Three of the main squares have done a fair share of shuffling over the summer, with big moves, expansions and new stores.
Round Top doesn’t have a typical Main Street lined with shops like most small towns. Rather, it has a handful of charming shopping squares scattered along Highway 237. Three of the main squares have done a fair share of shuffling over the summer, with big moves and expansions from familiar favorites. There have also been a number of fun new stores joining the year-round marketplace.
This is your roundup of everything that’s happening on Round Top’s squares:
Antiques and vintage purveyor Bisou Bisou has sashayed across Highway 237 and into the space formerly occupied by Mallory et Cie in historic Henkel Square Market. Bisou Bisou owner Mimi Rogers has been busy making the space her own and filling it with one-of-a-kind furniture and decor pieces sourced from all over the United States and Europe.
Bisou Bisou is currently open from 11 am to 5 pm Thursdays through Saturdays and 11 am to 4 pm on Sundays.
Meanwhile, luxury western fashion brand Kemo Sabe plans to promenade into Henkel Square this fall. The Western wear phenomenon — which started in Aspen and has stores in Vail, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Park City, Utah and Las Vegas — is in the process of building a new structure in Round Top for its first Texas store.
This follows a successful pop-up in Henkel Square this past spring. Kemo Sabe will soft open during the Fall 2023 Round Top Antiques + Design Show this October. Read more about the new store here.
On the design front, Henkel is well-known as the home of the Round Top Antiques and Design Center. The RTADC is filled with antiques, home decor, textiles, rugs and more – all supplied be interior design experts that stand ready to help turn any home into a show place. This summer, the square added another design firm to its roster. Georgetown-based pool, patio and landscape firm Omnia Outdoors has moved into the top floor of the Mill & Live Oak building. (The bottom floor is occupied by Round Top favorites Southern Beasts and Sapana.) The addition of Omnia makes Henkel a one-stop shop for home design, inside and out.
Rolland Square, with its collection of historic homes and antique log forts turned shops, has also been dancing with activity this summer. Luxury fashion consignor Modern Marla turned over the keys to the historic Moore’s Fort and has consolidated her pre-loved goodies (think Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton and more) into her Henkel Square shop.
Upscale fashion boutique The Monarch has taken over Marla’s spot at Moores Fort, offering high-end department store brands like Free People and Daydreamer, fun accessories, jewelry and more. The store is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm.
The Monarch owner Kait Kirby also reveals that her in-laws are the head couple behind another new Rolland Square business called Texas Best Goods. The new general store can be found in the fort adjacent to The Monarch. Texas Best carries pearl snap shirts, handmade knives and a variety of kitchen sundries including sauces, mixes and cooking oils under the house brand “Woah! That’s Good”.
Popular restaurant and nano-brewery Round Top Brewing‘s porch and yard can often be seen overflowing with people enjoying house beers and live music. Thus, the restaurant and bar has begun the first phase of a much-needed expansion into the space formerly occupied by Lollitop Sweetshop in Minden Square. Lollitop, a candy and treat store also owned by Round Top Brewing founders Brooke and Paul Michie, moved to Henkel Square this past spring.
The move has made way for more storage and prep space for Round Top Brewing’s bustling restaurant and brewery.
The first phase Round Top Brewing’s expansion has nearly tripled the cold storage, which allows for the production of more house brews. It also has kick started the brewery’s canning and small-scale beer distribution plans. In addition, a new enclosed outdoor cooking space with a high-capacity smoker means more menu options and a larger number of mouths fed until the full-scale commercial kitchen part of the expansion is complete.
It’s been a busy summer in Round Top, and there’s no need to wait until the fall to experience most of what’s new. Shops and restaurants in all the Round Top squares are open every weekend year-round.
