Shopping in Texas City

The Ellis family traces its history of working with plants to the late 1800s, when they operated a pottery-manufacturing company in Texas. Current-generation family members build from their familial expertise at all five of their store locations, spread between Louisiana and Texas. Twice a year, the Ellises travel overseas to identify upcoming horticulture trends decided by UN meetings in The Hague. This has expanded their decorative focus to include all aspects of home décor to complement greenhouses filled with tropical blooms and locally grown shrubbery. Clocks, lamps, and vases score homeowners extra credit in interior-design classes, and fountains and outdoor furniture make gardens hospitable for warm weather. The Ellises encourage creativity with hands-on classes in subjects such as making centerpieces, weaving wreaths, and tying ribbon into perfect bows.

At Pasha's Boutique, exclusive items and luxurious apparel fill out fashionable ensembles in a range of sizes. Handmade jewelry crafted by local artists and high-heeled shoes accessorize wardrobes with elegant designs and bold colors. Helpful staffers dress guests in seasonal gowns and tops inside the boutique, or they dutifully fold ruffled jackets into fiber-optic-cable delivery systems through the online store.

Blooming from a family-run arts-and-crafts business more than a quarter century ago, Woodland Art & Frame now focuses on accentuating masterpieces with complementary borders. Aside from performing traditional services, such as dry-mounting posters and retouching oil paintings, certified framers enlist a virtual framer program to help patrons visualize their artwork in different mattes, frames, and ’80s hairstyles before finalizing selections. Framers also transform flat-screen TVs into functional artwork by crafting screen-hugging frames, and sometimes visit homes or offices to assess aesthetic needs.

The Glass Cat’s handmade dichroic jewelry, artwork, and unique knickknacks are crafted by local artisans and the shop’s owner, a certified art teacher and glass sculptor with pieces in galleries and juried art shows throughout the U.S. Candles circulate tantalizing scents across an onsite art gallery peppered with creative wine-bottle artwork, as well as the shop’s selection of stylish purses and robust coffees from Ganovia, a gourmet coffee company. Taught by the owner, art classes guide students through dichroic-jewelry making and ceramic glazing, with studio time available for Glass Cat alums looking to work on a new piece or reheat pizza slices in a piping-hot kiln.

Parvizian Rugs International has cushioned Houston footfalls for more than 40 years with antique and custom-made carpets and rugs. Rug workshops and wool factories in Romania, Pakistan, and India fill Parvizian’s American and European storefronts with luxe piles of wool and silk, which are draped over displays or custom-created with help from savvy in-house designers. Parvizian also travels to homes and offices to clean carpets with hand-sudsed shampoos and environmentally friendly supplies, and restores rugs ravaged by moths and foot traffic with meticulous re-weaving, fresh twirls of fringe, and re-backing torn from the pages of Chicken Soup for the Soul.