1. The Mustard Seed Antiques
Route 66, which once bisected the Panhandle, is no longer a vital thoroughfare. But shoppers still travel the historic byway looking for one-of-a-kind alternatives to the generic retail giants along Interstate 40. Among the homegrown businesses is Pat Bowers Fincher’s antiques boutique, which takes up six thousand square feet and just reopened after a month-long renovation. It’s stockpiled with finds old (vintage wrought-iron bed frames), new (organic cotton dresses by Trinity), and handmade (lamp shades stripped down to their frames and dripping with crystals). 3323 SW Sixth Ave., 806-376-9209
2. Nest interiors
Amarillo native Kasey Robinson has an interior design degree from the Art Institute of Dallas, a passion for “retail with a cause,” and the most charmingly whimsical home decor and knickknack shop in town. The creative window and floor displays rival Anthropologie’s, and green-minded must-haves abound, like Smock greeting cards (made on bamboo paper at a wind-powered press), a Suzani stool embroidered with organic gold silk, solar chargers for your iPhone, and Olivina body butter. 2900 SW Sixth Ave., 806-418-2317, from6th.blogspot.com
3. JBS Linens
Thread-count snobs, rejoice! Swank Sferra sheets from Italy await you at this boudoir heaven, where you can spend hours picking out custom duvet covers and throw pillows for the bedroom of your dreams. You’ll also find intricately embroidered Anali guest towels for your powder room and a slew of indulgences that will send you into blissful oblivion. Who needs Ambien when you can wrap yourself in a sumptuous Pine Cone Hill robe, light a few Aquiesse candles, slather on some Lollia hand cream, and slip off to la-la land? 2614 Wolflin Village, 806-356-7500
4. Et Cetera
Like a mini—Neiman Marcus, this eclectic emporium has a tempting array of exquisite novelties and fineries for home that you have neither budgeted for nor have the willpower to leave without. Black-and-white-checked MacKenzie-Childs ceramics and enamelware fill an entire wall of shelves. Bejeweled Jay Strong-water frames and Juliska mouth-blown glass vases beg to be wrapped up and taken home. Sugar Factory lollipops with Swarovski crystal—encrusted handles and silicon Too Late watches in a rainbow of colors make unexpected gifts. Your wish list will soon stretch on like a galaxy, ad infinitum. 2610 Wolflin Village, 806-358-2333, etceteraonline.com
5. Village Bakery Café
Quick! How do you say “more carbohydrates, please” in French? Luckily, you need to know only a few key words en français (“quiche,” “brioche,” “crème brûlée”) to order a delicious meal at this Wolflin Village bistro. Phyllis Enloe bakes pastries, cakes, and artisan breads daily and creates weekly lunch menus. Coming right up: a flaky croissant for breakfast, King Ranch chicken casserole for lunch, and a fresh-fruit tart for dessert—and two cream puffs and an éclair for later. 2606 Wolflin Village, 806-358-1358, villagebakerycafe.com
6. Raffkind’s
In 1910 a Russian immigrant named Eli Raffkind started selling clothing to railroad workers and cowboys. A hundred years later, his descendants are still outfitting the men and—as of two decades ago—women of Amarillo. Grandson George Raffkind steers longtime customers toward striped Peter Millar dress shirts, hand-sewn Robert Talbott silk ties, and made-to-measure Oxxford suits. Guys can kick back with a whiskey in the TV lounge while the ladies prowl their side of the store for AG jeans, Marc Jacobs sunglasses, and strappy heels by Fergie. 2205 S. Georgia, 806-352-3033, raffkinds.com
7. BL Bistro
This surf-and-turf restaurant is so highly—and frequently—recommended by Amarilloans that visitors might suspect the chefs of offering bribes for good reviews. Located in a converted motor bank, the bistro was recently voted the best place in town to “see and be seen” (even though the dining room is so dark that it’s hard to read the menu). Regulars twitter (and Tweet) between bites of grilled king crab and thinly sliced lamb (cooked tableside on a hot rock) and show up en masse for green-chile eggs and pomegranate mimosas at Sunday brunch. 2203 S. Austin, 806-355-7838, blbistro.com
8. Amarillo Museum of Art
Before the AMOA opened on the Amarillo College campus, in 1972, Panhandle residents who wanted to see noteworthy art had to travel to Fort Worth. Though modest in size, the museum boasts a remarkable collection of Asian art: nearly 150 Japanese woodblock prints from the Edo period and more than a dozen Hindu and Buddhist sculptures dating back to the second century. Two of the six galleries are usually devoted to rotating exhibits, and the ground floor is filled with striking contemporary pieces from American artists. 2200 S. Van Buren, 806-371-5050, amarilloart.org
