Icon - Arrow LeftAn icon we use to indicate a rightwards action. Icon - Arrow RightAn icon we use to indicate a leftwards action. Icon - External LinkAn icon we use to indicate a button link is external. Icon - MessageThe icon we use to represent an email action. Icon - Down ChevronUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - CloseUsed to indicate a close action. Icon - Dropdown ArrowUsed to indicate a dropdown. Icon - Location PinUsed to showcase a location on a map. Icon - Zoom OutUsed to indicate a zoom out action on a map. Icon - Zoom InUsed to indicate a zoom in action on a map. Icon - SearchUsed to indicate a search action. Icon - EmailUsed to indicate an emai action. Icon - FacebookFacebooks brand mark for use in social sharing icons. flipboard Icon - InstagramInstagrams brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - PinterestPinterests brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - TwitterTwitters brand mark for use in social sharing icons. Icon - Check MarkA check mark for checkbox buttons.
You are reading

Oaxaca by Way of Texas: JM Dry Goods in Austin

Search

Oaxaca by Way of Texas: JM Dry Goods in Austin

August 10, 2012

Michelle Teague and her husband, Jon Davidson, were two New Yorkers working in film production when a winter’s road trip through the high desert of West Texas changed everything.

Just as Donald Judd, James Turrell, and a collective of minimalist art devotees had done before them, Teague and Davidson were drawn to Marfa, Texas. As Teague says, “We got back to our little New York apartment and kept burning pinon incense to recreate our Marfa bungalow.” When the couple’s friend Liz Lambert called to ask for help building a teepee/trailer hotel (see Hotels & Lodgings: El Cosmico in Texas), Teague knew that “this was our escape to Marfa.” Once in Marfa, the couple, along with their son Jack Maverick, heard that an old dry goods store in town was up for rent, and JM Dry Goods (named after Jack Maverick) was born.

This past spring, on Cinqo de Mayo, Teague opened an Austin outpost focusing on goods from Mexico. Every six weeks, Teague features Mexicali textiles and pieces that directly support the livelihood of artists. The entire shop was designed by Teague and Davidson, who welded every bracket and light fixture. With shelving made from salvaged long leaf pine and whitewashed floors and ceiling, the shop is an instant gateway to Oaxaca by way of Texas.

Austin’s JM Dry Goods is located at 215 S. Lamar Street; for products listed below, contact JM Dry Goods for shipping and availability.

Photography by Michael A. Muller.

700 michelle jm and shop

Above: Owner Michelle Teague says her personal style is “the same as when I was in my twenties running around the globe with a backpack and my white Levis, my handmade sash from Guatemala, a white tank top, and a straw hat. Third World backpacker grown up.” Teague is wearing her “magic huipile,” which she spotted hanging in a dark stairwell in the back of El Mano Magico, a tiny shop is Oaxaca City. “In June, I dutifully go to visit this dress and the woman in the shop says, ‘That is your dress, it has been waiting for you.’ Of course I bought it; how could I not?”

700 jm dry goods textiles detail

Above: Children’s embroidered Huipiles from the coastal region of Oaxaca; prices range from $28 to $44 each.

700 jm dry goods store inteiror turquoise

Above: A handmade Huipile from Mitla, Mexico ($140), hangs on the wall next to a navy and white-striped hammock from Brazil ($90).

700 jm dry goods incense

Above: Copal incense, handmade in the Yucatan; $10 per bunch.

700 jm dry goods display against wall

Above: A row of leather ranch chairs made in Marfa, Texas, by Silla ($550 each).

700 jm dry goods textiles stacked together

Above L to R: Oaxacan table runners ($68 each), Moroccan hand towels ($15 for the small and $55 for the large), and Chiapas pillow covers ($48 each).

700 jm dry goods blanket

Above: A Tenango coverlet ($300) made by the Otomi in the Eastern Sierra Madre in Hidalgo: “The animal and floral motifs are inspired by cave depictions and their intricate embroidery and vibrant dyes are an ancient Mexican traditional work of art,” Teague says.

700 jm dry goods necklaces

Above: Jewelry made from hammock string and vintage peso coins by Yucatan-based artist Daniella Bustos Maya; prices range from $32 to $125 each.

700 jm dry goods wall display

Above: Hand-blown blue glassware imported from Mexico; $10 each.

700 jm dry goods textiles textures

Above: An array of handwoven textiles from Mexico, Central, and South America.

700 jm dry goods

Above: A purple Zapotec rug handwoven in Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca ($220), Leather lounge chairs for $1,600 by Silla, and baskets woven by the Triche women of Oaxaca (prices range from $18 to $68 each).

(Visited 270 times, 1 visits today)
You need to login or register to view and manage your bookmarks.

Have a Question or Comment About This Post?

Join the conversation

v5.0