A quirky and funky home furnishing store in the Design District of Dallas today is called: Big Mango TradingLtd., which specializes in imported furnishings from Southeast Asia and the Far East, will close its retail store at 1130 N. Riverfront Blvd. In May after 20 years.
Managing partner Arron Crawford says they will close in May with a major sale that will include a large container of newly imported goods as a final deposit.
Crawford’s parents Jamie and Laurie Smith first opened Big Mango in 1996, when the design district was truly a Dallas design district, inhabited by warehouses that were only open to trade.
The couple traveled to Indonesia and fell in love with the casual elegance of Bali and Java. They would take things back home, then sell extra pieces as a hobby. One day they rented the space on Riverfront Street and the business took off.
They would make regular trips to Southeast Asia, make friends with artisans and artisans, and amass a unique collection of home and garden décor not found anywhere else in Dallas. While they served the design trade, they were also open to the public, making them a destination for designers and home shoppers alike.
“Over the past 20 years, we have outfitted countless bars, restaurants, hotels, parks, homes, plazas, and even ashrams, with the unique and eclectic pieces found on our travels to Southeast Asia,” says Aaron.
The merchandise was a highly personal blend of handcrafted home furnishings, distinctive exterior and architectural pieces, a wide range of exotic accessories, and one-of-a-kind treasures with an Asian influence.
“We’re the place to go if you want a stone Buddha—there aren’t a lot of stores in Dallas that sell it,” says Aaron.
They also have a uniquely distinct shopping environment, with the combination of indoor and outdoor exhibition space that has made them a funky urban treasure.
“Our store is a little different,” she says. “We’re indoors and outdoors. Put it this way: We don’t have temperature control. We’ve always been more adventurous than some of the other galleries out there.”
The main reason for their closure: the epidemic.
“With what’s happening in the world, it no longer supports our business model,” she says. “We can’t travel the way we used to, and shipping costs are getting exorbitant.”
“But the universe has been pointing out the exits for a while,” she says. “We’ve talked about it for the past couple of years and we finally said OK, it’s been a good run, and it’s time.”
So now is your chance to get yourself your own tribal figurines, teak root carvings and chairs, life-size ‘meditation man’ and ‘diver’ metal sculptures, clear and blue glass tablets stacked on a limestone plinth, stacked stone carvings and stone carvings bowls.
“We’re going out with another container of goodies from Bali before we pull out our gate for the last time at the end of May,” she says.