is now open on South Congress. (Studs)
Retail is making a comeback as Austinites get vaccinated and ditch online shopping for the in-person experience.
Whether you're looking to do some revenge shopping or just curious about what's going on in the retail community, we've got you covered with the latest in shops and business.
New opening: LoveShackFancy, 1011 South Congress Ave.
(LoveShackFancy)
In its eighth national expansion, LoveShackFancy is taking on the Capital City. With its pink checkered floors, canopy of florals and pink guitars lining the store, this boutique is everything you want in an Instagram background. Plus, it offers vintage band tees, bandanas, mini-skirts and dresses. "The boutique was created for every generation of Austin girls," Founder & Creative Director Rebecca Hessel Cohen said.
Located on South Congress in the Music Lane development, the boutique will open for the first time Saturday with drinks, a photo booth and music.
Lululemon's window installation
As the Austin Marathon is set to kick off on Sunday, Lululemon on Music Lane in South Congress is recognizing those putting themselves through the grueling run around town. Names of all marathon participants can be found displayed in the store window.
It's been more than a year since the marathon took place, but the show goes on in a COVID friendly fashion.
Kendra Scott partnership
(Kendra Scott)
Kendra Scott announced this week it is partnering with Diligent Robotics, a female-founded A.I. company that created robot Moxi, on its Kendra Cares program. Through the partnership and program, the robot will assist healthcare workers by providing social and emotional support to patients in children's hospitals. The robot will ultimately deliver customized pieces of jewelry to patients that will help minimize risk of exposure to COVID.
New opening: Studs, 1510 South Congress Ave.
(Studs)
Looking to get a new ear piercing and earrings? Studs has expanded outside the New York market and onto South Congress. With more than 1,200 on the waiting list to book an appointment last week, Studs chose to expand to Austin where the owners believe a lot of younger residents would like ear piercings.
The shop uses only curated needles, instead of piercing guns, for a precise piercing that will heal better. And unlike tattoo parlors where most typically go for a piercing, they have a variety of ear accessories in store. Studs opened last week and is operating on an appointment-only basis.
New opening: The RealReal, 11700 Domain Blvd.
(The RealReal)
What started as a luxury consignment online store has since expanded to 10 brick-and-mortar stores. The RealReal is now operating at the Domain. Brands offered at the store include Gucci, Chanel, Prada and Cartier, among others.
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Popular
(Paxton Smith/Instagram)
Paxton Smith’s 2021 valedictory speech at Lake Highlands High School in Dallas wasn’t the same speech she had previously shared with school administrators. She dropped the approved speech and made a case for women’s reproductive rights after lawmakers passed the Texas "Heartbeat Bill.”
Her advocacy made news on NPR, YouTubeTV and in The Guardian. Just over a year later, the “war on (women’s) rights” she forewarned has come to a head as the U.S. Supreme Court voted Friday morning to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending constitutional protection for abortion access.
“It is up to the people to show up and show the courts and the politicians that we won’t sit back and let this happen,” Smith told Austonia Friday morning. “We will show up, we will fight back. Before, we were scared of them, now they should be scared of us.”
Now a University of Texas sophomore and abortion rights activist, 19-year-old Smith said she wanted to give the same speech in the “the most public way possible” to reach “as many people as possible who don't agree that I deserve this right.”
However, she says the response was “actually overwhelmingly positive” and supportive of her cause. According to a recent UT poll, 78% of Texas voters support abortion access in most cases.
The speech opened up further opportunities for activism: she advocated for reproductive rights at the International Forum on Human Rights in Geneva, interviewed with Variety magazine and spoke to tens of thousands at Austin’s Bans Off Our Bodies protest at the Texas Capitol in May.
Smith also serves on the board of directors for the Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project, a national nonprofit organization that helps fund abortions or medication abortion—like Plan C pills—in all 50 states. Most recently, Smith has been attending protests in Washington, D.C. leading up to the ruling.
“This is land of the free. This is where you get to choose how you live your life,” Smith said. “Overturning Roe v. Wade violates everything that we have come to believe about what it means to live in this country. I think a lot of people aren't willing to accept that this is a human right that is most likely just going to be gone for over half of the country within the next couple of weeks.”
Bracing for the next steps, Smith gave some tips for supporters:
- Find a protest to attend.
- “I would say invite somebody to go to those protests with you, invite a couple of friends, invite people into the movement,” Smith said.
- Talk about the issue on social media—use the platform you have.
- “Have these kinds of conversations where people can just talk about their fears and then find ways to go and advocate for yourself,” Smith said.
- Volunteer at a nonprofit near you.
“I feel like a lot of the reason things have gotten as bad as they have within the abortion rights world is that people are not making a scene, not protesting, not putting the effort into ensuring that the government doesn't take away this right,” Smith said. “I want to emphasize that if you're not doing anything, don't expect the best scenario, expect the worst because that's the direction that we're going in.”
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(Council Member Chito Vela/Twitter)
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion, Friday morning. Moments later, Austin City Council set a special meeting for next month to pass a resolution aimed at decriminalizing abortion.
The GRACE Act, which stands for guarding the right to abortion care for everyone, is a twofold plan submitted by council member Jose “Chito” Vela. It recommends that city funds shouldn’t be used to surveil, catalog, report or investigate abortions. It also recommends that police make investigating abortion their lowest priority.
Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, who co-sponsored the resolution along with council members Paige Ellis, Kathie Tovo and Mayor Steve Adler, said the importance of the GRACE Act cannot be overstated.
“By introducing this resolution during a special session, City Council is doubling down on fighting back for reproductive health,” Fuentes said. “Items like the GRACE Act will promote essential healthcare while enabling individuals to exercise their bodily freedom.”
The act takes an approach similar to when former council member Greg Casar moved to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Ultimately, state law doesn't allow city officials to order police chiefs to adopt specific enforcement policies so the resolution would be a request to Police Chief Joe Chacon. In May, Politico reported that Vela is having "ongoing conversations" with Chacon about the proposal.
Austonia contacted Attorney General Ken Paxton for comment on the GRACE Act but did not hear back by time of publication. On Friday, Paxton celebrated the overturning of Roe and announced an annual office holiday on June 24 in recognition of the high court's decision.
In a press release, Vela said the Texas state government has a history of overturning municipal protections of human rights. Thirty days after the Supreme Court’s ruling, Texas will ban all abortions, with exceptions only to save the life of a pregnant patient or prevent “substantial impairment of major bodily function.”
Still, Vela expressed hope for the GRACE Act’s longevity. Council’s special meeting on it is set for the week of July 18.
“We know this resolution is legally sound, and Austin is not alone in this fight,” Vela said. “We are working with several other cities who are equally horrified by the prospect of an abortion ban and want to do everything they can to protect their residents.”
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