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Dream Merchant At 1658 Westheimer Rd.


love_is_suicide

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Dream Merchant was a high class head shop without the bongs ;-)

Dream Merchant was located somewhere else before they got fancy at the Marks's location, but those brain cells are dead.

Yes, we went there all the time circa 1987. I like the record shop that was there afterwards.

Sound Exchange - bought my first Cabaret Voltaire and BAD 12". Also Africa Boombata (sp?) - World Destruction!

Don't forget Shop The Curve!

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Dream Merchant rocked! I can smell the Gonesh incense as I type this. I remember always wanting to get my hair cut at The London Hair Company that used to be in the little houses behind the Dream Merchant.

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i remember finding the doc martin's i wanted at dream merchant. also, my first cabaret voltaire cd was also purchased at sound exchange, as well as meat beat manifesto and vicious pink. i still have a bowling shirt from the 50's a friend bought for me from step back or timeless taffeta, i can't remember which. good times.

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Depends on what type of beads you are talking about.

:o:D:lol:

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO No you DIDN'T take it there!!!!!!

Coincidentally, Dream Merchant was the place I saw my first ever p*nis ring. The balcony was the place for a lot of the naughty things. What a cool place.

By the way, I also remember Sound Exchange as well as Sound Plus. Not to mention the old Soundwaves in the strip center at the corner of Westheimer and Montrose. Had the best bootlegs. And, who could forget the Tower Theater? Can someone say Howard Rollins rocking that joint? Anyway........

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The old Sound Exchange on Westheimer was great...I'm ashamed to say I haven't been to their "new" store (on Alabama?) since they moved. They've been there for years.

I may have to go there soon, though. I hear they have one of the best selections of record needles in Houston...which is perfect, as a friend just gave me a record player!

Sound Exchange always had a great selection of music.

Sound Waves was OK for used stuff back in the day, but I've always thought they were high on new stuff. 90% of what I buy is used anyways...I can't stomach paying $15.00 for a CD.

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The new Sound Exhance is lame. Might just be the location. I did find a few good used Smith's on vinyl there recently.

Black Dog Records behind Star Pizza is kinda neat. They have new and used vinyl.

Soundwaves owes their succes to me. Me and my buds helped put the Broadway store on the map.

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I've been to Sig's Lagoon on Main Street a few times. I love his place. He's got a little section of Houston and Texas blues/jazz/zydeco CD's. Also got some good rockabilly and blues. Some novelty things, some of this, some of that...

And then, he's got hundreds of $1.00 vinyl records. I got a couple live Flatt & Scruggs albums, a 1960's "various artists" R&B/Soul album, and a Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits album (for my wife) for a whopping sum of $4.00.

Sig's Lagoon is right between the Continental Club and the Big Top Lounge on Main at Alabama. The owner is a very nice guy...good taste in music.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Geesh...Timeless Taffeta. That was where I got my first pair of Docs and the only place that I was allowed to go at 16 that had knee high victorian boots :)

I never got a chance to go to Sound Exchange when it was on Westheimer, but I did go to Rockpile alot. It was the only place that I could indulge my hardcore punk rock side and my synth pop/rivethead side in one convienient shopping trip.

I loved that Dare Wear was next door too, but Martin (the owner) was losing wayyyyy too much money on that location due to a skeevy employee.

Does anyone remember a little store on Richmond called Sanctuary? It was a neat little store that sold like Manic Panic makeup and anhk necklaces. It was like the one stop goth shop. But the folks who owned it, from what i've heard, made sure that Apoptygma Berserk never plays in Houston again. I think they closed like 6 or 7 years ago or some such.

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Hehe...love me some Apoptygma Berserk. Had to travel to Austin to see them and VNV Nation play together. Great show, just wish it could have been local.

Anywho MidtownCoog...Rockpile moved a couple of years ago to a little house on Westheimer. I guess they got too big for their britches cause they closed about a year after they opened that location.

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was sanctuary a blue/purple house by the VW dealership?

infinite records

dream merchant also had a shop at sharpstown mall

there was another record shop in a black little house/building..it was on the bottom..i can't remember what else was by it or what it was called...by wendys i think..

i know i went to some of those shops just to look at the guys that i thought were cute.

i saw rage against the machine at the tower theater. that makes me think of the axiom, the unicorn, the westheimer art festival (seeing bands that had people i went to school with or knew)..

i passed by sig's lagoon but only because i was lost. i won't go downtown for anything unless i absolutely must ever since they put in that rail bus...

there's some other stuff that came to mind and now i forgot

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  • 8 months later...

OK guys... I miss Dream merchant on Westheimer as well.....and the really cool surf shop behind the old church. But I remember the original Dream Merchant in Sharpstown mall before it moved to Montrose. I used to shop there on a regular basis. In 1982 I bought a t-shirt there before a DEVO concert at Cullen Auditorium at the Uof H campus. I still have the ticket stub and some pics.......guess its about time I put it on Ebay??

Sharpstown mall was the place to be in the 80's......I also saw Martha Quinn there on an MTV tour....

WOW...the 80's.....

Stephen 979 240 8158

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On 6/13/2006 at 2:39 AM, squinney said:

OK guys... I miss Dream merchant on Westheimer as well.....and the really cool surf shop behind the old church. But I remember the original Dream Merchant in Sharpstown mall before it moved to Montrose. I used to shop there on a regular basis. In 1982 I bought a t-shirt there before a DEVO concert at Cullen Auditorium at the Uof H campus. I still have the ticket stub and some pics.......guess its about time I put it on Ebay??

Sharpstown mall was the place to be in the 80's......I also saw Martha Quinn there on an MTV tour....

WOW...the 80's.....

 

 

I was also a regular at the Sharpstown Dream Merchant :)

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  • 3 years later...

I'm crazy late to this post.

 

I remember DM when it was still downstairs at Sharpstown, then upstairs in the corner, and finally on Westheimer. I got my first Joy Division t-shirt there and a Stussy hat when they were on Westheimer. How times changed. 

 

For reference, I graduated from Alief Elsik HS in '89. So, this was 'my' time. 

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  • 5 months later...

Not sure how I stumbled across this post, but wow yes brings back memories. I worked at Dream Merchant in the later 80's with Chris, Michael (tall), Flaca, forget the asian's name, but what a crew. Helped Dee open Rattleskate and Surf in one of the little houses in the back. Sound Exchange was Record Exchange when I shopped there and yes bought my first Culturecide Album. The first record I ever bought there was a Texas compilation Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death had Butthole Surfers, Really Red, D.R.I. yep that's right they WERE from Houston not California. V/A - Cottage Cheese From The Lips Of Death [FULL COMPILATION ALBUM] - YouTube  I lived on the streets around Montrose. Used to love to hang out on the side walk outside Numbers. Ended up moving to Houston Studies and became the maintenance man there for several years. Frequented the Axiom, AMC Apocalypse Monster Club, Cabaret Voltaire, Saw Black Flag, Dead Kenedys several times at various clubs around Numbers. I remember seeing the Sexacusioner from GWAR rollerskating around the Montrose Art Festival in 1987 or 88 passing out promo flyers and ended up seeing them play for the first time at one of those clubs near by. I could go on and on I was 18-20 years old then, 53 now. Whew... Michael McCutchan

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  • 4 months later...

After One Fifth completes its run at 1658 Westheimer Rd, it seems Chris Shepherd & Underbelly Hospitality won't extend their lease. The Lower Westheimer space is available for lease and is being marketed as of last month.

With multiple restaurants planned for the Houston Farmers Market on Airline and Regent Square in River Oaks, it's not much a surprise Underbelly Hospitality may not have additional plans for the Montrose property.

It seems the owner(s) of the 1658 Westheimer property have found at least one tenant, so far. The Salty, a fancy donut (doughnut) shop based in Miami is listed as a tenant.

I knew the Salty had its eyes on Houston when news of their expansion into the Dallas market made news two years ago, so, it was only a matter of time. The Houston location will be the donut shop's third outpost in Texas.

The Salty will be in good company with neighbors Common Bond and Voodoo Doughnut.

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https://rue-re.com/portfolio-item/1658-westheimer-houston-tx

Edited by IntheKnowHouston
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