4 Best Places to Shop in Central Austin and the University of Texas, Austin

This year-round, open-air market with roots stretching back to the early 1970s is the soul of the Drag. The unreconstructed hippie ambience is at least as much of a draw as the actual merchandise crafted and sold by various local artisans. The wares include jewelry, leatherwork, candles, photographs, paintings, sculpture, textiles, and the inevitable tie-dyed T-shirts. Note that the market is firmly regulated by the city, and all vendors must be licensed by a commission. Days and hours of operation have been changed and scaled down since COVID; current status updates can be found on their website and social media pages.

With an emphasis on local blues music and Texas players, this shop was opened by the legendary local Clifford Antone as a hangout for showgoers back when his original Antone’s Nightclub was located across the street. Over the years, performers like Memphis Slim, Pinetop Perkins, and Doug Sahm played the club and recorded for the Antone’s label, which operated its "headquarters" out of this humble record store. Today, you’ll find bins of vinyl here as well as new releases and various posters and gifts. An expert staff can help serious music lovers with any and all inquiries. Check the events calendar for news on upcoming in-store performances and SXSW showcases.

The classiest hardware store in Austin, adjacent to the UT campus, doesn’t just stock a prism of paints and garden gadgets. It’s dedicated to home improvement in all regards. Browse the Waterford china, Simon Pearce dinnerware, and aisles upon aisles of designer kitchen tools and decor. It’s the go-to place for popular local cookbooks from the Tipsy Texan, Uchi, and Fonda San Miguel and a variety of other locally made art and gifts, like sweetly scented soaps and candles and swoon-worthy leather goods all made in Austin.

The beating burnt-orange heart of Longhorn Nation is on display at this emporium of UT paraphernalia, located in the middle of the Drag on campus. You can find Longhorn-logoed everything at this three-level department store founded in 1896 after a similar co-op at Harvard, from Crocs and floral dresses to $350 pairs of burnt-orange Lucchese cowboy boots. Even if you have no direct (or indirect) connection to UT, stop in if you're in the neighborhood to snag your own UT memento.